摘要：Despite its importance in the creation of character and tone, the significance of performance in The Best Years of Our Lives (Wil liam Wyler, 194 6) h as n ot been wid el y considered. The most sustained focus has been David A. Gerber's (1994) analysis of the representation of post-World Wa r I I di s abi l i t y on- scr e en, whi c h ad dre ss es Ha r ol d Russell's appearance in the film. Prolonged discussion of how acting helps generate meaning is absent from Sarah Kozloff 's stud y o f the fil m, al tho ugh mom ent s of engagement with performative labour are clearly important to her analysis even if not recognised as such. 1 This relative absence of analysis supports Lesley Stern's critique that the 'how' of how people act is not seen but rather absorbed into the transparent flow of image, narrative and the everyday (2012: 25). Stern and others emphasise analyses that acknowledge that the work of the actor is not simply created or mediated by formal elements of editing, mise-en-scène or music. This article follows such an approach, aiming to consider the place and function of screen acting within the formal and thematic elements that are otherwise emphasised in discussions of The Best Years of Our Lives . In considering the contrasting modes of performance used by the three lead male actors – Harold Russell, Fredric March and Dana Andrews – I will examine how these contribute to the overall hybridity of the film, suggesting where the relationship between style and performance is both aligned with, and a site of tensions within, the film's meaning and effects
