Dennis Potter, playwright and author of "Blue Remembered Hills". Photo / File
Recently, my curiosity piqued by a reference to "Blue Remembered Hills", I did a little research into Dennis Potter's play and watched it on YouTube. It's very very funny, entertaining and thought-provoking.
Seven children, all played by adults, spend all day playing in the picturesque Forest of Dean. They play,
argue, fight, boast, forgive each other. They are friends trying to make sense of the adult world.
It's 1943, England is at war, the heroes are soldiers but one of their number has a father who's missing in the war. It's not all glory, there's heartache too, so the adults aren't doing a brilliant job of running this world.
A lot of the humour is derived from the adults playing children, children who are playing at being adults. The scene where the two girls and Donald are playing house is very amusing. Adults acting like children, indeed!
"Blue Remembered Hills" is often compared to "Lord of the Flies" as it questions whether or not all children are "innocent". Although they're often extremely unkind they're innocent in that they are reflecting the adult world and don't fully understand the far-reaching consequences of their actions.
