Warner Home Video will be
giving two films from the venerable Samuel Goldwyn library the hi-def treatment
on Nov. 5 with attractively priced Blu-ray product offerings of both director
William Wyler’s 1946 Best Picture winner, The Best Years of Our Lives and
director Henry Koster’s 1947 Best Picture nominee, The Bishop’s Wife.
The war is over and
Hollywood is back to making motion pictures in a big way. Theatres are crammed to the gills with
attendance records that will never be broken (television hadn’t kicked in just
yet) and one “classic” after another is released — all with stars, stars and
more stars.
Not only did The
Best Years of Our Lives win Best Picture, but William Wyler took home
his second Oscar for direction (he won for Mrs. Miniver in 1942 and would bag
his third Oscar in 1960 for Ben Hur — 12 nominations in all),
plus Fredric March and Harold Russell took home Best Actor and Best Supporting
Actor Oscars respectively … and three-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert E.
Sherwood added an Oscar to his collection for his screen play adaptation of
MacKinlay Kantor’s novel (he would go on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1956 for
his sprawling Civil War novel, “Andersonville”).
Beyond the terrific story
of war vets returning to civilian life and the heap of awards the film
received, The Best Years of Our Lives features an amazing cast — included
are: Dana Andrews, Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo, Steve Cochran, Ray
Collins and Hoagy Carmichael (and more).
As to bonus nuggets,
there is an introduction by Virgina Mayo, vintage interviews with both Virginia
Mayo and Teresa Wright and the original theatrical trailer.
The Bishop’s Wife — starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young and David
Niven — was also adapted to the screen by Sherwood. As mentioned the film was nominated Best
Picture (losing out to Gentleman’s Agreement) and director
Henry Koster, known for such films as Harvey, The Robe and Flower
Drum Song, received his only Oscar nomination for his work here.
No bonus features are
planned at this time.
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