Edward Bond (1934–2024)

Young Len and Pam meet and head back to her parents' for a casual, anonymous encounter, but quickly find they share the same sense of humor and Len is actually a good guy. Pam's parents let a room in their South London house to him with no thought other than his being employed and paying rent. This arrangement doesn't work for long because Pam is no more of a deep thinker than her parents. She quickly meets Fred and her love for Len turns to hate in an instant as she flaunts her new show more relationship, has a baby with her indifferent new boyfriend and turns out to be the worst mother a child could have.

This play was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 1965, before a members-only audience. The theatre had been refused a license to perform the play to the general public due to its graphic language and the now infamous scene of a baby being stoned to death by a group of young men (the baby is never seen or heard, it's just the carriage and actors onstage). Nearly fifty years later that scene is still brutal, but its reason for being, and the point of the play is still valid. Pam, Fred and his group of friends, and to some point, Pam's parents, are barely civilized. The ability to reason and see consequences, are seriously impaired. Pam screeches out every bit of her anger;it's her first response to even a misplaced magazine. Fred and his friends lack the humanity that allows people to attach themselves to another person. Other than having mates to drink with and bum cigarettes off, they don't really like each other. Len is the one who attempts to cobble together a home for himself with Pam and her horrible family, who tries to get Pam interested in her own child, and the reader wishes he would flee, as the fact that he's the only one here with a conscience leaves him so isolated. show less

Walkabout is one of my all-time favorite films, and being able to enjoy it at home on DVD is a treat. Although occasionally a bit ham-fisted and roughly edited, Walkabout is nonetheless a fascinating journey into a strange meeting of disparate human realities in the spectacular Australian outback. Both Jenny Agutter and David Gumpilil are wonderful in the lead roles, and manage an extraordinary communication, especially considering the inability of their characters to understand each other's show more language. Walkabout is a beautiful tale of loss and discovery, with an ending that is tragic on several levels. Despite this, the core message of the film is very life-affirming, albeit in a way that is challenging and questioning of some of the basic assumptions of life in the modern world. Overall, it's simply a classic, even if it hasn't really enjoyed the widespread exposure that it deserves. show less

Yesterday night, I saw the play "Saved", by Edward Bond, with 2 friends of mine. It was translated in Greek, but I'm sure it doesn't lose anything of the original English text in the translation, which was excellent. The play lasted a little more than 3 hours, which in itself was exhausting. So, one first comment is that, while "Saved" is good writing, & the characters come alive...still, why 3 hours? Definitely overlong, in my opinion.

"Saved" is basically the story of a family. A father & show more mother, who hate each other & won't even address each other by name, but still live in the same house. Their daughter, who is a very sick young woman, maybe suffers from bipolar disorder & clearly has severe psychological problems. This woman, Pam, forms a relationship with a young man (Len) who seems kind of a loser, but is kind & caring nontheless. In the beginning, they promise that they'll be different from Pam's parents...but of course, this promise soon, too soon, is forgotten. Still, Len is the only person that stands by Pam, when she's most in need, & even after she falls desperately in love with another man, who couldn't care less about her.

The rest of the story I won't reveal. "Saved" is basically the story of extreme unhappiness in one family, a family that choses silence & sometimes loud, violent fights over talking & trying to communicate. They don't know HOW to communicate, all they know is shouting, hating, throwing things & crying. This is a very sad (but powerful) play, very violent at parts, which is the reason for the 3 stars: I can understand & appreciate characters with problems. But there's one scene which has to do with a baby, which broke my heart while I was watching it, & which I can't seem to get over. I know it is a powerful scene, & I know that many people might argue that it's the most meaningful scene in the play. But I just found it too cruel to be meaningful. show less

This collection includes the play "Saved" which caused controversy when it was first performed due to a senseless crime that takes place. It remains one of the most shocking things that I've ever read, and sadly, it is still very much relevant to today's society.