Three servicemen return to America from WWII and try to resume their lives. The movie aims to focus on each of their stories equally.Frederic March is the family man (married to Myrna Loy) and Dana Andrews is a tough pilot. Especially memorable is the performance of Harold Russell as the returning sailor who lost his hands in the war.
Russell, who in fact was a double amputee, was awarded an honorary Academy Award for "bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans." He's really good, I would never have known he was not a professional actor.
Hugo Friedhofer's score for this picture is memorable and features specific themes associated with various characters and situations (also known as a leitmotif).
It is remembered as a film event that spoke to a generation; it was one of the Top 5 grossing films of that year.
I like Frederic March in the movie, but I always feel that James Stewart should have won the Oscar for Best Actor for It's a Wonderful Life that year.
Dana Andrews is in the film just as much as March is, and he's good as well. One scene I will always remember is when Andrews comes face to face with a conscientious objector at a coffee shop and almost fights with him.
With Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo, Cathy O'Donnell, and Hoagy Carmichael. I first watched this movie in 1994.
