- Playing
- Unquiet Graves
- From
- Marjorie Van Halteren
Marjorie Van Halteren moved to France in 1992 ? and now she reflects on the quiet life she sought in Northern France ? as she becomes more and more disturbed by the media reports from ?Over There? ? and her growing understanding of the ground beneath her own feet.
Little by little, she discovers her adopted home ? first scratching the surface, then delving into the backstory of a region ravaged by two world wars and filled with the bodies of young men and many other citizens ? in fact, all the lives of those now living are touched by the unquiet graves. ? This is a quiet place where war is part of the fabric of daily life.
This sonically-rich half-hour essay includes: a battlefield tour, memorials, dreams of the dead and voices of the living ? a view of our world as seen from over there .
Written by Marjorie Van Halteren
Produced in Flanders by Helen Engelhardt and Marjorie Van Halteren
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Piece Description
Marjorie Van Halteren moved to France in 1992 ? and now she reflects on the quiet life she sought in Northern France ? as she becomes more and more disturbed by the media reports from ?Over There? ? and her growing understanding of the ground beneath her own feet. Little by little, she discovers her adopted home ? first scratching the surface, then delving into the backstory of a region ravaged by two world wars and filled with the bodies of young men and many other citizens ? in fact, all the lives of those now living are touched by the unquiet graves. ? This is a quiet place where war is part of the fabric of daily life. This sonically-rich half-hour essay includes: a battlefield tour, memorials, dreams of the dead and voices of the living ? a view of our world as seen from over there . Written by Marjorie Van Halteren Produced in Flanders by Helen Engelhardt and Marjorie Van Halteren
4 Comments
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Review of Unquiet GravesA lovely piece. For those weaned on wars where personal sacrifice has been neither a prerequisite nor an option, the stuff Marjorie describes might seem strange, archaic. But in this wonderful concoction, she reminds us that radio is always about people -- not just the jewel-like traditionbearers who "put you there," but all the people who chat along the lines of parade routes, among the ghosts of former battlefields. For those who think 9/11 changed everything, they clearly weren't there for Paschendale during the Great War, but 245,000 men were lost here. I don't know how PDs should make a piece like this relevent, but listeners seem sensitive to numbers, don't they? A curious mix of heart-breaking and inspirational. An obvious thing for 11.11, but post-war tape informing the story would be fabulous on any date. |
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Review of Unquiet GravesAs the "Thin Red Line", by Terrence Malik evokes in film, a deep reflection about life, death and war, so does "Unquiet Graves", offer a high quality radio reflection of the same caliber. Helen and Marjorie hit a little felt nerve by our citizens at home in the U.S, when exploring what wars do to a people, on home turf. No one can escape the effects of war today. A sobering thought. In an intimately gentle voice, the listener, is directed to join a tour with an Englishman, who relives the horror of gas clouds in WW I, learn of survival techniques (such as how to use your bodily functions in a specific formulation), and how the Northern Europeans honor one another in memorials. Honoring the dead, and clutching to the neighbor; these people were kin, now. They all lived to tell the tale. There is a depth here. You're kin to Terence Malik, I think. Great story. Very evocative. I thoroughly enjoyed the production value: writing into tape, use of an English tour guide, the sounds of a radio broadcast, woven into the tape, with various interviews with the local peoples in Flanders. Nice use of echos for past recall. And a fitting visual, the use of the poppy flower, to open and close the piece. |
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4th of July Fireworks (03:27)
Rob Shinnick
Posted on December 07, 2009 at 01:30 AM | Permalink
Excellent
I won't go through the trouble of writing a proper review, except to say how much I enjoyed this piece. Words like "evocative", "textured", and "fascinating" come to mind.