a the B Dancers fulfill great -expectation T he great Soviet Moiseyev Dance Company came, were teas — and conquered the hearts of thousands fo Vancouver- Eli ast week with their spectacular performances at the Queen Zabeth Theatre, where they played to capacity crowds, sa Audiences maryelled at the beauty, grace and agility th Wn by the company of 100 performers as they went through aad repertoire of folk dances ranging from a Suite of Old “Ssian Dances to the eye-filling finale in the Ukrainian Suite, th Audiences couldn’t believe their eyes at some ofthe sights a beheld on the stage, The appreciation of the audience was ee by thunderous applause during and after each dance, iences didn’t want to see it end, and, when finally the last j Strtain rung down, they reluctantly left their seats, New booklets throw light °n Vietnam, Congo events WO booklets are now avail- she at the People’s Co-op Bah Ore which are essential oe for everyone who wants Pb abreast of today’s im- Portant world events, z os first of these booklets, “War Just arrived, is entitled, : an Atrocity in Vietnam,” mention by Bertrand Russell ‘Ussell D, Stetler Jr. It is Titish publication issued by ae Beerand Russell Peace Foun- and sells for 75¢, tj a aout outlines the history Cities ietnam struggle and atro- Dupp Committed by the U,S, and bet forces in Vietnam, It is S 4 ahandbook of factual materi- ’ cluding quotes from authori- S male Y TEMPLE, famed US eau » ts shown in Red Square, wens Ee during a recent visit. She dic. : the Soviet Union to seek al help for a sick brother. tative sources, showing the nature of the U.S, aggression in South East Asia, It is interesting to note that although the booklet was prepared before the latest admission by @he U,S, of the use of gas, the case that the U.S, is using in- human weapons against the guer- rillas is strongly presented, These weapons include, along with gas, other forms of chemi- cal warfare, napalm, and the planting of poisonous shrubs, There are only a limited num- ber of these booklets on hand so be sure you get your copy early, The other important publica- tion is -entitled:; “What Are We Doing in the Congo?” Written by Dr, Human Lumer, author of a number of important books and editor of the monthly magazine, “Political Affairs” in the U,S, The pamphlet details the extent of U.S, involvement in the affairs of the Congo, It outlines the ex- tent of U,S, big business invest- ment in the Congo, and the role played by Tshombe and the mer- ceneries, Lumer gives some interesting background to show how the U.S, “misused” the United Nations to serve “its own interests in the ‘Congo. The pamphlet throws new light on the so-called “rescue mission” in which the US, and Britain took part, and presents evidence which proves that it was deliberate military intervention rather than a mission motivated by humane considerations, —M.R. DARSHAN SINGH: ‘ Meeting an old friend’ By JOHN WEIR Ne: is a crossroads ofthe world — here East meets West irrespective of Rudyard Kipling’s jingle, and you’re more likely to bump into an old friend from the other side of the globe here than anywhere else, I had seen Darshan Singh last in Toronto in 1947, Now I saw him again as he stopped over in Moscow (“something Ihave want- ed to do for many years”) on his way from the Punjab to London, The years had been good to him, Despite failing eyesight, he is full of spirits and avid to hear all about Canada and old friends there, It was “old home week” for several hours with remini- scences interspersed with ques- tions, Perhaps there is acopy of“Ca- nada and the Rise of Asia” on your bookshelf, a book you can still read with pleasure and benefit today, although it was written by . Darshan Singh at the very be- ginning of that “rise” that has changed the world, He wrote it before léaving for his homeland, India, to get into the battle for its liberation, Darshan Singh came to Canada as a 17-year-old young man in 1937 to attend the University of British Columbia, That same year he joined the Young Com- munist League of Canada—and two years later, the Communist Party, When war broke out in 1939, he and other Indian students were ordered to join the armed forces or be deported, Darshan and his . friends took a principled posi- tion—they would not enlist solong as voting privileges were denied them, To avoid deportation, Dar- shan left for a secluded spot in Northern Alberta, where he worked in a logging camp, He never returned to the U,B,C, For two years he worked in log- ging camps and sawmills on Van- couver Island, at other times on the mainland, and all the time he had his “second job” which later became his main one; organizing the workers, With Nigel Morgan, Hal Pritchett and others he built the International Woodworkers Association, was a member of the union’s B,C, executive board, helped to lead many battles, in- cluding the 46-day general strike in 1946, Darshan Singh loved Canada, but his native country was in flames, so he decided to return to India. He visited Toronto where the newly-established Progress Books had published his work, to say goodbye to his comrades in the party headquarters, He re- calls the warm wishes and wise advice of Tim Buck and others with gratitude and love, His work in India was difficult but rewarding, For many years he was engaged in trade union organization, where his Canadian experience stood him in good stead, He is now a district func- tionary of the Indian Communist Party in his native Punjab and had the satisfaction of winning 156,000 votes in the last election as the standard-bearer of the party, His opponent, a sitting cabinet member, was re-elected, but Darshan Singh (everybody knows him by the nickname “Ca- nadian”) made an excellent show- ing — and there will be other elections, Darshan spoke with great feel- ing of his “second homeland” and old Canadian friends, And I was glad to tell him he too has not been forgotten, ‘Sound of Music’—much charm as well as a striking climax JULIE ANDREWS —“as bonnie and wholesome as Sound of Music.” Her performance has won wide a head prefect’’—stars in the Twentieth Century-Fox acclaim. production of the successful stage musical ‘The Ithough by no means the last word in scintillating en- tertainment, Robert Wise’s The ‘Sound of Music (Dominion, Mon- day) has a simple charm which grows on you as the film grows in depth, It is handicapped by a persis- tent lack of visual brightness, The sweeping panoramic views of the Austrian lakes and moun- tains look as if they’ve been shot on a wet morning in February. (They were, in fact, I found out afterwards, filmed during a wet June and July, with the unlucky company waiting for days for the smallest break in the clouds.) The convent setting of the early scenes doesn’t help either, I can think of a lot more jolly outlooks than black-clad nuns in dark cloisters, chanting in solemn chorus, But still, the story has its own enchantment, helped forward by a lively cast and by the songs which, although sub-standard Rogers and Hammerstein in the main, are pleasantly expanded and de- veloped, Julie Andrews, as wholeso.ne and bonnie as a head prefect, warbles attractively inthe role of the wayward candidate for nun- hood who becomes agoverness to seven unmanageable children, and teaches them to sing, That’s where the “Do-Re-Mi” song comes in—easily the best of the melodies, if you can ignore the irritating lyrics, Christopher Plummer is no sweet singer, but he handles the role of Captain von Trapp, the children’s handsome, tyrannical widower father, with light but firm individuality, making the most of every slender chance, What with the children, the singing and dancing, the puppet show and the gentle romance, there is ample enjoyment for youngsters and for tired parents too, But it takes far too long to get to the real meat of the story, which is based on a real-life ex- perience, For this is prewar Austria tthe last of the golden days of the ’30s, the prologue mislead- ingly suggests), and the country is under the shadow of approach- ing fascism, After the Anschluss, with Aus- tria overrun by the nazis, things are pulled together for astriking climax, The Von Trapp family’s gay singing gesture against the nazis ‘before their escape across the mountains, has a sense of pur- pose which, although belated, gives the production a big dra- matic lift. It’s a romanticized view, of course, But it works well in the context, and allows the film to finish on a disarmingly radiant note, —Nina Hibbin April 9, 1965—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 9