Programme Details

After a break of over forty years, Vanessa Redgrave has returned to the Royal Shakespeare Company to play the role of Hecuba, in a new version by the acclaimed poet Tony Harrison. Hecuba, once queen of Troy, is now a prisoner of war, treated with appalling brutality by her captors - but this in turn fuels a desire for retribution and revenge which will result in a shocking outcome. The play is a profound examination of the dynamics between the powerful and the powerless, but does this new version, and Redgrave's performance, give Euripides's classic new meaning? Paul Allen is joined by the theatre critic Susannah Clapp to give the Night Waves verdict.

Also tonight, as the annual British Silent Cinema Festival gets underway, Night Waves explores the deep relationship between European and British cinema during the silent era. Film historian Ian Christie and critic Muriel Zagha join Paul to discuss the fruitful, and often hugely influential, exchange of personnel, ideas, themes, and aesthetics.

Plus, carrying the scars of war - a new book of photographs by the award-winning American photographer Lori Grinker examines the physical and mental toll of war on its veterans. She tells Paul Allen about her fifteen year journey to capture the images and stories of war veterans from every major conflict in the twentieth century.

Night Waves , at the slightly later time of 10pm, here on BBC Radio 3.


Presenter: Paul Allen
Producer: Aasiya Lodhi



Additional Information:
1) Hecuba is at the Albery Theatre in London as part of the RSC season and runs until May 7 2005.
2) The 8th British Silent Cinema Festival is in Nottingham until Sunday April 10 2005. For more details go to: www.britishsilentcinema.com
3) Afterwar: Veterans From A World Of Conflict by Lori Grinker is published by de.MO.