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Which is which ?

SOME OF THE five paintings
reproduced in this panel were
done by Canadian children.
Others were done by children in
Czechosiovakia, All the children
were members of the Junior Red
Cross and the paintings were
displayed at the recent Interna-
tional Red Cross conference in
Toronto.

Can you pick: out which
paintings were done by Cana-

- dians and which by (Czechoslo-

vac children? Play scenes were
remarkably similar, The chil-
dren’s art work from (Czecho-
slovakia and other People’s
Democracies however, more fre-
quently had labor and peaceful
construction as its theme. To
verify your answer turn this
page upside down.

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A9MOT 991Y} 9YL *sSuljured
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-[tTqyo UvIpeurD Jo YOM ey)

‘I’LL PLAY HIM AS A SOUR OLD DRUNKARD’

Danny Kaye's crude clowning in home |

Hans Christian Andersen repels Danes

WE TAKE full responsibility
for our words when we say that
these two men have never. known
each other. The two men we
have in mind are the famous
Danish writer of fairy tales Hans
Christian Andersen and the Am-
merican film actor Danny Kaye.
Andersen, of course, knew noth-
ing about Kaye, for he died Jong
before Kaye was born; and even
if Andersen were alive today he
would not pay any attention to
this nonentity. Kaye, in his
turn, knows nothing about An-
dersen because he is an ignora-
mus,

But~it so happened that the

Samuel Goldwyn company gave’

Danny Kaye the role of Ander-
sen. And, as a barnacle at-
taches itself to the bottom of
a big ocean liner so has Kaye

made an attempt to attach him-’

self to some of the undying fame
of this wonderful teller of tales.
To play a historical personage
one must know more than the

life of the person; one must

feel the role, as actors say, How-
ever, no matter what role Dan-
ny Kaye may act he knows and
feels only one thing—how to
make more money.

When the alarming news
reached Denmark that the bar-

ON THE SCREEN

‘Cry, the Beloved Country’

barians in Hollywood were pre-
paring to attack Andersen, a
representative was hastily sent
there to establish just how great
the danger was. His interview
with Kaye was given space in
the progressive press all over
the world and even in some of
the commercial papers. Here are
some of the things Kaye said:

That he knew nothing ‘what-
soever about Andersen. When
asked how he expected to play
Andersen in that case Kaye in-
solently replied: “As a sour old
drunkard.’’ Then it turned out
that Kaye did not know Ander-
sen was born in the town of
Odense, had never even suspect-
ed there was such a town. And
when the Dane hinted that his
country strongly feared Kaye
and company would put the
wrong interpretation on the
wonderful Danish writer Kaye
replied with the disdain typical
of the American ‘‘superman’’
when talking with representa-
tives of a Marshallized ‘‘lower’’
race. He stated that he was not
interested in the opinion of the:
Danes since there were only four
million of them and his picture
would be seen by several hund-
red million people in other coun-
tries.

raises, then evades issues

Cry The Beloved Country (at
the Studio) is a story of the op-
pressed South African native
population, based,on a novel of
the same name by Alan Paton
who shares production honors
with Volitan Korda.

It is true that Cry The Beloy-
ed Country is more honest than
it would have been if produced
in Hollywood, but this is a criti-
cism of Hollywood racism rather
than praise for the present film.
In fact, it is unlikely that Hol-
lywood would even tackle the
theme in the present period.
Significantly, the central role
and an important supporting
role are both played by Negro

-Americans, who were obliged to

look abroad for vehicles befit-
ting their talent.

Dramatically, the film never
does click, but the fault is not
in the acting, It is in the plot
and direction, Canada ‘Lee’s
characterization of the Negro
clergyman for example, is as
mature and finely shaded as one
could expect to find on celluloid.
Korda uses his many excellent
ingredients in a sloppy fashion,
while the dramatic action never
does reach a climax: The action
simply peters out when the al-
loted time has expired.

Much the same is true of the
photography. It is often out-
standing, but the patron feels as
if the camera is wearing blinkers
so that, in the native “shanty
town” scenes for instance, we
won’t see too much.

Thematically, a more. thor-
ough criticism of Cry The Be-
loved Country is necessary than
can be attempted here. The root
fallacy rests in the portrayal of
the native population as some
sort of “‘poor relations” rather
than the viciously exploited,
brutally and murderously op-

pressed economic strata that
they are — as the Malanazis
have so effectively provéd in
recent years, The ugly face of
white supremacy actually is
never unveiled, for every white
person in the film either favors

. inter-racial fraternity or is won

over by the final reel.

The film’s solution is as su-
perficial as its characterization
of the Negro peoples’ status,
despite certain written texts and
an epilogue which are introduc-
ed onto the screen. The solu-
tion (although one is never cer-
tain from the film that one ex-
ists) is to win over the ‘well-
intentioned”? whites, those with
money preferably, to their Chris-
tian duty of brotherhood and
inter - racial friendliness, in
which they will paternally arouse
their ‘“‘unfortunate”’ darker bro-
thers out of their misery to a
better life.

It is only fair to add, however,
that some reference is made to
offstage organizational activity.
But the necessity of mature so-
cial struggle is never hinted let
alone advocated, as indeed how.
could it be, in the colonially
conscious British film industry.
British imperialism’s grip on its
waning empire is weak enough,
It would be too much. to expect
it to give a valid solution to the
problem of the ‘‘white man’s
burden,’ even though it can no
longer advance the Kipling vers-
ion (except in disguised terms).

Nevertheless; Cry The Beloved
Country is of greater. interest
than the usual run of films, with
some excellent acting and inter-
esting location shots. But beware
of its fallacious character and
don’t be disappointed when it
fails to satisfy your expectations.

N, E. STORY.

DANNY KAYE

_ BUT THIS was only the be-

ginning. “ Recently Danny Kaye
‘

condescended to pay Denmark

a visit. His visit was purely for

publicity purposes — publicity
for himself and in a thoroughly
unique manner,

Judge for yourself, Upon
reaching ‘Copenhagen Kaye im-

Two famoos motion picture stars appeared at-the recent
national Cinema Festival in Prague. They are shown above: (
Miss M. F. Kovalyeva of the Soviet Union and Miss 'Tien aK
People’s Chian, who played the featured role in Gir] With
Wnite Hair.

‘TELL TRUTH ABOUT LIFE’

mediately climbed to the toP of
the Andersen monument alt
grimacing for all he was war
slid to the bottom. But whe
happened next was still wots?
Kaye went to visit the Anderse?
Memoria] House in Odense
There, among the museum dis
plays, he felt as unconstrail@
as a monkey in a tree. Feet a!
all he flung himself on a
sen’s bed and raised an umbrel
belonging to the author ove! ©
head. ‘Then he jumped uD hs
decked himself out in Ande
sen’s hat and other of the wri
er’s personal belongings. ae
that he picked up and fing’
the displays that the peo?”
treasure and revere. '
Museums usually have ene
books in which visitors env
their impressions. Danny m
did not make use of. the i
book at the Andersen house- fi
left the marks of his: dirty boo
on the museum bed as his entty:

course impossible, But yo
have to be a graphologist to i
termine from Kaye's ek.
writing” his character, the cb@

acter of a self-satisfied boor © is
the habits and manners Of pa
masters, the American impe

alists—V. MARKIN,

inter”

Press call to Soviet writers

CALLS TO ‘Soviet writers to
be more honest and truthful in
describing their characters and
not to paint Soviet life in rosy,

idyllic tones have been express-

ed in Moscow newspapers recent-
ly. The press has been review-
ing the literary scene six years
after the Communist party’s

famous intervention on ideologi-

cal matters.

The gist of the arguments
raised by Bolshevik Izvestiya,
the Literary Gazette and other
papers is that too many writers,
and especially playwrights and
film writers, have come to look
on dramatic conflict as between
the ‘‘good” and the ‘‘better,’”
and thus to gloss over the actual
contradictions which are to be
found in life.

The result is artificiality in
plot and characterization, as,
for example, in ‘a play called
On New Paths, where the action

turns on the fears of a vegetable
farmer that on the new cons?
dated collective farms th®
won’t be room for vegetables: :
The press is unanimous in © 4
ing for a return to truth. ne
truth, it considers, includes tr
growing - pains, contradictl? ,
and conflicts that are bout! ne
arise between the old and ee
new when aa society is adva?
ing rapidly and boldly. ip
“Not everything is ideal ive
our lives, there are negat
characters, no little that is es
no few who are false. We Lp
no reason to be afraid of ont
ing our shortcoming and aie
culties,” commented Izvestiy#
a leading article, ut
And other critics pointed °,,
that the books which had ™* 2
greatest appeal to the public ™
cently were just those that dit
faced up to shortcoming and
ficulties honestly and frankly.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — SEPTEMBER 5, 1952 — PAGE %

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