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A screenwriter (and Robert Sherwood was a wonderful one) can only do so much for the final product of a film. Watching it again, I am fascinated by the facial reactions of the actors. It's something a screenwriter cannot easily direct from the page and it is the actor's talent and director William Wyler's observations that are key to the depth of the scene. This work shines brightly, as a masterpiece of storytelling on film.
And every scene is like a photo masterpiece, thoughtfully plotted by Gregg Toland. I swear he was inspired for his composition by Norman Rockwell; rich in detail, yet never cluttering the shot to obscure the characters acting in it. You immediately get a feel and identity for the experience the Stephenson, Derry and the Parrish families as they move from this major transition of wartime separation to peacetime reunion.
The American experience of WW2 has had many motion pictures associated with it. It is notable to me the best representation of the universal experience of the Post-war era is this personal tale of three men and their families, permanently altered and living their lives, from that point of reunion to the re-creation of their new reality of America as they hope to embrace it. This is the Ultimate Veteran's Day movie. It is the reality and the hope.