The Long and the Short and the Tall

The Long and the Short and the Tall

"The Long and the Short and the Tall" is a play written in 1958 by Willis Hall that was adapted into a 1960 film of the same name. The play, directed by Lindsay Anderson and starring Peter O'Toole, premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in 1959. The film stars Laurence Harvey, Richard Todd, Richard Harris, David McCallum and Ronald Fraser, and was directed by Leslie Norman. Harvey took Peter O'Toole's role in the play.

A sonic warfare unit is sent into the Malayan jungle to monitor the Japanese in 1942. Tensions arise when the radio malfunctions and a lone Japanese soldier stumbles across the patrol's location.

The name comes from the second line of the soldier's song "Bless 'em All." In the U.S. the film was retitled "Jungle Fighters (film)".

ynopsis

The name “The Long And The Short And The Tall” is used as a suggestion of inherent differences in the main characters, with their only shared trait being their involvement in a sonic warfare unit, and their stationing in the Malayan Peninsula. The play addresses the issue of British public perception of the Japanese after the conclusion of WWII.

This unlikely group of people encounter an ethical situation, upon the capture a lone Japanese soldier who later becomes a prisoner of war. It explores war related issues about the treatment of Prisoners of War, and the justification of killing a man just because he has been labelled an 'enemy.'

The play features 8 main characters:
* Sgt Mitchem - The leader of the Patrol.
* Cpl Johnstone - The Second in command and "most" soldier-like.
* L/Cpl Macleish - A Scotsman, short tempered and opinionated.
* Pte Bamforth - Reluctant but forced to join the Army, he is rebellious and hates authority.
* Pte Evans - A Welshman who is very friendly and desperately misses home.
* Pte Smith - Quiet and from Tyneside, he has a wife and children back home, who develops throughout the play.
* Pte Whitaker - The youngest, and most inexperienced soldier.
* Japanese Soldier - Doesn't speak at any point during the play, but still plays a major role.

External links

*imdb title|id=0054037|title=The Long and the Short and the Tall


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • The World of Kong — The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island is a 2005 encyclopedic book, made for the release of Peter Jackson s King Kong. The book tells all about King Kong s fictional world. It talks about everything on Skull Island, from the… …   Wikipedia

  • The Vicar of Dibley — opening titles Format Comedy Created by Richard Curtis …   Wikipedia

  • The Rutles — Origin London, England Genres Parody, comedy rock, pop rock Years active 1975–1978, 1996–1997, 2002 Labels Warner Bros., Rhino, Virgin …   Wikipedia

  • The Beatles' influence on popular culture — The Beatles influence on rock music and popular culture was and remains immense. Their commercial success started an almost immediate wave of changes including a shift from US global dominance of rock and roll to UK acts, from soloists to groups …   Wikipedia

  • Short-lived recurring characters on Saturday Night Live — The following is a series of short write ups on recurring sketches that appeared four or fewer times on Saturday Night Live . Some characters who fit into this category do not appear here because they fit better into one of the other categories… …   Wikipedia

  • The Adventure of the Three Students — one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as The Return of Sherlock Holmes .ynopsisSherlock Holmes finds himself in a famous university town (probabl …   Wikipedia

  • Long John Nebel — (born John Zimmerman) (June 11, 1911 – April 10, 1978) was an influential New York City talk radio show host.From the mid 1950s until his death in 1978, Nebel was a hugely popular all night radio host, with millions of regular listeners and what… …   Wikipedia

  • The Southern Star (observation wheel) — The Southern Star The Southern Star prior to its 2009 closure General information Status Dismantled for major repairs Type …   Wikipedia

  • The House (The Keys to the Kingdom) — The House is a domain that serves as the center of the universe in the Keys to the Kingdom series by Australian author Garth Nix. Anything in creation not in the House, such as earth (the solar system and indeed this universe), is part of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Tall bike — A tall bike is an unusually tall bicycle, typically built for the purpose of fun and recreation, though with occasional practical use.Modern tall bikes are most commonly constructed by individuals from spare parts. Two conventional bicycle frames …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”