The Best Years of Our Lives
“Three wonderful loves in the best picture of the year!”
It's the hope that sustains the spirit of every GI: the dream of the day when he will finally return home. For three WWII veterans, the day has arrived. But for each man, the dream is about to become a nightmare.
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Cast
103 people
Dana Andrews
Fred Derry
Known for
Laura
Night of the Demon
Fredric March
Al Stephenson
Known for
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Inherit the Wind
Harold Russell
Homer Parrish
Also in
Inside Moves
Marriage Counseling
Teresa Wright
Peggy Stephenson
Known for
Shadow of a Doubt
Somewhere in Time
Myrna Loy
Milly Stephenson
Known for
The Thin Man
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
Cathy O'Donnell
Wilma Cameron
Known for
Ben-Hur
They Live by Night
Virginia Mayo
Marie Derry
Known for
White Heat
Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.
Hoagy Carmichael
Butch Engle
Known for
To Have and Have Not
Young Man with a Horn
Gladys George
Hortense Derry
Known for
The Maltese Falcon
The Roaring Twenties
Roman Bohnen
Pat Derry
Known for
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
Of Mice and Men
Ray Collins
Mr. Milton
Known for
Citizen Kane
Perry Mason
Minna Gombell
Mrs. Parrish
Known for
The Thin Man
Block-Heads
William Wyler Director · Robert E. Sherwood Screenplay MacKinlay Kantor Author
Worldwide gross $24M · Budget $2.1M · United States release November 22, 1946
Box office
Budget
$2,100,000
Worldwide gross
$23,650,000
Gross vs. budget
11.3×
Production
Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Production
Samuel Goldwyn Films
Studio · Production
United States
Produced in
Glory for Me · Home Again
Working titles
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English
Release dates
United States · November 21, 1946
Premiere · (New York City, New York)
United States · November 22, 1946
Limited theatrical · (New York City, New York)
United States
December 18, 1946 · Limited theatrical · (Chicago)
December 25, 1946 · Limited theatrical · (Los Angeles, California) & (Boston)
February 3, 1954 · Theatrical · (re-release)
June 6, 2014 · Theatrical · (New York City, New York) (re-release)
Argentina
June 17, 1947 · Theatrical
Austria
October 29, 1948 · Theatrical
Brazil
December 31, 1946 · Theatrical
China
October 24, 2026 · Premiere · Classic Film Festival (4K Restoration)
Denmark
November 24, 1947 · Theatrical
February 19, 1951 · Theatrical · (re-release)
May 29, 1961 · Theatrical · (re-release)
Finland
December 24, 1948 · Theatrical
January 17, 1964 · Theatrical
France
October 3, 1947 · Theatrical
November 20, 2002 · Theatrical · (re-release)
Germany
June 1, 1948 · Theatrical
June 15, 1974 · Premiere · (TV premiere)
Greece
October 15, 2026 · Limited theatrical · Re-Issue
Hong Kong SAR China
December 18, 1947 · Theatrical
Italy
March 28, 1948 · Theatrical
Japan
June 15, 1948 · Theatrical
Netherlands
January 30, 1948 · Theatrical
June 22, 2002 · TV · Nederland 2
May 4, 2017 · Physical · DVD
Portugal
March 4, 1948 · Theatrical
Spain
December 11, 1947 · Theatrical · (Madrid)
December 27, 1947 · Theatrical
March 28, 1974 · Theatrical · (re-release)
Sweden
November 17, 1947 · Theatrical
United Kingdom
January 15, 1947 · Theatrical
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Some details come from TheTVDB.