After the World and the War

A good bunch of guys come back from World War II and have trouble adjusting to civilian life in 1946's Till the End of Time. This drama from Edward Dmytryk is pretty straight forward, seeking to address common psychological and social issues faced by veterans. It succeeds decently enough at that but there's also an intriguing, understated spookiness about the relationship between leads Dorothy McGuire and Guy Madison.

The film starts with a lot of veterans disembarking at San Diego, getting health checks before having interviews about insurance and pension and whatnot. The film cuts to different soldiers as they discuss future plans, most of them tellingly not having any clear idea of what they'll be doing now. Most have vague ideas of taking good positions in high paying jobs.

The standout is Robert Mitchum as a vet with a silver plate in his head which, he jokes, he figures he could pawn for an easy dime one day. But the movie doesn't follow him, instead choosing the handsome but blander Guy Madison.

Before the war, he evidently had the nicest, most normal life a 1940s American guy could have. Loving parents, a good high school experience behind him, and a load of friends. When he gets home the house is surprisingly empty, presenting an intriguing little puzzle as he wanders about. It's a little way Dmytryk establishes the feeling of being slightly out of step--the parents simply happen to be out. So Cliff (Madison) heads off to the local jukebox joint to catch up with the old gang. There he finds the sweet and brooding Dorothy McGuire as Pat.

As their relationship progresses over the film, Pat's sorrow over the death of her husband, who was a fighter pilot, dovetails with Cliff's post-war inertia.

The movie follows a pretty predictable pattern as Cliff and Pat yell at each other now and then and then apologise a scene or two later. McGuire's a lot better than Madison but Madison's simplicity comes across as an honest lack of smarts. It seems unfair for him to have to rethink his whole life.

Robert Mitchum does come back, first having stricken it rich, then having lost everything, of course. There's an amusing scene where he shocks Cliff's mother with some light banter about gambling and girls. There's also a nice brawl at the end.

Till the End of the World is available on The Criterion Channel.

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