tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post4194221979300614037..comments2024-03-28T10:44:41.756-05:00Comments on The War Movie Buff: #40 - THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVESWar Movie Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999735218343872013noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-60313094754726237332023-12-20T01:30:46.344-06:002023-12-20T01:30:46.344-06:00Thank you for your thoughtful review. In no partic...Thank you for your thoughtful review. In no particular order:<br />1. Derry, as an officer, seems to be the leader of the trio. It is impressive to see him enter the shack that is the home of his alcoholic father and we have to immediately re-evaluate him. I think Andrews plays Derry, as he says much later, "as a dealer in junk and failure." His character is pretty tarnished. He makes a move on Peggy before we know anything about his wife. Later he does not deny he was unfaithful in Paris or other cities. Marie comes off more as a survivor to me than a tramp. Derry makes no effort to control his passion for young Peggy. I love the way he mangled his job interview--he was almost spoonfed the answers that would land him a good position, but he refuses to accept praise.<br />In fact, his character is so negative that I believe he was made a decorated war hero just to give him a few bonus points.<br />2. Harold Russell's character. His overwhelming love for Wilma, and his fear that she might reject him., drives his emotions. He would rather reject her outright then embrace her only to have her leave. When she says "If we can't make a life together we'll soon know it" she has unconsciously put Homer in front of his greatest fear. When she passes the test, we cry with Homer. Sixty years later, the great detective series "Foyle's War" shows the dark side of that fear.<br />3. What is the cad with the sandwich upset about? I don't think he's anti-communist as much as he is anti-semitic--"we were steered to fight Germany." Lindbergh (in)famously made this the focus of his fight against FDR-- the President was being controlled by his Jewish advisers. German propaganda certainly played this up and audiences of the day would be aware of that kind of thinking.<br />4. I do think there is a bit of unresolved tension at the end of the movie. Derry's closing lines--that he and Peggy are going to have to get "kicked around" make no sense with successful Al as his father-in-law, unless he was going to follow through on his resolve to leave Boone City and strike out on his own.<br />Again, thank you for a rich and stimulating review.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-57391137268247739762022-08-03T07:07:35.690-05:002022-08-03T07:07:35.690-05:00Never mind my ignorance on the hash mark comments....Never mind my ignorance on the hash mark comments. WW II (starting around 1944?) awarded a hash mark worn on the left sleeve above a service hash mark to commemorate 6 months of overseas service. Hence both Fred and Al wore 5 hash marks commemorating their nearly 3 years overseas. Hat a dunce I am😳Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-49281955417780805472022-08-03T05:10:50.220-05:002022-08-03T05:10:50.220-05:00As a follow up I forgot to mention that Frederick ...As a follow up I forgot to mention that Frederick March’s character has I believe 3 hash marks that would indicate 9 years of service but the plot indicates that he was in banking before the war and not a career soldier. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-48022081485489166542022-08-03T05:07:14.396-05:002022-08-03T05:07:14.396-05:00Watched this movie dozens of times throughout my l...Watched this movie dozens of times throughout my life. Sometimes several times the same week. The actors are perfectly cast. Myrna Loy one of the most beautiful and elegant actresses ever.<br />The question I have and never could figure the answer to is that Dana Andrews character (Fred Derry) has about 5 hash marks on his u inform sleeve. A hash mark denotes 3 years of service. His uniform indicates that he would have 15 years in the Army but the story plot is that he was a soda jerk before entering the service and he was in for just several years. <br />Unless….for some unique reason hash marks indicated something else for B17 crew members, like missions completed or something like that.<br />If anyone knows please tell me. <br />It bothers me because the movie is spectacular and I can’t understand the accuracy of those hash marks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-73726373165103389902019-10-19T20:08:56.964-05:002019-10-19T20:08:56.964-05:00Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the review. It is a cla...Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the review. It is a classic that holds up well.<br />War Movie Buffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05999735218343872013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-34539164593927661352019-10-14T12:52:11.103-05:002019-10-14T12:52:11.103-05:00Great review. I hadn't picked up on the hard w...Great review. I hadn't picked up on the hard work Marie's character has to do so that we don't feel bad about Peggy taking her place as Fred's wife. It is manipulative and convenient and you are right to call it out.<br /><br />I really like this movie. The characters are interesting and have great chemistry with each other. The vets suffer serious problems which are portrayed in a frank but positive way, which makes the film a joy to watch. The aircraft graveyard scene is a powerful transition from despair to hope that I like to remember. Thank you for including this one among your war movie reviews! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-58365942203277880752018-03-31T09:52:47.727-05:002018-03-31T09:52:47.727-05:00Is this a joke?Is this a joke?War Movie Buffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05999735218343872013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-75818132293079687442018-03-31T02:59:27.883-05:002018-03-31T02:59:27.883-05:00I can't play the video. can you fix it?I can't play the video. can you fix it?Cara Membuat NPK Organik Cairhttps://goo.gl/KUVWF4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-39524175533819331122012-04-22T13:39:12.642-05:002012-04-22T13:39:12.642-05:00Time to watch it so I can find out what you think....Time to watch it so I can find out what you think. You are certainly right about the ending. Spoiler alert: if The Deer Hunter had been made in the 1940s, Mike would have rescued Nick from the Russian roulette den.War Movie Buffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05999735218343872013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-24251461021888434222012-04-22T12:02:49.213-05:002012-04-22T12:02:49.213-05:00This is one of those movies I'm really looking...This is one of those movies I'm really looking forward to. I've had it for a long while now but somehow never felt the time was right. <br />I don't think the ending could have been different, given the time.allaboutwarmovieshttp://allaboutwarmovies.comnoreply@blogger.com