Chopra-Gant, Mike. . Hollywood genres and postwar America : masculinity, family and nation in popular movies and film noir / Mike Chopra-Gant. [1850438153 (hbk.) ] London ; New York : I.B. Tauris ; New York : Distributed in the U.S. by Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.
Call#: Van Pelt Library PN1993.5.U65 C495 2006

This book discusses the portrayal of masculinity in The Best Years of Our Lives through careful examination of the importance of clothing and uniform.  Chopra-Grant recognizes the importance of the military uniform in constructing soldierly masculinity.  In The Best Years of Our Lives military uniform is what draws the boundary between military life and civilian life.  Upon Al Stephenson’s (Fredric March) return home, his wife Milly (Myrna Loy) immediately removes his cap so that she can get a look at him.  For her, the “real” Al exists underneat the role assumes in uniform.  Also symbolic is Al’s inability to fit properly into his civilian clothes due to the weight drop he experienced in the army.  This can be also be interpreted as representative of his civilian identity no longer fitting him properly.

For Fred Derry (Dana Andrews), the masculinity associated with his uniform plays an integral role in his relationship with his wife Marie (Virginia Mayo), who has only known him as an Air Force Captain.  This masculinity is what draws Marie to Fred, and she insists he continue wearing the uniform despite his attempts to adjust into civilian life.  Military uniform also plays an important role in Fred’s story because of what it represents, which is a glamorous life much separated from his working class existance.  Fred himself seeks masculinity through maintaining remnants of his uniform, such as his bomber jacket, especially during a meeting with the upper class Al Stephenson.  In this scene, the prestige associated with Al’s civilian suit is countered with the prestige associated with Fred’s Air Force bomber jacket, demonstrating the importance of uniform in equating their masculine status in different domains.