The Long and the Short and the Tall: historical context

Setting and Time

Set in the Malay Peninsula during the Second World War.
Authored in 1959, this play reflects the post-war era as it explores issues related to war, duty, and dehumanisation.
The action takes place in a hut in the jungle, representing both a place of refuge and a kind of trap for the British patrol.

Historical Background

Explores events of the Malayan Campaign. Displays the effects of conflict on a diverse group of British soldiers representing different social classes and regions of Britain.
The war in Malaya during World War II was a British defensive operation against Japanese invasion. British troops, like the soldiers in the play, were vastly unprepared and outnumbered.
Accurately portrays the difficulties faced by British military personnel fighting in unfamiliar and hostile jungle conditions.

Social and Political Climate

The presentation of the Japanese soldier challenges the dehumanising and demonising war propaganda prevalent during WWII.
The diverse backgrounds of the characters reflect the class divisions prevalent in British society in the 1940s.
The decision to kill the Japanese POW raises questions about rules of warfare and the blurred lines between the treatment of soldiers and civilians.

Author’s Point of View

Willis Hall served in Malaya during WWII, and this experience greatly influenced the writing of the play.
Hall aims to challenge the views of war as heroic or glamorous, presenting it instead as a brutal struggle for survival. He critically examines notions of comradeship, duty and enemy.
Hall’s characters are complex and multidimensional, facilitating discussions of moral and ethical dimensions of warfare. Their dialogues reflect desperation, resentment, fear, and the human instinct for survival.