Nol Coward Screenplays: In Which We Serve, Brief Encounter, The Astonished Heart

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This collection brings together three of Coward's most important screenplays In Which We Serve (1942), Brief Encounter (1945) and The Astonished Heart (1950). The collection features the shooting scripts for each film alongside contextual notes for each play, and a general introduction, by Barry Day. In Which We Serve earned Coward an Academy Honorary Award in 1943 as well as the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film. The film remains a classic of wartime British cinema. Brief Encounter, the most famous screenplay in this collection, is based on Cowards 1936 one-act play Still Life. It remains one of the greatest love stories of all time, coming second in a British Film Institute poll of the top 100 British films. The Astonished Heart tells the story of a psychiatrist's growing obsession for a good-time girl and the resulting tragedy this leads to. This collection features a foreword by Laurence Kardish, Senior Curator Emeritus, Film, at New York's MoMA, and an eight-page black and white plate section of production stills.

Reviews

I believe this would make a valuable addition to your current series of Nol Coward plays . . . very much of interest to scholars whose research interests include Nol Coward, the Second World War, and queer studies. -- Rebecca Cameron, Associate Professor, Department of English, DePaul University, Chicago, USA
Of great value for scholars and students in a number of disciplines and fields, as well as for fans of Nol Coward and cinema generally . . . Coward's wide-ranging career and the many intersections between film, theatre, and literary studies mean that the collection will be of interest to scholars from several disciplines. -- Dr Jack Ayres, Texas A&M University, San Antonio
In Nol Coward Screenplays, Barry Day continues his exhaustive editing of Coward's work with the screenplays for In Which We Serve [1942], Brief Encounter [1945], and The Astonished Heart [1950] ... Day's editing skills are as sharp as ever ... He provides introductions to each of the screenplays and gives useful information on Tonight at 8.30, the development of the narrative and characters, as well as insights into the production process. * The Year's Work in English Studies *

Author Bio

Nol Coward was one of Britain's most iconic writers, with a glittering career and innumerable hits to his name. Barry Day, OBE, is the author or editor of numerous books and plays with an emphasis on theatre - particularly musical theatre. He has published many volumes on the work of Nol Coward. Barry Day has an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Westminster.