Here's a film that I own on DVD, and which never seems to show up on the Criterion Channel, and which I don't watch nearly enough: William Wyler's 1946 Oscar winner and undeniable classic, The Best Years of Our Lives. As with It's a Wonderful Life, although a very different film, every time I re-watch The Best Years of Our Lives I find new places to cry. I don't know if I made it ten minutes in this time before I was weepy, and that was before I balled later on. Shameful. It stars Fredric March, Dana Andrews and Harold Russell as soldiers returning to their small town after the war, and the struggles that they face returning to civilian life. Russell was a true double-amputee, and he ended up winning two Academy Awards for his performance, a Special Award because they didn't think he would actually win in the category of Best Supporting Actor, and also Best Supporting Actor (when he did win). It's the only time in Oscar history when an actor won twice for the same performance. Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, and Cathy O'Donnell are the women in their lives, adjusting to their pretty fucked up husband/boyfriends, but that statement doesn't do justice to the depth they all bring in their performances. Virginia Mayo gives a wonderful trampy performance as Andrews's wife. The film unflinchingly explored the lives of the returning soldiers, and, I would argue, helped keep America from forgetting them in the afterglow of victory. There are also a couple great scenes showing the growth of early isolationists and naysayers, which might serve as a primer on how movements like MAGA start. I taught a classic on World War II and Film a couple times, and I remember show it to my students. Required viewing.
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