The year after World War II ended brought the first dramas to look at the plight of returning veterans trying to readjust to civilian norms. The Best Years of Our Lives was the big hit that year, but there were others, too. The title song in Till The End of Time, which was adapted from a Chopin polonaise, snakes through the movie wearing many skins, from saraband to Swing, constituting one of the more effective leitmotifs of 40s-movie scores. The story centers on Guy Madison, returning from the Pacific to his Los Angeles family. His parents expect the boy who left, not the man (physically, at least) who came back; they recoil when he wants to share his experiences in battle. So he starts to rebel against their sheltered and complacent life but has little idea of what to do with his own.

His love life is riven as well. One the one side there's the brash bobby-soxer next door, symbolizing what he used to be; on the other is weary war-widow Dorothy McGuire (among her most affecting roles),another survivor of the horrors of combat.

It's tempting to assume that Madison landed this meaty role (he's constantly on screen) solely because of his looks -- extraordinary, even by Hollywood standards. But he delivers a natural, if a bit bashful, performance. Only when buddy Robert Mitchum resurfaces halfway through the movie does he suffer by comparison. As a black sheep with a steel plate in his skull, Mitchum strikes the sparks that would ignite his long stardom; Madison, while pleasant and competent, comes up with nothing new and starts to grow monotonous (his career took him to TV westerns and European cheapies).

Director Edward Dmytryk (Murder, My Sweet; Back to Bataan) tones down for this leisurely character study, which remains absorbing and at times close to moving. He missteps once, very near the end, when a blast at bigotry comes flying out of left field, and he probably had to settle for the upbeat ending the studio wanted. But it was left to film noir, which dealt with similar issues obliquely (Blue Dahlia, Act of Violence, Dmytryk's own Crossfire) that probed them more profoundly.

..If only to see beautiful and appealing Guy Madison in one of his earlier roles before lost to western films and TV ("Wild Bill Hickok") in the 1950s. Madison is the focal point here, portraying a returning serviceman from World War II and his subsequent adjustment to civilian life with sincerity and easy-going charm. Brad Pitt has a bit of his extremely handsome blonde, athletic looks, but not ingratiating acting prowess. (Madison is on the cover of "Hearthrob", a book about male cinema stars). Top-billed Dorothy McGuire is really support, somewhat of a matronly mis-matched love interest for the youthful Madison. A lovely score and good direction offset some dated aspects in the script. But Madison carries the day!

Released a few months before the better-known The Best Years of Our Lives, Till the End of Time also deals with the plight of servicemen returning to their home towns after World War Two. But while Best Years - for all its craftsmanship and excellent performances - strikes me as conventional and highly reliant on stereotyped characters, Till the End of Time offers a complex character study and an almost subversive picture of veterans facing the unrealistic expectations of post-war America. All the main characters in Till the End of Time have been psychologically traumatized by the war; they are all willing to help their friends but seem incapable of helping themselves. In this respect, the film is forward-looking to the character studies, such as Coming Home, made in Hollywood after the Vietnam War.

In his first major screen role and one that would be very demanding for even the most seasoned actor, Guy Madison doesn't consistently rise to the dramatic challenges, but he nicely suggests the innocent quality of a veteran who finds himself unprepared to meet the everyday challenges of civilian life. Madison does register effectively in several of his scenes - notably his homecoming, his initial attraction to Dorothy McGuire at the local bar (one of the fastest "pickups" ever seen in a Production Code Era film),the reunion and subsequent flare-up with his parents, and his testiness with his foreman at his new job. And with his refulgent good looks, Madison's screen presence is probably the most overwhelming display of masculine beauty ever seen on the screen.

Many viewers seem to have a difficult time reconciling the edgy, unappealing aspects of McGuire's character (and her admittedly dowdy appearance) to the actress's intelligent work here, which is totally consistent with the qualities of her character. I appreciate the fact that McGuire avoids leading lady predictability and creates a flesh-and-blood character.

Till the End of Time is a powerful film with believable characters and themes that continue to be highly relevant for today's audiences.