Beidler, Philip D.. Good War's greatest hits : World War II and American remembering / by Philip D. Beidler. [0820320013 (alk. paper)] Athens : University of Georgia, c1998.
Call#: Van Pelt Library D744.55 .B45 1998
In this book, Beidler examines The Best Years of Our Lives as a film in the postwar genre he names “remembering in wartime,” a style which involves the “commondification of the American role in World War II as at once felt as experience and collective myth.” He credits these films, especially when produced as well as The Best Years of Our Lives was, as playing an integral role in shaping popular attitudes and understand of the war for posterity. Focusing specifically on this film, he credits it with being so successful at this because of its success in being executed the way its creator, Samuel Goldwyn, envisioned: as the “people’s film.” Every detail of the film was carefully examined so as to ensure the film would be as believable as possible. For example, the omission of a veterans’ housing riot scene, the “close-to-home domestic seriousness of the film’s psychological concerns” lent to it by filming in black and white, and the requirement that all actors wear ready-made clothing, and that they wear it even prior to filming so as to break the clothes in and give them a more authentic feel. In addition, the title of the film was decided by popular vote, selected by testing audiences.
Beidler also examines how the use of cinematography serves make The Best Years of Our Lives as true to life as possible. Most notabely, he delineates the production of “democratic shots,” in which innovative camera techniques allow for the focusing on all subjects and actions taking place in a given scene, allowing the audience to decide what to focus on. These “democratic shots” that encompass all action taking place within a given scene also lend the film the feeling of a home video. This point in particular is emphasized in the wedding scene at the end, where the guests’ mingling beforehand, the feeling of close quarters and sense of intimacy in Homer’s family’s small living room and anticipation of the bride are all conveyed through the filming. These insights into efforts to humanize the film and make it as accessible to audiences as possible plays a large role in understanding how the film was able to suceed in allowing people to relate to it, from plot to prop to filming. These less obvious qualities of the film, though small, contribute to audience’s ability to connect with it and its message, rendering it an effective tool in remembering of Word War II, specifically the profound way it changed everything.
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