Editing within The Best Years of Our Lives was truly remarkable when considering the affect it had on the audience’s vision of the cinematic excellence of the film. Firstly, the transitions used within the film provided easily viewed shifts from scene to scene as well as continuity within the sequences within the scene. Also, the axis of action and the one hundred and eighty degree rule are clearly evident in the editing continuity of the film. Finally, verisimilitude is implemented into several of the opening scenes of the film, intensifying spatial and time realism. Wyler’s The Best Years of Our Lives contains a vast amount of editing techniques, most noticed of which are the transitions, continuity in editing, and verisimilitude.
The primary transition present throughout the film The Best Years of Our Lives is that of dissolving from one scene to another. This transition is first seen in the very first opening scene in which Fred picks up his bags off the floor of the airport and walks towards the ticket podium. A long shot shows him approaching the podium and then a dissolving transition shifts the scene to him standing at the podium and conversing with the women standing behind it. Also, dissolving is used when the women tells Fred that he could try the ATC, which finds veterans flights home. As the gentle men steps in from the side to pay his excess baggage fee, the scene dissolves from inside the airport to the outside plane that Fred is walking under to get to the ATC. Finally dissolving is implemented in the scene shift between Fred’s walking towards the ATC and finally being at the desk inside the ATC. A widening shot reveals Fred getting closer to the entrance, and then dissolving leads to a mid-range shot of Fred standing at the desk, waiting for a flight that could take him home. Dissolving is heavily relied upon during scene shifts within The Best Years of Our Lives.
Continuity in editing is present in much of the film through the implementation of the one hundred and eighty degree rule. It is first seen in the scene in which Homer is sitting in the living room with his and Wilma’s family. Alternating shots reveal homer conversing about tobacco, then Mrs. Cameron questioning him, and finally him responding to her questioning. The axis of action lies on Homer and Mrs. Cameron. Also, the one hundred and eighty degree rule is used in the same scene in the dialog between Homer’s little sister and his father. That time however the axis of action fell on Homer’s sister and father with alternating shots as they spoke. Finally, the same rule is implemented in Al’s first conversation with Mr. Milton. The axis of action lies on Mr. Milton sitting behind his desk, and upon Al sitting in a chair of to the side. Alternating mid-range shots show the two conversing back and forth. The alternating shots where assembled in a continuing fashion that allows the audience to follow conversation with less confusion.
Scene sequences are helped along greatly by the verisimilitude used making spatial and time realism present in many scenes. It is seen in one of the first scenes in which Fred runs to the desk in the ATC. A long shot shows him running towards the desk, and then the scene cuts to a closer shot of him from behind the desk. It is similarly shown a bit later when Homer and Fred are walking towards the plane their taking home. A wide shot on them walking towards the plane and then a closer shot from inside the plane just as they enter. Finally, verisimilitude is expressed when Homer is approaching Butch’s for the first time since he has been back from the war. A long shot is revealed of him walking towards the entrance and a cut to the inside of Butch’s occurs just before he enters, timing is perfect and reinforces spatial and time realism through the timing and course of action. The use of verisimilitude makes the impression on the audience that the events of the film are occurring as they watch the film, bringing the viewer deeper in to the cinematic experience.
The editing used in The Best Years of Our Lives was expertly expressed in the amazing scene sequences, continuity, and verisimilitude utilized. The dissolving transition used in most of the film allowed an ease of fluidity that sowed together every scene. The viewer was easily able to follow the course of events from scene to scene. Also, continuity in editing allows viewers to follow the dialog within the film easily with great execution of the one hundred and eighty degree rule. In addition to these two things, verisimilitude allows spatial and time realism to reel the audience into the film, allowing them to feel as though they were in the story experiencing live events. Wyler’s The Best Years of Our Lives utilized many great editing techniques that allowed the audience to get lost in the complexities of the lives of three heroes returning from the battle front.
Works Cited
"The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)." The Internet Movie Database (IMDB). Web. 7 May 2010..
The Best Years of Our Lives. Dir. William Wyler. Prod. Samuel Goldwyn. By Robert E. Sherwood. Perf. Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo, Cathy O'Donnell, Hoagy Carmichael, and Harold Russell. RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., 1946.
Corrigan, Timothy, and Patricia White. The Film Experience: an Introduction. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. Print.
The primary transition present throughout the film The Best Years of Our Lives is that of dissolving from one scene to another. This transition is first seen in the very first opening scene in which Fred picks up his bags off the floor of the airport and walks towards the ticket podium. A long shot shows him approaching the podium and then a dissolving transition shifts the scene to him standing at the podium and conversing with the women standing behind it. Also, dissolving is used when the women tells Fred that he could try the ATC, which finds veterans flights home. As the gentle men steps in from the side to pay his excess baggage fee, the scene dissolves from inside the airport to the outside plane that Fred is walking under to get to the ATC. Finally dissolving is implemented in the scene shift between Fred’s walking towards the ATC and finally being at the desk inside the ATC. A widening shot reveals Fred getting closer to the entrance, and then dissolving leads to a mid-range shot of Fred standing at the desk, waiting for a flight that could take him home. Dissolving is heavily relied upon during scene shifts within The Best Years of Our Lives.
Continuity in editing is present in much of the film through the implementation of the one hundred and eighty degree rule. It is first seen in the scene in which Homer is sitting in the living room with his and Wilma’s family. Alternating shots reveal homer conversing about tobacco, then Mrs. Cameron questioning him, and finally him responding to her questioning. The axis of action lies on Homer and Mrs. Cameron. Also, the one hundred and eighty degree rule is used in the same scene in the dialog between Homer’s little sister and his father. That time however the axis of action fell on Homer’s sister and father with alternating shots as they spoke. Finally, the same rule is implemented in Al’s first conversation with Mr. Milton. The axis of action lies on Mr. Milton sitting behind his desk, and upon Al sitting in a chair of to the side. Alternating mid-range shots show the two conversing back and forth. The alternating shots where assembled in a continuing fashion that allows the audience to follow conversation with less confusion.
Scene sequences are helped along greatly by the verisimilitude used making spatial and time realism present in many scenes. It is seen in one of the first scenes in which Fred runs to the desk in the ATC. A long shot shows him running towards the desk, and then the scene cuts to a closer shot of him from behind the desk. It is similarly shown a bit later when Homer and Fred are walking towards the plane their taking home. A wide shot on them walking towards the plane and then a closer shot from inside the plane just as they enter. Finally, verisimilitude is expressed when Homer is approaching Butch’s for the first time since he has been back from the war. A long shot is revealed of him walking towards the entrance and a cut to the inside of Butch’s occurs just before he enters, timing is perfect and reinforces spatial and time realism through the timing and course of action. The use of verisimilitude makes the impression on the audience that the events of the film are occurring as they watch the film, bringing the viewer deeper in to the cinematic experience.
The editing used in The Best Years of Our Lives was expertly expressed in the amazing scene sequences, continuity, and verisimilitude utilized. The dissolving transition used in most of the film allowed an ease of fluidity that sowed together every scene. The viewer was easily able to follow the course of events from scene to scene. Also, continuity in editing allows viewers to follow the dialog within the film easily with great execution of the one hundred and eighty degree rule. In addition to these two things, verisimilitude allows spatial and time realism to reel the audience into the film, allowing them to feel as though they were in the story experiencing live events. Wyler’s The Best Years of Our Lives utilized many great editing techniques that allowed the audience to get lost in the complexities of the lives of three heroes returning from the battle front.
Works Cited
"The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)." The Internet Movie Database (IMDB). Web. 7 May 2010.
The Best Years of Our Lives. Dir. William Wyler. Prod. Samuel Goldwyn. By Robert E. Sherwood. Perf. Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo, Cathy O'Donnell, Hoagy Carmichael, and Harold Russell. RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., 1946.
Corrigan, Timothy, and Patricia White. The Film Experience: an Introduction. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. Print.
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