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The Long, the Tall and the Short - Analyse the presentation of war in the play.

Willis Hall was a man who caught the tail end of a ferocious war. He used his knowledge of northern life from Leeds to represent realistic people in an all too realistic war. Even though he never participated in World War II, he went on post-military service, with war-hardened officers, telling of tales of death and destruction. It’s these two details of realistic people and harsh representations of a bloody war, combined with his ear for language and eye for natural human behaviour which enabled him to portray a dramatically yet accurate representation of human hopes and fears strained to their limits in a devastating war.

   The play is about human survival stretched to its limits. Seven men who are thrown into the centre of a war filled Malaysian jungle find refuge in a hut. Two are war hardened veterans while the others are inexperienced to the cruel reality of war. Their only contact with the outside world is a fading radio transmitter. The realness of their situation doesn’t first sink in and they banter along contentedly. But when they capture one of the enemies, tempers are flared, relationships are built and crumble, authority is questioned and accusations fly to form a disturbing climax.

   All characters are designed to contrast each other. They are all regional stereotypes so the audience already know what to expect from some of the characters; regional hostility towards each other. There are also the hierarchical stereotypes; the aggressive leader, the simple soldiers, the soldier given authority, caught between his comrades and his responsibilities. All these give the reader a preview of attitudes and actions of the characters.

   The two senior officers are Johnstone and Mitcham. Johnstone is a vicious brutal soldier, with no compassion and is willing to kill in cold blood in an instance. He is very uneasy with the hierarchical placements, with an obvious feeling of unrest being under command of Mitcham. He disagrees with Mitcham’s way of doing things and believes in no mercy, whatever the circumstances. Mitcham, on the other hand, is less brutal and allowing but can be tough when the occasion calls for. He has more of an open mind than Johnstone, allowing his decisions to be based on the moment, whereas Johnstone believes in only one way of doing things. But both characters represent a rounded view of the army and authority, giving a different side of the war from the rookies.

   There are five other soldiers who represent regional diversity and the views of varying inexperience. The main two are MacCleish and Bamforth. The first being from Scotland and the second being a cockney Londoner, the audience already expects some form of friction. But what develops is something much deeper. Bamforth hates authority, leading to an obvious resentment against Mac, who has been awarded the stripes. The Londoner likes a laugh, and is always joking around, even in times of distress. Even when the prisoner arrives he makes fun of him, treating him like an animal, teaching him tricks: ‘Flingers on blonce’. He sees him as a sub-human. But then he warms to the prisoner, giving him cigarettes. He then develops a general liking for the prisoner, sticking up for him when he all turn against him.

   Mac is quite the opposite. He knows when to be serious, but his permanent defensive shield never allows anyone to see him laugh or smile. But he does care for his brother, who is even younger and less experienced than himself. But his tendency to continuously whine about his brother annoys everyone. He is very uneasy with his newly appointed authority, trying to decide to be one of the lads or one of ‘them’ (chief officers).

   The other minor characters are (Fanny) Whitaker, (Taffy) Evans and Smith. Whitaker is the least experienced, constantly whining. Whenever the team is endangered, he freezes and is unable to do anything, like when he is unable to remove the receiver when under threat of the Japanese soldier (later to be the prisoner). But it surprisingly him that turns out to be the one who shoots the prisoner. Evans is welsh and is often the target of many jokes, especially involving sheep, and can take them in his stride. But he can be serious when the occasion arises. Smith is probably the least used character who only really comes into play when the conversation turns into family. Smith is a family man, giving a lightly used perspective of war from a man who has something to go back to.

   One thing that sets the play is the use of regional and military slang. Most noticeable is the regional slang, which defines each character and how they react, and the various types have marked advantages for stage purposes. It also makes the audience shocked at hearing typical vivid language in public. The use of slang in their language sounds virile and unrestrained from stuffy middle class niceties and is able to represent the widespread attitudes of mind.

   The men talk like authentic soldiers but over acted, as it is seen, with the very inexperienced recruit quickly covers up the civilian language. It gives the underlying feeling of authority in the play, reminding the audience that there is a war and there are rules to be followed. It gives the characters a feel of toughness. The use of different military slang between the leaders and the officers defines the hierarchical indifferences, with the superiors often using more and more correct military terms. Compared with standard English, slang is madly unstable, which is why it suits the attitudes and atmospheres of the patrol.

   The play is set in two acts, which vary greatly from one another. The dramatic tension isn’t so abundant in the first half, but it is there, rising through the act, each dramatic than the last. It is quite comical, with laughable scenes again focusing on the regional indifferences. But all seems to stop when threatened by the Japanese. There is an eerie silence as they all lie in wait. The dramatic tension explodes when the prisoner is caught, as the inexperienced officers finally come to term with the possibility of murder in war, and question themselves. The pleasant steady pace is corrupted with the fast packed danger that they are now faced with. The situation calms down, and they continue, but now more wary. At the end of the first half they receive a message from the Japanese, laughing at them. And again that eerie silence settles as all turn their attention to the prisoner of war (POW).

   In contrast, the second act moves at a faster pace. The second act begins with a silence, not eerie but a calm after the storm. The tension builds as Mac shows the prisoner compassion. But relying on the evidence of a British issue cigarette belonging to the prisoner, Mac makes a nasty turn. There is much action and character interaction, with the prisoner at the heart of it all. But when Bamforth reveals he gave them to the prisoner the patrol reverts into a state of shame. There is again a short silence, magnifying the guilt that hangs in the air. Then the same accusations fly over a British cigarette case, only this time the action is fiercer, with the officers feeling fooled over their last attempt. There are protests and tempers flares into a startling climax with Whitaker shooting the prisoner. There is a short silence as the patrol, mainly Whitaker, comes to terms with the trauma of taking a human life. Only Johnstone keeps his head cool. The patrol immediately moves out. Again there is calm stillness, suggesting isolation in the wilderness. But there are bursts of machine fire and the screams of the patrol are heard in the distance. And it is quite ironical that only Johnstone survives, and in his dying breath, surrenders with a whit flag. For the last part of the act the pace stops dead as our characters are thrown from the safety of the hut and all that the audience is used to.

   The play raises many issues, mainly questioning the motives of war and how it affects people. But it isn’t a simple anti-war play. Nobody in the play believes the gun-ho ‘hope and glory’ rubbish, in varying degrees. But no body questions war either. In the earlier parts of the play, with arguments and jolly banter-not portraying typical aspects of war.

   Until the Japanese prisoner came, none of the inexperienced soldiers have been faced with the possibility of cold murder in war. When he first enters the reality clicks in, but just for a moment. It demonstrates the military sensibility towards the prisoner - that murder is only the safe option. But, through Mac, it brings up human ethics, questioning the sensibility of the military and the proper treatment of POWs (at that time through the Geneva Convention). It also deals with human compassion, and how the human heart can change in a short period of time when faced near their probable doom.

   The play is a well-structured piece, graphically telling a tale of human spirit faced with impending doom in a war torn environment. It gives a rounded version of war, trying not to be biased. It portrays characters that everyone can relate to or understand, with each character representing a piece of humanity within everyone. Its unique grip of language makes it practically universal to all. Its shifting pace adds to the fast paced drama. An overall action-packed, drama filled, suspense laden epic which makes you ponder on the way that war is glorified in our modern day society.

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