Night Waves - Dylan Thomas's The Art of Conversation

Matthew Sweet discusses the first ever production of Dylan Thomas's radio play The Art of Conversation. Found by Thomas's biographer Andrew Lycett among a sheaf of papers, the play is a short piece of wartime propaganda, taking as its theme the decline of conversation. It also features 'contributions' from the likes of Oscar Wilde, Aubrey Beardsley and Dr Johnson, frequently reminding listeners that 'careless talk costs lives'. Matthew also reviews Julia, the film starring Tilda Swinton in which she plays an alcoholic, a role which is expected to gain her an Academy Award nomination. He explores Swinton's surprising trajectory from Derek Jarman muse to Hollywood high priestess.