Bennett?s finest hour? (Talking Heads - Alan Bennett)

Member Name: Pozza

Product:	Talking Heads - Alan Bennett
Date:	04/06/04 (278 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Compulsive reading from start to finish.

Disadvantages: Only that 2 pages of the introduction were repeated in a later Bennett collection.

To say that I?m a bit of a Bennett fan is something of an understatement and it was this particular offering that holds the blame! Talking Heads, a set of six monologues, was published and televised in 1988 and held captivated a 15 year old with no particular interest in books or plays ? it has remained one of my favourite pieces of writing by any author ever since. Not that the ?stories? found within the book are plays in the strictest sense of the word. As Bennett (70 in May!) explains in the introduction, a play allows you to see things from the perspective of several featured characters. In a monologue you are reliant upon the viewpoints of a single character; you must read between the lines in order to draw your own conclusions. I think it is this aspect of Bennett?s work that first appealed to me? reading or listening to one of his monologues was very much like sitting in a cosy room with any one of my great aunties! Unable to get a word in edgeways, but not caring ? intrigued by the extensive dramatisation of all manner of mundane everyday events.

As ever, Bennett introduces us to some rather sad and pathetic characters and deals with dark issues such as child abuse. A common feeling that a Bennett monologue leaves you with is that the character is leading a pointless and wasted existence, but more often than not they don?t realise and think that they are pivotal to the rotation of the Earth. As in so many of his offerings Bennett manages to raise a tear with one line then leave you helpless with laughter the very next. Each monologue include the minimal stage direction for the television production ? sets are sparse and bare and movement restricted to a minimum. In the book that is of little consequence as your mind is visualising the characters musings. However, it is not to everyone?s taste when it comes to the TV production. I feel, as million
s of others do, that the barren setting adds to the piece; nothing can distract or detract from the speak
er. You pick up on every facial movement and every vocal intonation? every one intentional and complementary to the text.

Often when I open a book to find an introductory section I groan, feeling that I have to plough through the drivel in case a vital informative point is secreted within. Not with Bennett, whose introductions are often as entertaining as the rest of the work. In this example he notes the accidental repetitions that occur in his monologues? vicars knocking at the door, more likely than not sporting a beard, dogs called Tina and the like. The only negative point I can come up with concerning this book is that 2 pages of the introduction were directly copied in a later offering. Not a fault of this book as such, more a spot of laziness on the part of Mr. Bennett.

Here I shall attempt to give a taster of the six monologues, hopefully without playing the ill-fated and much berated role of ?spoiler?.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Graham, in ?A Chip In The Sugar? is a middle-aged man with mental health problems who still lives with his mam. Old demons return when mam meets up with an old flame, Frank Turnbull and a marriage proposal is tabled, effectively ?divorcing? Graham from his co-dependent marriage to his mother. Mr. Turnbull is ?pre-Dad?, Dad having long since passed on. ?I?m surprised you remember him, you don?t remember to switch your blanket off.? Events take a turn with the appearance on the scene of Mr. Turnbull?s daughter, but I?ll not be a spoiler. As is usual with Bennett, we learn a great deal about Graham from the titbits fed to us throughout the work? just what magazines does he stash on top of his wardrobe. Mam knows? and they?re n
ot chess ones, Graham.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Susan is the vicar?s wife in ?A Bed Among The Lentils?. Unfortunately for her that?s all she is seen as by the local flock, the irony being that she has never been overly fond of church. It soon b
ecomes clear that she is an alcoholic, a secret which she assumes only the woman at the ?offy? knows. Add to that the feelings of depression and loneliness that percolate through the text and Susan?s desperation is almost tangible. Her quest for booze takes her to a little shop behind Leeds Infirmary and more importantly its proprietor, a Ramesh? which could be his first name (certainly not Christian) or surname? she never can tell. Susan is anyone who feels that they are living a lie from which there seems to be no escape.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Irene, or Miss Ruddock as she likes to be known, is the local busybody, a lonely woman with too much time on her hands. Since her mother died Irene?s best friend has been her ?trusty Platignum?, a pen her mother had bought her on a trip to Harrogate. She dashes off letters to anyone about anything, hence the title of the piece ?A Lady Of Letters?. One of my favourite sections appears in this monologue. Irene had noticed some dog muck on the pavement in front of Buckingham Palace while on an Awayday. A letter to Her Majesty had been read by a lady in waiting, who had replied to Irene noting the Queen?s appreciation of the raising of the matter, which had been forwarded to the appropriate authority. The chief cleansing officer for Westminster City Council later wrote a grovelling apology, which Irene sent a letter of thanks for?

?? then blow me if I didn?t get another letter thanking me for mine. So I wrote back saying I ha
dn?t been expecting another letter and there was no need to have written again and was this an appropriate use of public resources? They didn?t even bother to reply. Typical.?

It turns out that Irene has been in trouble in the past for writing nasty letters. We learn this when she tells us about the police turning up at her door following letters she has written about a young family across the road. The little kiddie was clearly being abused and then disappeare
d altogether while it?s parents are out nearly every night. At least that?s how Irene saw it ? the truth was altogether different but equally harrowing. She is bound over to keep the peace, which she finds an impossibility as she suspects the local bobby of having his way at another neighbour?s house on a regular basis. She ends up in prison, where she blossoms with all the company. There are some hilarious recounts of events in the institution, which I?ll not spoil here, although, as Bennett later admitted himself, the prison life described is probably unrealistic, especially in this day and age.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lesley has ?Her Big Chance? when she happens upon a part in a film. She is an actress with ideas of grandeur when it comes to her career. Truth is it never took off and never will ? non-speaking extra is about her limit. The highlight of her ?career? to date was an appearance in ?Tess?, in which she rode ??on the back of the farm cart wearing a shawl. The shawl was original 19th century embroidery. All hand done.? You must have seen it!

Anyroadup (hugely underused word), the film turns out to be something quite different to what she expected. Susan refuses to see that she is being used by everyone she encounters? the men who use her for casual sex and the director who pretends to take on board her artistic suggestions for the film that
will make her a star in West Germany? and possibly Turkey.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In ?Soldiering On? we witness the life of proud Muriel collapse following the death of her husband. Not, as you might expect, through grief, but through the acts by her dear son and the revelations about her daughter. Giles, her son who can do no wrong, advises her financially; after all, she is quite well off now? the money needs looking after. For a while Muriel has to watch the pennies, which means that her daughter, who needs specialist care, cannot go into the care ho
me she would like, but the cheap one? long walk across a courtyard between kitchen and eating quarters. Why? something to do with a liquidity problem, Giles says. And whatever is wrong with her daughter mysteriously resolves itself following the death of her father and a bout of counselling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The final instalment, ?A Cream Cracker Under The Settee? finds us in the home of Doris, an elderly widow with home help. Only the home help doesn?t help? she misses half of the dust, so Doris has the job to do herself later. Which lands her in bother? if they find she keeps cleaning they?ll pack her off to a home. One day her dusting does land her in serious bother as she takes a tumble. She tries desperately to get herself into a position where she might call for help, but it?s no use ? no-one can hear her. Until, that is, the local policeman calls through the letterbox to check Doris is ok?

?You?ve done it now, Doris?.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The book identifies and pictures the actors and actresses who performed each monologue on BBC TV. I find with Bennett?s work that I read in character and this is no exception? every piece is read in the v
oice of the performer (Alan Bennett, Maggie Smith, Patricia Routledge, Julie Walters, Stephanie Cole and Thora Hird).

Ten years after this series of Talking Heads, Bennett released another? Talking Heads 2, would you believe. Six more monologues, even darker topics. Can we expect more in 2008?

Both series are available together in ?The Complete Talking Heads?, which also includes the fantastic ?A Woman Of No Importance? from a 1982 Bennett work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Talking Heads is published by BBC books and is also available on audio and video.
ISBN: 0-563-53437-0

Price: £7.99 from Waterstones, £6.39 from amazon.
Complete Talking Heads: £9.99 from Waterstones or £6.99 from amazon.

Summary: