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Mexico Art Revolution, Ben Wheatley, Dystopia

Ben Wheatley talks to Matthew Sweet about his new film A Field in England. Filmed in 12 days and set during the English Civil War, it shows madness afflicting a group of deserters.

Dystopian fiction has a long and distinguished history in many languages. Violence, war, crime, vigilantism, the hunting down of human beings as a blood sport are just some of the distinguishing features of novels such as 1984, Brave New World, The Handmaid's Tale, Farenheit 451, films such as Mad Max, A Clockwork Orange and many others. Two new dystopian novels by the scientist Susan Greenfield and academic Martin Goodman give Matthew Sweet the chance to ask whether dystopias ever really go away, and even if they don't do they ever say anything constructive about the future? Henry Gee joins the discussion.

From Witchfinder General to The Wicker Man, via Blood On Satan's Claw and a whole host of Hammer, there's a small but honourable tradition in British cinema of horror films set in the country. Director Ben Wheatley's latest work A Field In England sits squarely in the middle of the genre. Wheatley joins Matthew along with the writer Iain Sinclair to discuss the uncanny appeal of the British countryside.

And Matthew goes to see 'Mexico: A Revolution in Art,1910 - 1940,' the subject of the Royal Academy's latest exhibition. Diego Rivera, Manuel Alvarez Bravo and others bring the turmoil of revolution to London.

All on Night Waves this evening on Radio 3.

Available now

45 minutes

Chapters

  • Mexico: A Revolution in Art

    Sarah Kent and Amanda Hopkinson review the Royal Academy's latest exhibition

    Duration: 11:37

  • Dystopian Novels

    Susan Greenfield, Martin Goodman and Henry Gee discuss the dytopian novel

    Duration: 18:32

  • A Field in England

    Ben Wheatley and Iain Sinclair discuss the uncanny appeal of the British countryside

    Duration: 13:39

Mexico: A Revolution in Art

is on at the Royal Academy, London from Saturday 6 July until Sunday 29 September 2013.

Ben Wheatley

Ben Wheatley
directed by Ben Wheatley will beΒ released simultaneously in UK cinemas (certificate 15), on DVD and BluRay and shown on Film4 on Friday 5 July atΒ 22:45.

Susan Greenfield

Susan Greenfield
2121: A Tale From the Next Century written by is published by Head of Zeus.

Martin Goodman

Martin Goodman
Ectopia written by is published by Barbican Press on Thursday 11 July 2013.

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Matthew Sweet
Interviewed Guest Ben Wheatley
Producer Neil Trevithick

Broadcast

  • Tue 2 Jul 2013 22:00

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