Brave New World (Dramatized)

By: Aldous Huxley, CBS Radio Workshop

Narrated by: Aldous Huxley

Length: 59 mins

Publisher's summary

For its premiere episodes, The CBS Radio Workshop aired a two-part adaptation of Brave New World, featuring its author, Aldous Huxley, as narrator. The musical score was created by Academy Award-winner Bernard Hermann, whose film credits included Psycho and Citizen Kane.

CBS Radio Workshop aired from January 27, 1956, through September 22, 1957, and was a revival of the prestigious Columbia Workshop from the 1930s and 1940s. The program regularly featured the works of the world's greatest writers, including Ray Bradbury, Archibald MacLeish, William Saroyan, Lord Dunsany, and Ambrose Bierce.

Hear more collections of radio movie dramatizations, or listen to all of the individual programs by themselves!

©2006 Radio Spirits, Inc. (P)2006 Radio Spirits, Inc.

awesome

As a teacher I am always looking for something interesting to do with the novels that we read in class. Many of my students have difficulty with Brave New World, so as a treat we listened to this version of BNW in class. The students loved it, some even admitted that listening to the novel helped them to understand the novel and now are actually reading it (and liking it).

Helpful refresher / delightful period piece

This one hour production doesn't cover every detail of the book, but it "hits the highlights" and serves as a great refresher (especially for someone who has read the book long ago).

It's a rather enjoyable if highly styled audio experience, with all the drama, sound effects, and melodramatic acting style of the time at which it was originally recorded. Gives a bit of Huxley's perspective, too, as he speaks at the intro to each 30-minute segment.

To students hoping to listen to this one-hour broadcast instead of reading (or listening to) the full novel: this will NOT suffice as a full replacement for the novel if your goal is to pass a detailed test on the novel. It's a great book and you'll be missing out if you rely solely on this broadcast. On the other hand, if you are truly not a reader or you are simply terribly pressed for time, you could do worse than to combine this one-hour broadcast with a decent study guide.

This is only the first half of the story.

What would have made Brave New World (Dramatized) better?

This only contains part 1 of the story. It should have made that clear before I purchased it. It's a radio broadcast that takes an intermission half way through the story, but this recording does not contain the second half.

Too little, too late

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

This is such a large abridgement that it didnt even begin to tell the story. I was very dissapointed.

What was most disappointing about Aldous Huxley and CBS Radio Workshop ’s story?

It was just too short. I did not communicate the idea and meaning of the full book.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

no comment

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Dissappointment. I loved reading this book many years ago - but this version just left me cold.

Any additional comments?

Skip this one.

Pointless dramaticization

It's more than a little sad and insulting. I thought this was the audiobook, but it's just a dramatized version of the story, which is painfully mutilated into an obvious and tone-deaf screed against technology.