Usually, when people refer to the best war movies of all time, they focus on war flicks that take place during their respective conflicts.
However, some war movies are actually about the aftereffects, like First Blood. Well, another such film is one of the best war movies ever to win Best Picture: 1946's The Best Years of Our Lives, directed by William Wyler and starring Fredric March, Myrna Loy, and Dana Andrews, just to name a few.
Actually, there's one other actor I'd like to highlight, and that's because he's the only person in Academy Award history to win two Oscars for the same performance, and that man is Harold Russell.
Harold Russell's Character, Homer, Lost His Hands, Just Like The Actor Himself
The story of how Harold Russell made his acting debut in The Best Years of Our Lives is an interesting one. Russell lost his hands while teaching how to detonate explosives in the Army during World War II, and he was later given mechanical hooks. Always one to help, Russell was featured in a short film from the American Army titled Diary of a Sergeant, which showcased his rehabilitation at Walter Reed Hospital.
Well, William Wyler saw Diary and wanted Russell for his movie, even though Russell had no prior acting experience. His role as Homer is one of three returning soldiers from the Second World War, but his story might be the most potent, given his struggles with his new hands, since he lost them in the war.
In fact, it was so potent a role that not only was he awarded an honorary Oscar for “bringing aid and comfort to disabled veterans through the medium of motion pictures,” but he also ended up winning the Best Supporting Actor Award, too, making him the only actor in Academy history to win 2 Oscars for the same performance. Now that’s something.
Homer Struggles With Losing His Independence Due To His Disability
To watch somebody with a disability is eye-opening, since the first gut reaction for many of us is to often look away. In our heads, we do this because we don’t want to make the disabled person uncomfortable, but in truth, we ourselves are likely uncomfortable, and we turn our heads because we don’t know what else to do.
This is Homer’s life ever since he returned home from the war. Once a former athlete in high school, he struggles with things he once found simple since he has mechanical hooks. You can tell that he’s embarrassed when he’s around other people, as some of them do look away. When he’s alone, he gets angry since he can no longer be independent like he once was.
As I said, it’s eye-opening to watch somebody who truly struggles with their disability, and there is nothing you can do but sympathize with them. It’s a hard watch, but I’m sure an infinitely harder experience to live through.
Homer Also Struggles When It Comes To Romantic Relationships
A while back, I wrote about how much I love the movie CODA, but one aspect I didn’t mention was how impactful the love story was in the background. There are actually three love stories going on. There are the parents, who are both deaf; there is our protagonist (Emilia Jones), and the boy she’s crushing on, and both of them can hear. Then you have the protagonist’s brother, Leo (Daniel Durant), who’s deaf, but is dating somebody who can hear.
I bring this up because this is probably the most difficult relationship in the film, but they make it work, even though Leo has doubts about its future given his disability. Well, in The Best Years of Our Lives, we have a similar story.
Homer was literally dating the girl next door named Wilma (Cathy O’Donnell), and he doesn’t think their relationship will last once he gets back. In fact, he’s even expecting her to leave him, but she doesn’t, and they ultimately end up getting married. That said, it’s only once he learns to accept his disability that he can truly find peace within himself, and I think that’s a wonderful message–a wonderful message, and a wonderful movie.
