The Best Years of Our Lives Blu-ray Movie

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The Best Years of Our Lives Blu-ray Movie United States

Warner Bros. | 1946 | 170 min | Not rated | Dec 22, 2020

The Best Years of Our Lives (Blu-ray Movie)

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Movie rating

8.4
 / 10

Blu-ray rating

Users0.0 of 50.0
Reviewer4.0 of 54.0
Overall4.0 of 54.0

Overview

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Three returning servicemen fight to adjust to life after World War II.

Starring: Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo
Director: William Wyler

Romance100%
Drama96%
War40%

Specifications

  • Video

    Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
    Video resolution: 1080p
    Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
    Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1

  • Audio

    English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)

  • Subtitles

    English SDH, French, Spanish

  • Discs

    Blu-ray Disc
    Single disc (1 BD)

  • Playback

    Region A, B (C untested)

Review

Rating summary

Movie5.0 of 55.0
Video3.5 of 53.5
Audio4.0 of 54.0
Extras1.5 of 51.5
Overall4.0 of 54.0

The Best Years of Our Lives Blu-ray Movie Review

Be all you can't be.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III December 18, 2023

Originally released by Warner Bros. in 2013 as a decent but now long out-of-print Blu-ray edition, Warner Archive has issued a reprint of William Wyler's The Best Years of our Lives. Despite new cover art that repurposes the original one-sheet poster, it's literally the same disc in new packaging but now available at a comparatively bargain price.


For a synopsis and appreciation of the film, please see Michael Reuben's review of the 2013 Blu-ray linked above. I'm in agreement with the glowing five-star rating given by Michael: this is a stone-cold classic, a deeply affecting drama that has stood the test of time and still feels like a "total package" film almost 80 years after its original release.


The Best Years of Our Lives Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality  3.5 of 5

Although not overtly implied by its packaging, this more recent disc features the exact same 1080p transfer as featured on Warner Bros.' 2013 Blu-ray edition. It's a solid presentation and still watchable despite somewhat inconsistent levels of fine detail and density; Michael outlines the pros and cons in his review quite thoroughly but, since our expectations have increased dramatically in the last decade, I've docked it a full point compared to the original score. Again, that's just personal opinion: this is an identical presentation and in no way inferior to WB's previous disc.


The Best Years of Our Lives Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality  4.0 of 5

Similarly, the DTS-HD 1.0 Master Audio mix is identical to the previous Blu-ray and, to my ears, sounds very good under the circumstances. Subtitle options likewise remain the same as on the older WB Blu-ray.


The Best Years of Our Lives Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras  1.5 of 5

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with artwork that reproduces the original one-sheet poster -- it's not exactly the most accurate mood-setter , but I'll take anything over the earlier colorized cover. This doesn't extend to the menu interface, which remains the same as WB's 2013 Blu-ray. The same holds true for the extras, which include only three short DVD-era supplements and nothing new.

  • Introduction by Virginia Mayo (1:10)

  • Interviews with Virgina Mayo and Teresa Wright (7:22)

  • Theatrical Trailer (1:48)


The Best Years of Our Lives Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation  4.0 of 5

William Wyler's supremely well-made post-war drama The Best Years of our Lives, produced by Samuel Goldwyn, still holds up almost eight decades after its 1946 theatrical release. Truly deserving of its considerable box-office success and multiple Oscar wins (including Best Picture), this is a true "total package" production that should have a definitive home video release. Warner Archive's Blu-ray, though much appreciated since WB's 2013 Blu-ray is now long out-of-print, unfortunately makes no advancements on that very good but not great earlier disc: a new restoration handled by WAC would've been something to see, even one without any new bonus features. This is still a disc very much worth purchasing, though, if only for the main feature's high profile and such an affordable price point.


Other editions

The Best Years of Our Lives: Other Editions