{"product_id":"book-1i7v","title":"The Last Days of Mankind","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA stunning adaptation of a First World War masterpiece showing man's inhumanity to man\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGerman playwright Karl Kraus's early twentieth-century satirical play about the First World War was originally 15 hours long, but his classic satire \u003cb\u003eThe Last Days of Mankind\u003c\/b\u003e, has been deftly distilled into a kaleidoscopic montage of scenes by talented director and writer Giles Havergal. This uncompromising production mixes dialogue drawn from contemporary documents with fantastical expressionist scenes of apocalypse. With over 100 characters and depictions of the decline of a corrupt and hypocritical society into the brutality and desperation of war, this is a gripping listen. A gem from the archive, this is the gritty and uncompromising portrayal and honest account of people's thoughts as war broke out across Europe. Giles Havergal's clever adaptation paints the nobility, the press and the war machine as full of depravity with an evocative and sombre soundtrack that includes music from the First and Second Viennese schools.\u003cbr\u003eThis clever and engrossing production also includes snippets of fictional news reports read by renowned newsreader \u003cb\u003eAnna Ford\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003cb\u003ePaul Scofield\u003c\/b\u003e features as God and extracts from \u003cb\u003eRichard Dimbleby's\u003c\/b\u003e reporting from the liberation of Belsen are joined by popular music showing the enduring reach and folly of the catastrophic events of 1914.\u003cbr\u003eThe importance and influence of \u003cb\u003eThe Last Days of Mankind\u003c\/b\u003e is widely acknowledged and celebrated in Europe. Its uncompromising examination of human recklessness in the face of war is evoked in this exquisite full-cast production and demonstrates the unique act of creativity and imagination that launched Kraus's work into the twentieth-century and beyond.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eCast and credits\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWritten by Karl Kraus\u003cbr\u003eTranslated by Robert David MacDonald\u003cbr\u003eAdapted and directed by Giles Havergal\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Dave Bachelor\u003cbr\u003eReverend - \u003cb\u003eJohn Bett\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCommon Soldier - \u003cb\u003eChris Delaney\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNewsreader - \u003cb\u003eAnna Ford\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJournalist - \u003cb\u003ePatrick Hannaway\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKraus - \u003cb\u003eGiles Havergal\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePatriot - \u003cb\u003eCrawford Logan\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMinister - \u003cb\u003eRobert David MacDonald\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGeneral - \u003cb\u003eStephen MacDonald\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGeneral - \u003cb\u003eSandy Neilson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eActress - \u003cb\u003eAlison Peebles\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOfficer - \u003cb\u003eLaurance Rudic\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGod - \u003cb\u003ePaul Scofield\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLady Journalist - \u003cb\u003eGerda Stevenson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSubscriber - \u003cb\u003eFinlay Welsh\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOfficer - \u003cb\u003eSandy Welsh\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOfficer - \u003cb\u003eMatthew White\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFirst Broadcast BBC Radio 3, 11 December 1999\u003cbr\u003e©2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin UK","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":67466673258800,"sku":"BD1i7v","price":11.67,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/1i7v-Square-cover.jpg?v=1785988400","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-1i7v","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}