ee ee! ee aa ee ee ‘ay atran Ukraini The Y an Dance Company with 65 dancers, singers and musicians 2 8 “will be performing for Vancouver audiences in the QE Theatre, Oct. 30 at 2:30 p.m. and again at 8:30. The prize-winning company, three of whose members are shown here, is made up entirely of young workers and students from the Kirovograd factory which manufactures hydraulic parts for tractors. Tickets for the performances are available through the Bay box offices. Reviewing CBC's ‘Bethune’ — The man — but no movement For days we were bombarded with broadcast plugs and newspaper ads about this show. We were alerted to the story of a man “regarded as a monumental egocentric. .. vain, even dangerous... impatient and cruel .. . scoundrel and saint...” Part documentary, with some newsreel film, but primarily a drama played by actors, Bethune opens with a voice-over about an egocentric who liked to play the aristocrat. The story touches on many parts of Bethune’s life: his poverty as a young doctor in Detroit; his in- novative TB surgical technique, which he tried out on himself; the unsettled relationship with his wife; his work as a surgeon in Montreal; his overriding interest in radical ideas; his revolutionary new outlook after a medical ex- ploration in the Soviet Union, his introduction in Spain of the front- line , mobile blood-transfusion unit; his immense self-sacrifice treating China’s wounded during the struggle to repel the Japanese invaders and finally, his death in China. I had hoped the small screen biography would be an inspiration but I was disappointed. The TV showing did not grip me; it failed to involve me emotionally. The BETHUNE. A CBC-TV play by Thom- as Rickman. Starring Donald Suther- land. Directed by Eric Till. quality of Bethune the man did not manifest itself. There was a lack of depth in Donald Sutherland’s communist doctor. All the lines seem to be written for him and thereis little for the others who, for ithe most part, blend into the background with the exception of Kate Nelligan who gives a strong yet subtle portrait of Bethune’s wife, Frances. Other objections: The operation scene was unnecessarily gruesome and bloody. The young Bethune is unduly exaggerated as a flippant, foppish womanizer and a bit of an exhibitionist, sexually and otherwise. The Chinese are all unrelievably saintly and hardly real at all. The musical background is too syrupy. But three sequences in great measure make up for the faults and deficiencies. These occur when Sutherland speaks Bethune’s beautiful words in the now- classical account of the fascist bombing of Spanish refugee children and their parents. at Almeria, in his eloquent parallel between childbirth and the new life born of revolution and in his deeply felt protest, ‘“Wounds.”’ ‘Set record straight’ says Kashtan to CBC On Sept. 19 — the day following the airing of the CBC drama Bethune’? — Communist Party secretary, William Kashtan, sent this letter to the television net- - work. IT watched the CBC’s program “Bethune” last night and noted the scene in which Dr. Bethune was urged to return to Canada by two men, afterwards described as Kon and Kashtan. I would like to comment on this. Thefactsareas follows: I, William Kashtan, was instructed by my party, the Communist Party of Canada, to go to Spain with two assignments in mind. The first assignment, to arrange for the return to Canada of Dr. Bethune and Ted Allan. The second assignment, to arrange with the proper authorities in Spain to establish the MacKenzie-Papineau Battalion as a distinct Canadian group fighting fascism in Spain. Both assignments were carried out. Dr. Bethune, Ted Allan and I returned to Paris together. From there I went on to Canada and they followed shortly afterwards. Mr. Kon was not with me then or later. Why then was the historical record so distorted? Mynameis mentioned (at least I assume it is my name) in the program credits. But in the light of the fact that no Kashtan other than myself went to Spain for the purposes indicated above, why did - the credit not say William Kashtan? The program indicated the first name of all the others. Why not mine? Was this done to hide the fact that a leader of the Communist Party of Canada was involved in this episode? Further, why did the program depict me as anelderly man when, in fact, I was under 30 years of age at the time? Not least, why was I not asked about the event and the nature of the discussion with Dr. Bethune? This could have avoided the crude and distorted way in which this scene was treated. While the CBC is to be com- mended on the production of “Bethune’’, the actual production leaves much to be desired in terms” of historical truth and the treat- ment of Dr. Bethune himself. I am sure that eventually there will be a. real assessment of the man and the party of which he was an active member. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—SEPTEMBER 30, 1977—Page 10 Yet there’s something missing. What about Norman Bethune in Canada? Little of this is shown — not his work among the unem- ployed sick in Montreal, not his art classes for the workers’ kids, not his membership in, and_ iden- tification with, the Communist Party of Canada. When Bethune went to Spain it was not merely on a whim — he went as a Communist for his party just as he went later to China as a member of his party. There has arisen in Canada in recent years a_ kind of conglomerate Bethune industry that promotes books, stage plays, radio programs, magazine articles and films projected by various commercial sponsors. Bethune has become a commodity. Never mind quality. Never mind conscience. Exploit his dedicated heroism (three decades his countrymen. But make sure that the movement for which he gave his life is blacked out. The promoters in the market- place don’t give a damn about the man or his cause. They try to divorce him from: the movement that liberated him, just as they tried to camouflage the poet Pablo Neruda: of Chile, the playwright Bertold Brecht of Germany and others. The snipers lie in wait. The Toronto Star, reviewing Bethune spoke about ‘“‘the cynicism on both sides of the war’’ in Spain. The Globe and Mail worried about possible ‘dolatry”’ and “propaganda’”’ in the play. But the real Bethune can’t be turned into fiction, no matter how hard they strain. : —Oscar Ryan Len Norris, president, Veterans of the MacKenzie-Papineau Battalion, writes: The In- ternational Day of Com- memoration for the Victims of Fascist Terror and Day of Struggle against War and Fascism held every summer in the German Democratic Republic, was broadened this year to include anti- fascists and International Brigade Veterans from many Countries outside the GDR. Representing the MacKenzie- Papineau Battalion, I was one of the Brigade veterans who, along with 120,000 people, assembled in Berlin September 12 to demon- strate their solidarity with all who continue their fight against the forces which oppose detente and would plunge the world into a nuclear holocaust. International Brigade veterans from 22 countries who participated in the 1936-39 Spanish war. met together following the ceremonies to determine how best they could assist the Spanish people in this most difficult period to achieve genuine democracy and _ liberty which has been — and even though advances have been made — is still denied them. Realizing the tremendous struggle confronting the Spanish people as they emerge from the long, black years of fascist dic- tatorship to meet once again in an elected parliament, the veterans of the International Brigades ~ LEN NORRIS unanimously adopted a declaration — in support of their struggle. }! | affirmed the veterans’ solidarity with the Spanish people and at the same time stressed the role of the Soviet Union during the Spanish war as the only defender of the Republic amidst the betrayal ° non-intervention. The contribution of the Soviel | Union to the anti-fascist struggle | cannot be denied and those wh0 attempt to do so, serve only the interests of imperialism. It is to be hoped that the declaration will helP | bring about a better understandin® among _ anti-fascist _—_ forces everywhere. — late!) - after it has won the admiration of’ Oscar Ryan is a Toronto drama critic and the author of Tim Buck: A Conscience for Canada. & Maui HAWAII Honolulu/Waikiki | Double occupancy includes Hotel accommodation To reserve space or for further information, please contact The expertsin travel to the USSR GLOBE TOURS 2679 Hastings Street East/Vancouver B.C./253-1221 Bargain t JUST RELEASED : Bargain’s long awaited album ‘A New Wind Blowin’ , 1g e alf the Price Available now at People’s Co-op Books, Pacific Tribune $6.98. Add $1.40 for postage, packaging and sales tax for mail orders from the Tribune office.