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