2 Songs

eee eee ee PRR

TPEINAI BRIDGE OF PEKING. This modern traffic
artery links up the eastern and western parts of Peking
and runs aleng one of the most scenic spots in the city.

WAL ed Ley

We | ty l

‘wa USSIAN children are being
' taught to sing anti-Polaris
marching songs, composed orig-
‘inally to boost morale at Holy
Loch demonstrations. At least
six of the ‘““Ban-the-Bomb” jin-
gles have already been translat-
ed from the Scottish dialect by
leading Soviet poet, Samuel
Marshak. é

This was revealed by Mr.
Emrys Hughes, Labor MP for
South Ayrshire, shortly. after
he returned from a three-week
visit to Moscow. Goa 4

Pupils at the Pushkin State
school have learned the words
of one of: the songs — “Ding

\Famed artists in appeal
to free sick Siqueiros

‘™"r=here are new waves of pro-
( test against the continued
imprisonment of the Mexican
Painter, David Albaro Siquei-
Tos. They are based on the
News of ‘the dangerous and
Worsening health of the. well-
known painter.

Famous European intellectu-
als and painters — Renato
Guttuso and Alberto Moravia

Of Italy have protested to the
7} Mexican government. They
} have been joined by Jean Paul
7} Sartre in France, a great mass
+} ™®ovement in Japan and India,
‘the leading intellectuals of soc-
lalist-countries, a distinguished
‘8roup of U.S. painters and
bracticalky every public figure
in Latin America.

. The most recent protest is
that of the representatives of
7 all schools and faculties of the
7 National University of Mexico,
/ demanding the unconditional

telease of the painter. The Na-
} tional University has between

60,000 and 70,000 students.

’ To the voices of their repres-

€ntatives has been added that

Of the distinguished Rector of
(the university: Dr. Ignacio
4 Chavez, world-renowned car-
j  diologist. cars
Ee: Siqueiros, 64 years of age,
4s suffering from a liver com-
/Plaint. aggravated by prison

‘] Sonditions and lack of care.

_ He has been waiting — four
} ®onths for authorization to be
} &xamined at a hospital, as or-
dered by his doctor, since facil-
ities are lacking in Lecumberri
Prison. Recently, he has been
troubled by a numbness in his
a left side.

4 ; - Siqueiros was arrested in
August, 1960, on charges of be-

| ing responsible for demonstra-

| tions of students and teachers

-} 2 Mexico city which were vio-

lently repressed by the police

| WORTH
| READING

War and Peace and the Prob-
lem of Berlin, by Professor
Fred Warner Neal, 20c. This
Paper by Professor Neal is an
&nalysis of the Berlin situa-
tion from the Yalta and Pots-
dam Conference to the present
time, and explains the policy

] and the interests of the United

States in Berlin.
From Aldermaston,
30c. This is a small song book

7 °f many songs made and sung

7 8 part of the campaign for
Nuclear Disarmament, in Eng-

Dong Dollar’’—and now sing it
in- the streets around Red
Square. With a melody similar
to that of “Coming Round the
Mountains,’ the chorus warns:
“Ye cannae spend a dollar if

U.S. SHELTERS
FROM SEX

An American psychiatrist
said yesterday that atomic
fallout shelter dwellers
would have a bigger prob-
lem to contend with than
boredom: sex.

’ Danger heightens the mat-
ing urge, but the sort of
danger that would drive
people into shelters would
increase the libido even
more, according to the ex-
pert, Dr. Frank Caprio.

Writing in Insider’s News-
letter; the doctor suggested
that the only solution would
be to build partitions in the

ye’re deid,
Oh, ye canna spend a dollar
if ye’re deid, bre
‘Singing Ding Dong Dollar,
everybody holler,
Ye canna spend a dollar if
ye’re deid.”
* * *
‘The verses go on to make
fun of the American sailors

Mr. Emrys Hughes, Brii- /
ish Labor M.P.,-recently re-
turned ‘from the ~ Soviet
Union was interviewed
by the “Weekiy Scotsman.
The Pacific Tribune is re-
printing that interview.

ship of the U.S. nuclear sub-
marine squadron: anchored in
the Holy Loch:

A broadsheet of Holy Loch;
ballads, sung by more than |
1000 demonstrators at the
Whitsun protest march, is now!
on sale in the Soviet capital.
The translator,:Marshak, is an
old friend of Mr. Hughes and
a lover of Robert Burns’ works.

From his home at Cumnock,
‘Ayrshire, Mr. Hughes said:
“The words of ‘Ding Dong Dol-
lar’ appeared in the newspaper
‘Izvéstia’ while I was there and
the song: quickly became a
smash-hit. The children found
it easy to pick up the tune and
the words are catchy in any

language.”
* z 3 *

But if the Russian-speaking
MP was surprised to hear the
familiar melodies in the heart
of Moscow, he was astounded |

who man the . Proteus, depot

by the rush for a book on the |

British sit-down songs
sung by Russian children

life of Rabbie Burns.

Written by Soviet biograph-
er, Rita Wright, the first edi-
tion of 20,000 “sold lke hot
cakes” at street eorner Kiosks,

‘he said. Now, a second edition

of 70,000 has been printed: At
5s a copy, it has brought the
same hectic scramble. ~ .

Mr. Hughes, who last visited
Moscow in 1959. considers that
everything has changed drasti-
cally in two years.

“The people are better dress-
ed, there is-more.in the shops

‘and throughout the city. there

are signs of.a- rising standard
of living. The changes are very
apparent in the streets, where
there are now many. vending
machines for cigarettes, sweets
and different. kinds of aerated
water,’ he said. :
- Mr. Hughes ‘aims‘to tell Par-
liament that the Russian econ:
omy has “progressed much
more quickly than -ours.”
Over the Berlin question, he
said he had detected a great
anxiety among Muscovites.
“They are quite-prepared for
total disarmament and total in-
spection,” he stated, “and if
Macmillan went back today, he
would find a big difference.”

R those who enjoy good
films there is some fine
film-fare .around Vancouver.
Two. pictures which you should
not miss are Ballad of a Sol-

shelters.

dier and Come Back, Africa.

and military.-

The charge is social dissolu-
tion, equivalent to sedition or
to a charge under the US.
Smith Act. Siqueiros was not
present at the demonstrations:
The government claims he “in-
spired”’ them. :

“After fourteen months the
process against Siqueiros is far
from. complete. In such politi-
cal trials Mexican justice tends
under government prompting,
to move slowly. ey
‘The Mexican government de-
nies there are political prison-
ers in Mexico. But the offence
with which Sirqueiros is charg-
ed is precisely a political one.

Unaer Mexican law no bail is.

available in cases of this kind.

In September a New York
Times critic praised the great
unfinished mural of the Mexi-
ean Revolution on which Si-
queiros was working at Chap-
ultepec castle. at the time of
his arrest. The mural was com-
misioned by the Mexican gov-
ernment.

The great artist has contin-
ued to work and paint in pris-
on, in spite of ‘worsening
health. His stage settings for
plays presented by the prison-
ers received great praise. In
a recent exhibit in the Palace
of Fine Arts, a harsh, dramatic
self portrait of Siqueiros pain-
ted in prison drew wide com-
ment.

Canadians who want to add
their voices to the growing
world protest can write. to
Mexican ambassador, His Ex-
cellency Rafael D. La Xolina,
88 Metcalfe St., Ottawa 4, Ont.

Letters of support and news
of protests can be sent to the
painter’s wife, Angelica Si-
queiros, Tres Picos 29, Rincon
del Bosque, Mexico 5, DF.

Ballad is now showing in
Vancouver sand will likely
make the rounds of community
theatres, Come Back, Africa, is
being shown in Vancouver by
‘the Classic Film Society. (For

the. script). not only knows
what he wants but also knows
how to get it; However, if any
single performance is to be
singled out, it must be that of
the crippled soldier (Vevgeni
Urbanski) who .dreads return-
ing home as a burden on his
wife.

Ballad of a Soldier is cur-
rently showed ‘at the Strand
Theatre—is itself an event, for
this is the first Soviet feature

information phone RE 8-4217).

Here is a short review ay
these two important films. |

e *

Ballad of a Soldier. ‘This;
film ‘is sheer cinematic poetry.
Only the second . work-of its

Clear Sky); it firmly establish-

ma, Alexander Dovzhenko.

ofa Soldier is simplicity itself.
A nineteen-year-old: Soviet sol-

ward for an unwitting act of
bravery. On his way home, he

situations and arrives only in
time to say goodbye to his
mother for the last time.

But this is the simplicity that
cloaks great things. A depth of
feeling is poured into these
simple incidents among plain
people which strikes at the
roots of the human condition
on the background of the larg-
er tragic futility of war.

Vladimir Ivashov (the  sol-
dier) and Shanna Prokhorenko
(Shura) are likeable youngsters
but what is remarkable is the
altogether natural, life-like per-
formances Chukhrai has drawn
from them in their first screen
appearances.

Still this characterizes all
the performances, for Chukh-

director, Grigori Chukhrai)
(earlier he made The - Forty-)’.
First and has just “completed)

es him as artistic heir’ of the}
late great poet of Soviet. cine-,
In plot and incident, Ballad}

-dier gets a brief leave-as re-|

is caught up in a number of}.

film to play a major downtown
Vancouver theatre on ordinary
commercial release.

-—N,.E.: STORY.

KIM NOVAK, above, was re-
ported this week to be among
other Hollywood stars who
planned a disarmament dem-
onsiration in Los Angeles dur-
ing a visit by President Ken-
nedy.. Others include Sammy
Davis Jr., Rita Moreno, Marion
Brando, Jean Simmons.

| +used poetry.

rai (who also collaborated on

Ballad of a Soldier and Come
Back, Africa excellent films

@

COME BACK, AFRICA. An
Irving M. Lesser Film Pres-
entation. Produced and di-
rected by Lionel Rogosin. ~

“Last week I saw a motion
picture that I’m sure I will
never forget. It’s.calleqd Come
Back, Africa...” |

So wrote Jackie Robinson in
his New York Post sports col-
umn. : : ;

Since you have probably
read one of the numerous laud-
atory reviews about this pic-
ture, it is enough to note here
that Rogosin uses the camera.
as a social] instrument with the
same fervor some men once

The story line is simple be-
cause it is about real people in
a real setting without any com-
promises or hoked-up conflicts.
It is the story of Zachariah
Mgabi, forced by famine in

‘| Zululand to leave his family

and seek. work in the _ gold
mines near Johannesburg. He

.| drifts through a succession of

jobs. \

Finally he brings his family
together again, in Sophiatown,
the apartheid slum from which
the day labor is drawn to cre-
ate Johannesburg’s wealth. But
a family life cannot be built
there — or anywhere for the
black man, and tragedy fol-
lows. ;

The film’s artistry comes
from a completely realized
joining of documentary with
the feature-picture effect. It
was shot under the noses of the
South African police, who
thought Rogosin was doing a
story on African music.

By the time they discovered
what was .going on, Rogosin
had left South Africa but the
authorities threw every native
who had a part in making the
film into jail—except one. She
is Miriam Makeba, the African
singing star who escaped.

November 24, 1961—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 3

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