Product Description

Saved is a play set in London in the sixties and is one of the most important British plays of that decade.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #709292 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

Customer Reviews

There goes Len, seeing Their misery from the inside
After years of hearing about the famous scene in Saved, and wanting to read it, and maybe even see it, I finally got to do the former, and am here to pass on that this is a remarkable play, not to be missed if it is being presented near you, and is also a great read-who likes working their Cockney dialect?-and has a wallop of a core to boot.
Very much an ensemble story, Saved does have a main character, but it's scenes are mostly two-person short/quick dialogues, full of angst and boredom. The scene of infanticide is in the middle and serves as the apex of the nothingness that embodies the lives of these post-war, post-angry young man English, who's pursuits are none, other than occasional work, a night out, eating...you know, the basicness that allows for cruelty, when no valuable purpose is apparent.
What makes Saved remarkable though is Len, the central character, who's constant interest and seemingly clueless tenacity turns out to be it's moral core that resounds with a curiosity and compassion that make for a real courageous and bold vision of modern life.
Len's involvement in the family, his presence at their home, his dogged attachment to Pam, his lone interest in the baby, his questioning of Fred, his excitment at Mary and willingness to bond with Harry all make for a picture of hope and wonder in the midst of so much hatred, fear, nihilism, desperation, ignorance, boredom.
A true classic. Highly recommended. Needs to be seen to be truly appreciated.

Boredom Gets 'Em Every Time
If you can believe that people make love out of boredom, why should you have trouble believing that they would kill just to pass the day? This play, a modern "must read/see" classic, takes as its premise that murder and fornicating become morally more or less indistinguishable when people have nothing better to do. The banality of evil? Well, if you can sit at your desk and sign death warrants for 6 million Jews, why not throw lighted matches and burning cigarette butts into a baby's perambulator? Why not try a few stones? London audiences were said to have gasped at the sight of the notorious scene, but in the overall context of the play, it's nothing new. The author sets up the 'world' of these oafs and louts, who have never had a thought in their heads, let alone some sort of complex moral compunction. They're deadheads. The author's play is upsetting not because they throw rocks at kids but because they do it because it was done to them, because...etc., right back to the stone age. Who ever said there was progress?

Powerful, sad, violent play
Yesterday night, I saw the play "Saved", by Edward Bond, with 2 friends of mine. It was translated in Greek, but I'm sure it doesn't lose anything of the original English text in the translation, which was excellent. The play lasted a little more than 3 hours, which in itself was exhausting. So, one first comment is that, while "Saved" is good writing, & the characters come alive...still, why 3 hours? Definitely overlong, in my opinion.

"Saved" is basically the story of a family. A father & mother, who hate each other & won't even address each other by name, but still live in the same house. Their daughter, who is a very sick young woman, maybe suffers from bipolar disorder & clearly has severe psychological problems. This woman, Pam, forms a relationship with a young man (Len) who seems kind of a loser, but is kind & caring nontheless. In the beginning, they promise that they'll be different from Pam's parents...but of course, this promise soon, too soon, is forgotten. Still, Len is the only person that stands by Pam, when she's most in need, & even after she falls desperately in love with another man, who couldn't care less about her.

The rest of the story I won't reveal. "Saved" is basically the story of extreme unhappiness in one family, a family that choses silence & sometimes loud, violent fights over talking & trying to communicate. They don't know HOW to communicate, all they know is shouting, hating, throwing things & crying. This is a very sad (but powerful) play, very violent at parts, which is the reason for the 3 stars: I can understand & appreciate characters with problems. But there's one scene which has to do with a baby, which broke my heart while I was watching it, & which I can't seem to get over. I know it is a powerful scene, & I know that many people might argue that it's the most meaningful scene in the play. But I just found it too cruel to be meaningful.