The pre-war period had been dominated by upper class comedies and farces. Look Back in Anger is about a working class man, and discusses working-class issues (tematiche); it examines the social distinctions and revolutionized British theatre with its brutal realism. It became the manifesto of the “angry young men,” a label (etichetta) that was first applied (applicata) to Osborne. In 1959 it was adapated for the cinema by Tony Richardson with the script of John Osborne himself, starring Richard Burton, Claire Bloom and Mary Ure. The play opens with two men – Jimmy ,the protagonist, and Cliff, his friend – reading the Sunday papers. Jimmy Porter’s wife is ironing. It emerges that Alison and Jimmy are from different classes: Alison is the upper middle class daughter of a colonel in the British army and, Jimmy is the first generation of his family to be educated. Jimmy shows his anger towards Alison and her origins and his anger (rabbia) towards women in general. His mother had left young Jimmy and his father when the last had come back fatally wounded (ferito mortalmente) from the Spanish Civil War. In the second act, Alison’s friend, Helena comes: Alison reveals she is pregnant and goes away with her father – Jimmy does not know she is pregnant). Helena argues bitterly (discute amaramente) with Jimmy when Alison leaves. But she ends in her arms (finisce tra le sue braccia). With the third act, we see that Helena replaced Alison, and she irons Jimmy’s shirt. Alison returns: she tells Helena that she lost the baby (ha perso il bambino) . The revelation makes Helena realize her own guilt (colpa) in coming between them, and leaves. Jimmy dismisses (lascia) Helena sarcastically and the play hints (suggerisce) a possible reconciliation between Alison and Jimmy, as they play a silly game that they once used to play – the squirrel and the bear. The pre-war period had been dominated by upper class comedies and farces. Look Back in Anger is about a working class man, and discusses working-class issues (tematiche); it examines the social distinctions and revolutionized British theatre with its brutal realism. It became the manifesto of the “angry young men,” a label (etichetta) that was first applied (applicata) to Osborne. In 1959 it was adapated for the cinema by Tony Richardson with the script of John Osborne himself, starring Richard Burton, Claire Bloom and Mary Ure. The play opens with two men – Jimmy ,the protagonist, and Cliff, his friend – reading the Sunday papers. Jimmy Porter’s wife is ironing. It emerges that Alison and Jimmy are from different classes: Alison is the upper middle class daughter of a colonel in the British army and, Jimmy is the first generation of his family to be educated. Jimmy shows his anger towards Alison and her origins and his anger (rabbia) towards women in general. His mother had left young Jimmy and his father when the last had come back fatally wounded (ferito mortalmente) from the Spanish Civil War. In the second act, Alison’s friend, Helena comes: Alison reveals she is pregnant and goes away with her father – Jimmy does not know she is pregnant). Helena argues bitterly (discute amaramente) with Jimmy when Alison leaves. But she ends in her arms (finisce tra le sue braccia). With the third act, we see that Helena replaced Alison, and she irons Jimmy’s shirt. Alison returns: she tells Helena that she lost the baby (ha perso il bambino) . The revelation makes Helena realize her own guilt (colpa) in coming between them, and leaves. Jimmy dismisses (lascia) Helena sarcastically and the play hints (suggerisce) a possible reconciliation between Alison and Jimmy, as they play a silly game that they once used to play – the squirrel and the bear. 2013-05-12