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To the Green Fields and Beyond
Action centres on the lives of men in the Tank Corps in 1916. There was a belief that the machine could shorten the war and bring the appalling slaughter to an end. The drama explores the ways in which this belief binds the men together and, ultimately, fragments their lives.
- GenresPlays
96 pages, Paperback
First published September 18, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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September 25, 2010"To the Green Fields and Beyond" is one of the first, if not the first play I have read, as I am new to play world, discrageful I hear you shout, well I have an excuse I am young and exburent, I have time.
The play is set September 1918, the night before the battle, the calm beofre the storm, the chicken before the cake, which ever one you like, they actually all mean the same thing. There is eight men in the woods in there tank they even refere to them-seleves as "we are eight bits of machine", almost as if they are the tank, all eight them make the heart and soul of the tank, wich overall is there heart and souls of the men combined, they are not individulas they are a group.
They are intruded on by reporter named Kirkpatrick is at first warmly welcomed but soon scrutiniozed by the team captian Child. Child wants to know real reason a reporter has risked his life to come up to the tank and see the men, he calims he is there to tell story and when all he is really after is an intresting bit of muck and tuck he can use in his report. There is a woman who his there to "satify" these men before battle. However there is intresting bit of contribution by her when having a discuisson with sikh "Ain", where he saids when talking about going into battle " they belive in me, y'see? so i put mask on it. Mask. Like you,love."
The main decison to be made by the men is weather or not to go to battle the next day and most-likley loose there lifes, however be amongst there men. Or to retreat form battle for longer than they have and give them selves a bigger chance of survival. This causes a divide among the men, in the end they choose there fate in a roll of dice.
The short play concludes with all men chatting round a lit-fire, which I believe is after the war and they are all dead, now dont hold me to this becuause apathetically on myself I may be wrong. Round the fire they are all saying "war" in as many ways as war can be said.
I enjoyed the play its's mesaage is eight-men in the green fields waiting for "beyond" which is ultmatley death. You find yourslef involved with the men almost as if you are one of the "lads", my main problem was not the use of lanuage as it may be for others, because the lanuage is spoken how it would been spoken in the war, the lanuage is real. The problem was the play the story was just to short for me, I think if there had been little bit more, if the play was little longer I would most likely feel more strong for the play. Im not saying the play failed to grab me it grabbed me alright, but not as much as some other short books have done.
The play is set September 1918, the night before the battle, the calm beofre the storm, the chicken before the cake, which ever one you like, they actually all mean the same thing. There is eight men in the woods in there tank they even refere to them-seleves as "we are eight bits of machine", almost as if they are the tank, all eight them make the heart and soul of the tank, wich overall is there heart and souls of the men combined, they are not individulas they are a group.
They are intruded on by reporter named Kirkpatrick is at first warmly welcomed but soon scrutiniozed by the team captian Child. Child wants to know real reason a reporter has risked his life to come up to the tank and see the men, he calims he is there to tell story and when all he is really after is an intresting bit of muck and tuck he can use in his report. There is a woman who his there to "satify" these men before battle. However there is intresting bit of contribution by her when having a discuisson with sikh "Ain", where he saids when talking about going into battle " they belive in me, y'see? so i put mask on it. Mask. Like you,love."
The main decison to be made by the men is weather or not to go to battle the next day and most-likley loose there lifes, however be amongst there men. Or to retreat form battle for longer than they have and give them selves a bigger chance of survival. This causes a divide among the men, in the end they choose there fate in a roll of dice.
The short play concludes with all men chatting round a lit-fire, which I believe is after the war and they are all dead, now dont hold me to this becuause apathetically on myself I may be wrong. Round the fire they are all saying "war" in as many ways as war can be said.
I enjoyed the play its's mesaage is eight-men in the green fields waiting for "beyond" which is ultmatley death. You find yourslef involved with the men almost as if you are one of the "lads", my main problem was not the use of lanuage as it may be for others, because the lanuage is spoken how it would been spoken in the war, the lanuage is real. The problem was the play the story was just to short for me, I think if there had been little bit more, if the play was little longer I would most likely feel more strong for the play. Im not saying the play failed to grab me it grabbed me alright, but not as much as some other short books have done.
July 30, 2012
I first saw the play when living in London and then purchased the book when returning home. Set in the woods before a major tank battle of WWI, the men spend the night coming to terms with the possibility of certain death if they continue into battle the next morning.
August 28, 2012
An excellent play about a World War I tank crew facing an attack that means certain death. Quite moving.
September 18, 2013
hard work to read but I imagine it can make a wonderful play.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews