PG | 2h 50min | Drama | 1946
The Veterans Administration (VA) estimated that, in the late 1940s, about one-tenth of America’s population and a fifth of its workforce were veterans of World War II. For the next quarter of a century, America would depend on that beleaguered group of about 20 million (as large as present day New York) to raise families and pay bills and taxes.
Naturally, many films of the era examine how returning veterans cope with civilian life. “The Best Years of our Lives” (1946) is one such film, but instead of grand political or economic themes, it dwells on simpler matters….