In the movie, The Best Years of Our Lives is about three soldiers adjusting to life after coming home from the war (WWII). In the film director William Wyler used an array of techniques to capture different feelings and emotions of each protagonist in the movie, as they adjust to life at home.
In the bar scene where Al Stephenson and Fred Derry met to discuss Fred’s relationship with Al’s daughter, Peggy. In a wide shot view at the beginning of the scene when Fred walks into the bar, the viewer can see Al sitting in the booth at Butch’s bar then Fred walks in, into the bar in the background. Fred eventually takes a seat with Al in the booth, when Al’s Face comes into view finally He's background is dark as if he is coming from the shadows, this is different because throughout the film Al has this bright aura to him.
In an over-the-shoulder shot the camera focuses on Al asking his friend if he loved his daughter Peggy, then the camera focused back onto Fred in another over-the-shoulder shot as Fred tries to process what Fred is asking of Al. When Fred answers Al with a Yes, that he did love Peggy, the view becomes a two shot view. Now both Al and Fred are in the shot, and the viewer can see both recations form each protagnoist. After a profound and heated discussion among both men, the camera as another close up Al asking Fred what was he going to do about his relationship with Peggy. Al then tells Fred that he no longer wants his friend to see his daughter and to end everything with Peggy. The camera then turns back Fred with a close up shot; we now can see the hurt in Fred’s eyes. After Fred says that he will no longer see or speak to Peggy, the camera then goes back to a two person shot.
The camera goes into a full shot of the bar as the veiwer can see Fred walking away. With so much going on in the background the viewer doesn’t know which way to focuse, but eventaually we can see Fred walking into the phone booth, there is a quick closeup of Al, as Fred is walkin in the phone booth to call Peggy, Homer walks into the bar.
Homer wants Al to see how he learned to play paino with his hooks, in this scene which is a close up shot the camera focused on AL, Homer, and Butch but the veiwer can still see Fred in the phone booth having a converstation with Peggy over the phone. In this dramatic scence, we have three actors at the paino, but Al isnt focused at all on Homer but more intuned with Fred in the booth. The viewer is made to belive that we should focus on just the three actors at the panio. But then there is a close up to only AL, but it’s a side veiw of his face as he looks towards Fred, which makes the veiwer focused on what Al is looking. Then another close up shot of Butch and Homer at the paino.
After the performance at the panio as on “cue,” Fred leaves the phone booth as he’s leaving Homer notices Fred and calls out to him but he dose not alknowledege Homer. AL brushes it off as if it is nothing and offers to buy Homer and drink; that is the end of the scence. The movie The Best Years of Our Lives is a film that can be should use to refernece to our current era with all the current “wars on terror” to help with soilders coming back home.

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