be Ap Paintings by Canada’s famed Group made up of 44 paintings from the McMichael collection. Film review of Seven — F. H. Varley, J. E. H. MacDonald, Lawren Harris, A. Y. Jackson, Arthur Lismer, A. J. Casson and Tom Thomson — have attracted a wide audience during their exhibition this month at the Pushkin Arts Museum in Moscow. The show, entitled “Landscapes of Canada” is —Tass photo Humor despite the cliches Although there have been any number of films about rural one- room schools, and the city-bred teachers who are thrust unwitting- ly into them, it seems that a film based on Max Braithwaite’s Why Shoot the Teacher should be dif- ferent from the rest, even something special. It should be, but in the case of Fil Fraser’s film of the same title, it doesn’t quite make it. On screen, Why Shooi the Teacher retains too little Braith- waite and adds to much cliche and sentimentality but despite that it has moments of gentle, hearty comedy — and some memorable performances by the young inhabitants of Hanna, Alberta. Bud Cort plays the new teacher exiled during the depths of the Depression to the only job he can get — in the remote community of Willowgreen, Saskatchewan. The WHY SHOOT THE’ TEACHER. Starring Bud Cort and Samantha Eggar. Produced by Fil Fraser. Directed by Silvio Narizzano. At the Lougheed Mall. scene is suitably desolate: a one- room school perched on the rim of the wind-swept prairie and filled with 21 kids ranging in grade from one through 12, all familiar with the standard schoolhouse pranks. Below the classroom is a teacherage of dubious comforts which the district has established as an alternative to shunting teachers from one farmer to another on a monthly — and tax deductible — basis. Outside the schoolhouse is a hard-pinched farming community that can only pay its solitary teacher in promissory notes. From the moment he steps off Hollywood Ten figure John H. Lawson dies John Howard Lawson, distinguished playwright, screenwriter and author of such outstanding Marxist studies as The Hidden Heritage, The Theory and Technique of PLaywriting and Film: The Creative Process died in San Francisco, August 11. He was 82. Lawson was known to thousands of people around the world as one of the Hollywood Ten, the actors, directors and screenwriters who, during the 1940’s, refused to cooperate with the witch-hunters in the House Committee on Un- American Activities. Although suffering from a serious illness which had severely handicapped him in later years, he had continued work on his autobiography which he described as more of a_ cultural-political history of his times than a per- sonal account of his life. It will be edited and completed from his notes by his daughter Mandy Lawson. Following a stint as an am- bulance driver during World War-I, Lawson returned to his work in the theatre and in the mid-1920’s he was one of the founders of the New Playwrights Company along with such people as John Dos Passos. He came to Hollywood as a screenwriter in the late ’20’s and in PACIFIC TRIBUNE—SEPTEMBER 2, 1977—Page 6 1933, together with a group of screenwriters, playwrights and newspaper men working in films, he helped to organize the Screenwriters Guild, the first union of writers in the U.S. He was elected its first president. For several years, Lawson was a leading figure in the anti-fascist struggle in Hollywood and with the onset of the cold war in 1946, he was one of 19 writers and directors subpoenaed to appear. in Washington before the House Committee on Un-American Ac- tivities. ; For his refusal to cooperate with the committee in its attempt to destroy the First Amendment of the Constitution, he and nine others were -convicted of contempt of Congress. After a three-year fight in the courts, he was sentenced to a year in a federal prison in 1950. Following his rlease, he was blacklisted. His important study of film theory, Film: The Creative Process was completed in the Soviet Union where he was invited by the Soviet Writers Union to complete his book and for treat- ment of failing eyesight. His work on film theory as well as his Theory and Technique of Playwriting are both considered landmark studies in _ their respective fields. the train onto a weatherbeaten wagon that takes him to the school," Cort wears a look of bewildered astonishment that changes only long enough for him to attempt a romantic affair with Samantha Eggar who plays a one-time war bride trappedina desolate life with an authoritarian husband. But Eggar’s performance has a depth and subtlety that Cort is never able to achieve, however skillfully he delivers his lines. Cort’s shallowness also afflicts the character of Harris Mon- tgomery although in his case, the fault lies not with Gary Reineke who plays the part well, but with a stilted screenplay. Braithwaite, in his book, portrayed him as a man who had absorbed so many social and socialist, theories that he had “been overcome with his own confusion. In the film, sadly, he just sounds like an amiable and slightly eccentric bumpkin. The real performers in Why Shoot the Teacher are the pupils of the school. drawn from among the children of the town of Hanna, in southeastern Alberta where the film was shot. Their simplicity and spontaneity is carefully balanced by Silvio Narizzano’s precise direction to give the film a. delightful comic vitality. Without them, this film would have dif- ficulty rising above cliche. But with their performances and the glimpses that remain of Braith- waite’s wit and irony Why Shoot the Teacher is worth seeing. Sean Griffin A History of Shipbuilding in British Columbia is the title of a new book just published by the Marineworkers and Boiler- makers Industrial Union to commemorate the 50th an- niversary of the union. Prepared by the Marine Retirees Association with assistance from Ship and Shop editor Ben Swankey, the book is at once a history of shipbuilding in the province and a history of the Marineworkers Union from its beginnings as the Boiler- makers and Iron Shipbuilders Union of Canada to the present day: : The book is based on in- anadian thrive in USSR BY MIKHAIL DEREVYANKO [APN] Some 271 books by Canadian authors totalling 10,157,000 copies have been published in the Soviet Union in Russian, Ukrainian, Byelorussian, Lithuanian and 25 other languages of the peoples of the USSR and other countries. These figures were made available at the exhibition of books by foreign authors published in the USSR from 1917 to 1977 which was held in the Central Exhibition Hall in Moscow last month. The sponsors of the exhibition — the State Committee of the Council of Ministers for Publishing, Printing and Book Distribution and the Ministry of Culture of the USSR — provided visitors with all-round information abut the publication of translated literature that in the course of 60 years has made up a “ibrary”’ of 73,294 book titles in a total number of 2,064,500,000 copies. Naturally, the exhibition that has five sections, displays only some of the books — 13,000 editions of socio-political, scientific and technical literature, fiction and - books on the arts. The stands devoted to Canadian. literature display books by writers Louis Hemon, Ernest Thompson- Seton, Gabrielle Roy, Farley Mowat; by poets Joe Wallace, Wilson MacDonald and many other classical and modern writers and poets. This year the Khudozhest- vennaya Literatura publishers plan once again to publish the famous novel ‘‘Maria Chap- delainne’’ by Louis Hemon, a classic of Canadian Literature. In addition to the publishing houses, Progress and Mir, which specialize in translated literature, there are many Soviet periodicals, such as Foreign Literature (cir- culation 600,000 copies), that publish new works by foreign authors including Canadian. Last year, for instance, Soviet readers had the opportunity of getting better acquainted with the works of Robert Ford, contemporary Canadian poet and. Canadian ambassador to the Sovet Union. The First International Book Fair to be held in Moscow Sep- tember 6 to 14 will further acquaint ’ Soviet readers with the best books issued by foreign publishers and will extend business relations between Soviet and foreign publishers and book-trading firms. It is not ‘the first time that Moscow has_ invited book publishers and dealers from dif- ferent countries. In September 1975 we arranged an international exhibition with the motto “‘Books Serving the Cause of Peace and Progress’? that was attended by representatives of more than 500 firms and organizations from 40 countries. In the past two years the Marineworkers history published terviews with retired union members and, as the in- troduction points out, ‘‘is the result of almost two years of labor, research, interviews, recollections and discussions. . .’ Historical photographs gleaned from newspaper clippings and shipyard ar- chives, as well as introductory chapters on the early begin- nings of shipbuilding in the province fill out the text. Copies of A History of Ship- building in British Columbia are available from the Marineworkers’ Union offices, 1219 Nanaimo Street, Van- couver. books Soviet Union has signed a number of inter-governmental agreements which include a clause regarding mutual promotion of book-printing and distribution. Besides translated editions, more books in the original are being published in the Soviet Union. “The Poetry of Europe” in three volumes is presently being prepared for publication, and we have had also some experience in the joint publication of books with USS., French, Italian, British and other firms. That is the way the Soviet Union is implementing the humanitarian section of the Final Act of the Helsinki Conference which puts special emphasis on literature as 4 means of improving relations among nations and the spiritual enrichment of~ man. The pat- ticipants of. the European Col- ference expressed their desire 10 “promote wider dissemination of books,” to encourage ‘‘on a wider scale, the translation of works the sphere of literature and other fields:of cultural activity. Peretz school programs set — Carrying on a tradition that goes back to its inception 39 years ago, | — the Vancouver Peretz School is continuing to provide a progressive secular education promoting © Jewish culture, history and literature and has scheduled 4 number of programs in both Yiddish and English for the fall season. In addition to the pre-school program for three and. four-yeal- olds which runs 9 to 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, the Sunday morning program returns this year, offering a number of programs for children from kin | dergarten to ten-year-olds. The Sunday drama program «also provides an opportunity to perform in both Yiddish and English. Once a month is the Family Sunday at which all members of the family can take part in 2 program including songs, dancing, films, food and live entertainment. ’ Yiddish for both beginners and intermediates will be offered once a week for a period of ten weeks. Reading, writing, with special attention given to conversation are all developed through study of various Jewish authors, informal — dialogues and audio-visual aids. Discussion and study groups wil also meet to study a wide variety 0! topics related to Jewish identity and culture. _ For more information on the various programs contact the Vancouver Peretz School, 6184 Ash St., Vancouver, phone 325-1812.