Kupper, Herbert I., 1914-. Back to life; the emotional adjustment of our veterans.[New York] L. B. Fischer [1945]
Call#: Van Pelt Library 355.115 K968

H. I. Kupper examines the adjustment of the American serviceman back to his role as a civilian upon his return home, and what might accompany this change.  Of particular interest and relevance to The Best Years of Our Lives is his discussion of the phenomenon of ordinary men who achieved high rank in the service, but who are unable to retain this elevated status in their civilian lives.  He refers to these men as the “Cinderellas” of the service, “young men who have been officers…who must now return to menaial and very boring tasks.”  For these men, “the return to civilian life is like the clange o fmidnight that marks the end of an enchanted ball.”  Sadly, this harsh and abrupt return to reality is what many veterans faced upon their return home, learning that the skills they acquired in the army which raised them to great heights in the service were rendered meaningless in civilian life. 

This experience is epitomized by the story of Fred Derry (Dana Andrews) in The Best Years of Our Lives.  Fred, a simple soda jerk in the service, rose to the rank of Captain during the war and was heavily decorated.  Upon his return home, he does not wish to return to his old job, not after all that he experienced in the war.  However, he soon finds that his adept skill at accurately dropping bombs and surviving enemy fire does not translate to a good job at home, and finally is forced to accept a job at the drugstore.  His retention of his military clothes, in particular his bomber jacket, is representative of his difficulty adjusting to ordinary, civilian status.  His inability to adjust to his new life at hom is linked to his inability to give up the prestige and honor the war lent him.  In this way, The Best Years of Our Lives was able to recreate a nationwide phenomenon which verterans were experiencing themselves and to which they could relate. 

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.