February 1, 2004 - 780609 - A Long Way from Home

[vgarci]

This week's program is presented for your review by Brian1984_2001.

For those who do not have the program, you can download it (with or without a Streamload account) at: www.streamload.com/vgarci (http://www.streamload.com/vgarci)

[Texas]

This is one of at least three RMT tales which unite the actors Russell Horton and Lloyd Battista as soldiers - the others I'm aware of being "Time out of mind" (a WWII tale) and "The wheel of life" (briefly a Viet Nam war story). This one started out strong as I recall...the pre-war fishing scene was powerfully done, as was the conversation where they imagined (with three options) what they would do if they encountered enemy fire. I'll listen again this week.

Here's more on Ambrose Bierce, who had several other stories adapted into plays by the RMT. (http://www.creative.net/~alang/lit/horror/abierce.sht)

[brian1984_2001]

To our adult minds, the end might be a little predictable.

But when I was 12 years old, I was completely blind-sided by the ending. I remember thinking about the story the entire next day and how powerful it was.

I'm sure this was not the first episode I ever heard, but it was the most powerful I'd heard up until that time and it was THE episode that made me want to hear more.

I hope you all like it.

[Steve]

One of the best RMT's I've ever heard. A very sad, haunting, and insightful tale about the moral ambiguities of war, and about loss of innocence---about how war destroys lives . . . one way or another. The fishing scene with the body is an especially brilliant piece of writing, an eerie and compelling piece of foreshadowing that encompasses the themes of the story in one beautifully simple stroke. This is a gem of a short story and makes a terrific Mystery Theater play.

Steve

PS: I actually don't think the ending is [i:0a2feac351]supposed[/i:0a2feac351] to be a big mystery. Maybe just a little bit at first. But the fact that it begins to dawn on us pretty quickly what's going on, I think, actually creates a certain tension as we move toward the end of the story, as well as evoking a terrible poignancy. A great and skillful piece of writing. Excellent choice Brian!

[UNTIL NEXT TIME]

I thought the story had excellent potential but ended up so so. It does a good job in demonstrating sad horrors of war, but unfortunately in an entirely predictable manner. This predictabilty occurs when the story veers off and attemts to be mysterious! I'm torn about this one. The themes are important and disturbing. Somehow the presentation, for this listener, did not live up to the stories potential. EG asks us about courage and cowardice after the first act. I certainly don't think we can absolutely call our main character a coward, He was panic struck when involved in his first battle and seeing his friend shot. His reaction was to run. He, and his shot friend, recognized there was nothing to do for the injury. If the story is trying to place an indirect "curse" on him for running then I think this rather inapropriate. This was a person of conscientious character and would likely have suffered far more with awareness and guilt vs being brain dead for some 60 plus yr. So what's the point? I wonder. It was an incidental consequence-being shot, I realize this. However, the story is built on the result of being shot. THEREFORE I WONDER IF IT IS TRYING TO REPRESENT SOME FORM OF PUNISHMENT. Again, without this incidental consequence the awareness would have been a bigger self punishment. So, it seems to be done for the sake of telling a story, and therefore limits the stories true potential. Drama-3 Until Next Time

[Steve]

I don't believe the author is trying [i:4c1690a7d2]at all [/i:4c1690a7d2]to represent a form of punishment in our protagonist's mental condition. (Perhaps self-punishment, in the form of guilt feelings.)Rather, I think it's a sad illustration of what often happened to (and [i:4c1690a7d2]does[/i:4c1690a7d2] happen to) boys who are too young to be faced with such things. That's why I think the fishing scene is so brilliant, as I mentioned before. It's a perfect metaphor. A pastoral, innocent scene: Two happy, clueless friends fishing and excitedly discussing joining up, when one of the boys fishes up a horror from beneath the water. This is especially great foreshadowing, considering that we later deal with his mental state, and that water is often used as a metaphor for the unconscious mind. And what do they do? They push it back beneath the surface. Well, what else can they do? It terrifies them. There are marvelous layers of emotional, and thematic, depth in this scene.

Plus, I [i:4c1690a7d2]do[/i:4c1690a7d2] think it's obvous he feels guilt, despite the fact that he couldn't have done anything for his friend. People often feel such guilt when a loved one dies. Guilt and helplessness. It doesn't make sense, anymore than war does, but it happens. This is a finely crafted piece of fiction, delicate, sensitive, and insightful. It's about ordinary people placed in extraordinary and terrible circumstances. It is not, I think, a story meant to be analyzed in broad, simple sweeps. As in any truly great piece of fiction, there is more to it than first meets the eye.

Steve

[Fizzlestix]

Hi again! Don't you just love it when you get to know the SotW and it's one you've heard before? I do... it gives me a reason to listen again and re-analyze the tale in a new perspective.

I really liked this one. It was simply and even a little predictable, but there was an alluring innocence about it that I enjoyed.

The thing I would really like to point out though, is the production of this one. In most episodes, the ambience is lit dimly beneath dialogue and mood. Often you'll hear doors close, birds chirping, or the range of car sound effects that are common on the RMT shows.

But this one was especially gratifying. The production team paid special attention to the environment our character was put in. The sounds of the harmonica, the water splashing on the boat, dogs barking, the rushing and clopping of hooves, the rolling of the artillery cannons, the celebration with the band and all, and so on...

Along with the rich narrative descriptions of the environment, this was one of the most immersive episodes I'd heard in a long time.

Although the main character was someone I could somehow relate to, he was played a tad "over the top." But perhaps in the situation he was in (in the story), it was necessary to convey his inner struggle. Such a sad tale.

Along with shows like, IN THE FOG, I can't help but feel such deep sorrow for those men and women who served their country only to be left with such horrible personal reminders of the wars and battles they fought. And though this may have been a fictional tale, the possiblility that this actually could have occured is what I found so becoming of the episode.

Thanks for a great pick. I gave it a 4.4 overall.

best wishes,

~ Fizz

[Texas]

Interesting thing...Bierce was missing and presumed dead after going to Mexico to fight alongside Pancho Villa (in another Bierce/RMT episode "The D-mned thing", E.G. says he disappeared mysteriously), so Mr. Bierce apparently believed there were some causes worth fighting and going to war for. There are at least two other RMT episodes based on his Civil War works, "Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge", and "One of the missing".

I'm guessing that Bierce knew there were indeed some very good reasons for fighting the horrific "Civil War" (here in northwest Arkansas there were some particularly tragic battles, and (which not everyone's aware of) accompanying guerrilla campaigns that left their mark on the people of the Ozarks plateau).

On listening to this again, it does convey the sadness of war's aftermath, but I'm not sure it's an [i:9ff06e28d8]antiwar[/i:9ff06e28d8] story. Without being able to convey my thoughts in more accurate terms, the moral of this story to me was: "Young man...war, like life, will usually never unfold as you fantasize it will. Know what you're getting into, and be prepared."

[brian1984_2001]

[quote:1801ac4b07]I'm not sure it's an antiwar story. [/quote:1801ac4b07]

I didn't see it as anti-war, or even a cautionary tale. I saw it as a story about the sad consequences of war --- any war and every war.

[Steve]

I agree with Brian.

steve

[UNTIL NEXT TIME]

I need instruction to work the quote mechanism. Any help would be appreciated. Steve: I agree this has deep elements that are very relevant to the horrors of war. In fact our disagreement here is not the theme of the story but in how it was delivered. The device the author used in turning it into some strange, over the top mystery is inferior to having our protagonist spend a conscious lifetime dealing with the same horrors we both recognize to be so destrucitve. I think the far out aspect dilutes the real horrors you described so well..............Until Next Time

[Texas]

Brian, Steve,

My apologies. I should have qualified my comments. In the post Viet Nam-era I've gotten so used to stories that seem to be anti-military, etc. I get defensive, and did so when there was no need to here.

I forgot how distinct the RMT was...as evidenced by this story. I pretty much agree with you both as well.

[Steve]

[quote:60359908b3="UNTIL NEXT TIME"]The device the author used in turning it into some strange, over the top mystery is inferior to having our protagonist spend a conscious lifetime dealing with the same horrors we both recognize to be so destrucitve. I think the far out aspect dilutes the real horrors you described so well..............Until Next Time[/quote:60359908b3]

UNT,

I think you may be missing the point: The mysterious aspect that you see as sensationalism, I see, simply, as our protagonist's point of view---his mind is confused and forever lost. His life is [i:60359908b3][u:60359908b3]un[/u:60359908b3][/i:60359908b3]conscious. That's the whole point. It's not a concsious lifetime dealing with horrors. It's a life of confusion, of knowing you desperately need to be somewhere and never being able to get there.

The author has used the best method possible for allowing us to understand this by making us see the world from the injured soldier's point of view---which, to us, [u:60359908b3][i:60359908b3]is[/i:60359908b3][/u:60359908b3] mysterious and confusing---no less so than it is to the soldier himself. Therein lies the horror, the drama, and the poignancy of the story.

Yes, the narrative is designed to be eerie and mysterious, but I don't think it's all that over-the-top or far out. It is, in fact, a very creative and compelling way to tell a story. If it had been simply told straightforward as "the facts of war's horrors and how they destroyed a young man's life", I think the story would have been nothing more than a maudlin melodrama, a cliche. A USA Network TV movie.

Guess we're just gonna have to agree to disagree on this one. smile.gif

Steve

PS Tex: No sweat. It's all good.

[brian1984_2001]

[quote:8abc266738]In the post Viet Nam-era I've gotten so used to stories that seem to be anti-military, etc. I get defensive, and did so when there was no need to here.[/quote:8abc266738]

I can understand how you feel. I feel the same way. I'm not anti-war and it is a touchy subject I'd just as soon avoid.

There is so much romanticized about the Civil War, but as with any war, many people left that conflict with broken bodies and minds.

[UNTIL NEXT TIME]

Hmmm. Steve, I recall that he awoke after 60 plus yr. of unawareness. Am I incorrect here? I thought this the case, and therefor he spent most of his life unaware, oblivious, .........under water. Until Next Time.......ps, How do you do the quote thing? :D Until Next Time

[vgarci]

I found this tale to be a powerful and poignant sub-drama of the Civil War. The play explored the trauma suffered by a young soldier unable to cope with the stress of war.

This may sound like a stretch but it reminded me of a section in a book by Dr. Oliver Sacks entitled, "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat". In this book, Dr. Sacks relays the story of one of his patients who has lost his short term memory (alcohol related). He lived completely in the past and though he was introduced to new topics or new people, he was completely unable to remember them for more than a few minutes. As I said, this may be a bit of a stretch and I can't remember the fine details of the case study any more (ironic, huh?), but I recall how Dr. Sacks explained the look in the poor man's eyes as he peered into the mirror only to see the frightening sight of an old man staring back at him. I pictured the soldier in our radio drama experiencing a similarly frightening revelation as he was introduced to the reality the rest of the world sees.

[brian1984_2001]

[quote:dc401586cb]How do you do the quote thing? [/quote:dc401586cb]

Hit the "quote" button above.

Highlight the section you want to quote and go to the "edit" button on your tool bar on top and click on "copy".

Put your cursor right up against the right bracket of the word "quote" that appears in the text of the message.

Click again on the "edit" button and hit "paste".

Before you do anything else, hit the "quote" button again. After that, you can respond to the quote.

Your quote should look like this if you've done it right:

[quote:dc401586cb]How do you do the quote thing?[/quote:dc401586cb]

I hope this helps.

[UNTIL NEXT TIME]

Thank You Brian. Put your cursor right up against the right bracket of the word "quote" that appears in the text of the message. These are your words, I don't understand them. While I currently feel like an idiot, I assure you I am not one. The text of the message and the word quote? Until Next Time

[brian1984_2001]

Think of the quote buttons as quotation marks. Hit the quote button, place your quote, then hit quote again.

What I was trying to say is don't have any spaces between your quote and the quote closer. When you hit the quote button, the word"quote" shows up in brackets. No spaces between that bracket and your quote.

[Texas]

Brian,

I agree with your comments on romanticizing the Civil War (or any war, for that matter).

The columnist George F. Will was the first person a couple of years back that I heard quote from "Cold Mountain" (?) the line (paraphrased) "In war, I learned how frail the human body is against things sharp and hard".

That takes any romantic notions right out of the picture for me.

How many other Bierce stories were RMT adapted besides "The d-mned thing", "One of the missing" and "Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge"? I do believe there were others...I believe he wrote a very interesting Civil War tale adapted into the RMT called "Loser take all". What was interesting also was that his stories were adapted around real battles:

"Loser take all" - The battle of Shiloh
"One of the missing" - The battle of Kennesaw Mountain