a_chinn Well made post-WWII story about GI's coming home is thematiclaly very similar to "The Best Years of Our Lives" and suffers by comparison. Both films were released the same year and "Till the End of Time" is the inferior of the two, but it's a good film that deserves it's own recognition. The film is smartly directed by Edward Dmytryk ("The Caine Mutiny" "Crossfire") and based on a novel by Niven Busch (the screenwriter on "Persued" and "The Postman Always Rings Twice"), featuring a strong cast that includes Guy Madison and Robert Mitchum as soldiers returning from the war to find civilian life not as easy to adjust to as they'd expected. The main story involves Madison falling in love with war widow Dorothy McGuire. Comparing "Till the End of Time" to "The Best Years of Our Lives" is somewhat unfair since that film is an American film classic, but it's hard not to when they are so similar. Still, on it's own, "Till the End of Time" is a compelling melodrama set at a very specific time in history, with a story that remains relevant today.

Martin Bradley Another tale of returning veterans but this is no "The Best Years of Our Lives" but a bargain-basement vehicle for up and coming star Guy Madison who may have been the best looking kid on the block but who was never known for his acting talents and sadly he hogs the picture. On the plus side it's neither particularly melodramatic nor sentimental, (it isn't much of anything really though it is a tad on the preachy side). It also has a decent supporting cast that includes a young Robert Mitchum, (very good as the soldier with a plate in his head), Bill Williams as the soldier who has lost his legs and Tom Tully and Ruth Nelson as Madison's parents. His girl is Dorothy McGuire, not bad but underused. The source material was a novel by Niven Busch and the treatment is sudsy at best.

Ken I believe that the New York Times once referred to "Till the End of Time" as a "poor man's 'The Best Years of Our Lives.'" Well, I certainly disagree with the Times' almost dismissive opinion of this greatly underrated film. Guy Madison, as Cliff Harper, a troubled, returning U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and Dorothy McGuire, as Pat Ruscomb, a gentle and wistful war widow, were wonderful in their respective roles. As one of the previous posters pointed out, this is a film that definitely strikes a meaningful chord with returning war veterans. I remember watching that incredibly moving scene in the ice skating rink coffee shop with my own father, an infantry veteran of the fighting in North Africa and Europe during World War II. When Cliff and Pat come to the aid of the young soldier (actor Richard Benedict), sitting alone there and obviously undergoing the effects of "shell-shock," my father just sat there quietly, as if he understood completely, what that young G.I. was going through. Director Edward Dmytryk very deftly captured the soldier's angst and Cliff and Pat's selfless act of kindness towards that young veteran. I agree that the film's "barroom brawl" scene/finale is handled in an almost, too-hurried manner. Nevertheless, I think that the film's greatest strength, lies in the extremely appealing and gradually developing romantic relationship between Mr. Madison and Ms. McGuire, who, with those limpid eyes and unbelievably beautiful cheekbones of hers, would make any guy's heart melt in a second (bad hair style or not, notwithstanding!). Maybe it's sounds overly maudlin (as, I believe, Pat playfully says to Cliff, when she first meets him, recounting wartime experiences with one of his old high school buddies in a local tavern), but I predict that you'll find yourself rooting for Pat and Cliff as the film nears its heartfelt conclusion. Kudos to Mr. Madison, and, especially, to the great Ms. Dorothy McGuire for an especially moving and compelling film!

halmp-1 To compare a mini-gem such as Till the End of Time with the hugely promoted, star-studded Best Years of Our Lives -- the film that, historically, often is regarded as the screen icon for the re-adjusting soldiers' genre -- is like comparing Ray Robinson or Roberto Duran with Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis or Rocky Marciano.The same way that Robinson and Duran were, pound-for-pound, on the same level with their larger, heavier, stronger counterparts, Till the End of Time -- "pound-for-pound" -- is right with its larger, more celebrated celluloid counterpart.While Best Years, with its flashiness of celebrated cast (i.e. Frederick March, Myrna Loy), is much more expansive, Time expertly utilizes a small-scale, more focused look at the returning-soldier theme.As the proverbial slice-of-life, Time not only is more easily palatable for viewers, it also is quite accurate in the depiction of its conceptions and characterizations.The primary characters created by Guy Madison, Robert Mitchum and Bill Williams---as the returning World War II veterans -- and Dorothy McGuire, as the mildly cynical war widow with whom Madison's Cliff Harper becomes infatuated, are outstanding portrayals. Yes, Madison's sensitive performance in his first key role was effective, regardless of the less-than-sterling reviews traditionally given by critics.Fetching, twenty-year old Jean Porter, as the adorably saucy bobby-soxer who likewise is infatuated with Harper, also is quite effective.Excellent character performances are given by: Tom Tully and Ruth Nelson, as Harper's parents; Selena Royale, as the mother of Williams' Perry Kincheloe; and Bill Gargan, as the veterans' representative.Director Edward Dmytryk expertly orchestrates the film, which captures the unique flavor of its time frame as if it were bottling a rare wine.Though "Best Years" deserves much of its traditional praise, do not overlook "Time" simply because its focus is smaller. "Pound-for-pound" it is at least as good. Possibly even better.