The Deep Blue Sea - Softcover

Terence Rattigan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1848422342 ISBN 13: 9781848422346

Publisher: Nick Hern Books, 2011

Synopsis

The original stage play, reissued alongside Terence Davies' film starring Rachel Weisz, Tom Hiddleston and Simon Russell Beale.

Hester Collyer, the wife of a judge, embarks on a disastrous affair with a drunken former World War II pilot. Abandoned by him, emotionally stranded and physically isolated, she attempts suicide to win him back and perhaps also to send a message to her former husband. Her gesture serves only to estrange her more from the men in her life and reality itself.

First performed in 1952, when Rattigan was at the height of his powers, The Deep Blue Sea was sparked off by the suicide of a young actor, Kenneth Morgan, with whom Rattigan had himself been much in love. Though contained within a perfectly crafted well-made play, Rattigan's finely observed portrait of Hester gives his greatest work almost classical depth and emotional resonance. Terence Davies film of this masterpiece of 20th - century drama was a highlight of the 2011 celebrations of the centenary of Rattigan's birth.

Along with an authoritative and invaluable analysis of the play, biographical sketch and full chronology by Dan Rebellato, this edition includes an introduction on adapting the stage play for the screen by the film's producer Sean O'Connor.

About this title

Review:

Terence Rattigan sounded the deep blue sea of English feeling...Britain has gone Rattigan crazy...None can doubt now that Rattigan was made to last...his popularity is destined to run and run. --Daily Telegraph

Totally faithful to Rattigan's vision and a fine example of how to turn theatre into film. --Derek Malcolm in the Evening Standard

A museum of emotions, brought to contemporary life through Davies' artistry and Weisz's fire. Here, they show us, is how people felt, and hurt, in another time. Their love and pain can touch us today. --Time

The scars of the heart have their outward reflection on these dark, broken streets, with little pockets of warmth and solace in the pubs where Londoners huddle. If the movie is both gorgeous and stifling, that feels just right for Rattigan's aching prison of a play. --Telegraph

A mesmeric, haunting and often very beautiful study of isolation. In an age of hubbub, its patient elegance is a rare thing we should nurture. --Empire

The scars of the heart have their outward reflection on these dark, broken streets, with little pockets of warmth and solace in the pubs where Londoners huddle. If the movie is both gorgeous and stifling, that feels just right for Rattigan's aching prison of a play. --Telegraph

A mesmeric, haunting and often very beautiful study of isolation. In an age of hubbub, its patient elegance is a rare thing we should nurture. --Empire

About the Author:

Terence Rattigan (1911-1977) hit the jackpot at the age of 25 with French Without Tears and followed this success with, among others, After the Dance, The Browning Version, The Deep Blue Sea, Separate Tables and The Winslow Boy. Most of Rattigan's plays have been published by Nick Hern Books, with life sales of several thousand to date.

About this edition

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1848422342
• ISBN 13: 9781848422346
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 128