Re Reet Se Sn Fo ene Pa ee SD es SB MB BS OD SND ee pet RO ee Kramer vs. Kramer is a humor- ous film about a serious subject: divorce and custody. It succeeds in showing the complexity of cus- tody and argues that a father can be as capable as a mother when it Comes to raising a child. It is emotionally charged and Tequires from the actors a sensitiv- ity to the forces tearing at the in- Sides of each character. Dustin Hoffman, as the father (Ted), Meryl Streep, as the mother (Jo- anna) and young Justin Henry, as the son (Billy) are more than equal to the task. Kramer vs. Kramer is at times very funny. Several scenes be- tween Ted and Billy — Ted’s in- ability to make French toast, their test of wills over ice cream, and Billy’s encounter with a girl friend of Ted’s — are hilarious and serve to break up the tension-filled at- mosphere. The plot is simple. Ted comes home from work and finds Jo- anna leaving him and their son. He is forced to take care of Billy and in time father and son develop a warm relationship. Fifteen mon- ths later, Joanna returns and wants Billy. They go to court and Joanna wins custody. The filnr -ends with Joanna telling Ted she {can’t take Billy from his ‘“‘home.”’ Kramer vs. Kramer argues per- suasively for the rights of the fa- ther in a custody case, but at the expense of another, perhaps more important question: What occur- red during the eight-year marriage of Joanna and Ted that would lead her to abandon her husband and child? The film does a poor Be So JUSTIN HENRY . . . caught in the middle in Kramer vs. Kramer. job of answering this question. Because the custody issue dom- inates the action, the nature of the marriage is not given the treat- Limited view of a serious subject KRAMER VS. KRAMER. Starring Justin Henry, Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep. Directed by Robert Ben- ton. At local theatres. ment it deserves. Only in a court- room scene near the end of the film does Joanna touch on it. But by then the audience views her as an intruder bent on break- ing up the beautiful relationship that has developed between father and son. Still, there are enough bits and pieces subtly (too subtly) scattered throughout the film that indicates a marriage in which Jo- anna was miserable. _For three years before she was married, Joanna had been a suc- cessful designer for a prestigious magazine. After her marriage, Ted refused to allow her to work. When she left him, she was des- perate, had no self-esteem and felt she couldn’t raise a child. Fifteen months later when she returned for Billy, she was making more money than Ted. At the beginning of the film Ted did not know what grade Billy was in; he did not know anything about cooking; and he was so wrapped up in his career in adver- tising that he was totally oblivious to his wife’s misery. Near the end of the film, he admits he had been a rotten husband. What happened during the mar- riage is secondary. Whether Jo- anna was, or could be, a good mother is not even an issue. She left, so she must pay, and by the end of the movie the audience is clearly rooting for Ted to win the custody battle. Joanna’s seven miserable years with Ted are push- ed into the background by the fact that for 15 months she ‘‘abandon- ed’’ her son. That Ted had ‘‘aban- doned”’ his son for seven years is not-important. Kramer vs. Kramer is another film that uses a white upper- middle class urban environment to deal with a serious social issue. Woody Allen’s Manhattan, Paul Mazursky’s An Unmarried Woman, and Robert Young’s Rich Kids, are just a few of the re- cent films that use such a back- drop. Yet working people and minor- ities must deal with the same prob- lems, and with far fewer resources and alternatives. —Bruce Caraway Linda Maria 5 Karl Zuker, Vancouver, writes: Have we reached a stage where any statement, no matter how ridiculous, will be publicized by the media, as long as it is anti-Soviet? - For example, how sad that (televi- sion broadcaster) Laurier LaPierre finds it necessary to present his educated opinion that holding the Olympics in Moscow will ‘legitimize’ the Soviet Union in the same way that the Games. legitimized Hitler’s regime in 1936. Does the learned professor not realize that Hitler had come to power only a short time before the Games in Berlin, whereas the Soviet Union has been established for 62 years (and during which time it played a major role in dispatching the Nazi hordes menacing all hu- manity)? The Soviet Union does not need to be legitimized. And I find the comparison ludicrous. Furthermore, I am sure that it is not a coincidence that the Purcell Quartet chose this time to jump on | the bandwagon with their report on a concert tour of the Soviet Union. This- tour took place three months ago and ‘it seems odd that the musi- cians only now choose to fiddle the tune of damning the Russians for everything from dim light bulbs to unsanitary toilets. It doesn’t matter that the toilets are the complaint here rather than the Soviet presence in Afghanistan — the point is that this fashionable business of con- demning the Soviet Union only helps the politicians justify bigger and better armaments and brings us closer to confrontation and disaster instead of easing tensions. Although I have enjoyed Ian Hampton’s (Purcell Quartet cellist—Ed.) capable musicianship on many occasions, I feel he should stick to his own field and leave the dirty work for Flora MacDonald. Alf Sjoden, Houston, writes: the hypocrisy and opportunism by the leaders of the three major political $100 donated. The Communist Party appeals . for your support The 10 Communist candidates in B.C. are raising their voices on the crucial issues. They are speaking out for peace and detente, for public ownership of the multinationals, and for a new Canadian constitution and self-determination for Quebec. But they need your help to make their voices heard over the cold war campaign from the U.S., now joined by the Liberals, Conservatives and the NDP. Please send your donation to the Communist .cam- Paign to 408 - 193 E. Hastings, Vancouver, B.C. V6A 1N7. Remember, your donation is tax deductible under the Canada Elections Act. You can claim 75% of up to The Communist candidates need your support, now and on Feb. 18. Make your vote count for real change. For real change VOTE COMMUNIST Published by the authority of the official agent, Communist Party of Canada Carter-Clark cold war sparks readers’ anger parties in this election must be hard for the public to swallow. Action taken ‘by the Soviet Union and Afghanistan to safeguard their frontiers was greeted by James Carter and his generals with outrage. No doubt it upset some of the U.S. plans for the Middle East. It also set up a race between Ed and flap Joe as to who would get on th front seat of Carter’s band- wagon. In my judgment Ed got there first and Trudeau will have to settle for a back seat. Did we hear of any calls by our leaders for embargoes or boycotts against the U.S. when it was wager- ing its genocidal war against the Vietnamese people? Or look at the Palestinians: they have been driven from their homes by Israel — with our connivance. There are numer- ous other violations never mention- ed by our esteemed politicians. What have we got to gain by the return to a cold war? It means a stepped-up armaments race, higher inflation, higher taxes and an in- creased danger of nuclear war. If the U.S. believes that it owns the Olympics, together with the grain, then let it boycott. But we don’t have to follow suit. david phillip rankin stone . paul memurray barristers & solicitors 500 ford bidg. 193 east hastings st. vancouver, b.c. v6a 1n7 682-7471 © Hear Communist Party - national leader BILL KASHTAN and local CP candidates at these CP ELECTION RALLIES FEB. 4 — COURTENAY Bill Kashtan and CP candidate ersen — 8 p.m. — Native Sons Hall FEB. 5 — PORT ALBERNI Bill Kashtan and CP candidate in Nanaimo- Alberni, Gary Swann — 7:30 p.m., Beaufort Hotel FEB..6 — VANCOUVER in Comox-Powell River Sy Ped- Bill Kashtan and CP candidate in Vancouver Centre Jack Phillips, 8 p.m., Holiday Inn, Broadway and Heather St. CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING COMING EVENTS | FEB. 2 — Van. East Election dinner for Fred Wilson campaign. Full meal, entertainment. $5. Ukrainian Hall, 805 E. Pender. For tickets, phone 254-9797 or 254-4035. FEB. 3 — You are cordially invited to come and meet Jack Phillips, Communist Party candidate for Vancouver Centre at Kitsilano Neighborhood House, 2305 W. 7th, Van. at 7:30 p.m. Sponsored by the Van. Centre constituency commit- tee, CPC. : FEB. 10 — Russian Concert, 2 p.m. at Russian Hall, 600 Campbell Ave., ‘ Van. Variety program, everybody welcome. FEB. 23 — Cuban films, Robson Square Cinema, Robson and Horn- by, Van., Sat. at 7:30 p.m. Tickets $3 in advance at Co-op Books, or $3.50 at the door. Sponsored by the Canadian Cuban Friendship Assoc. MARCH 29 — Keep this date open for annual Mac-Pap celebration. COMMERCIAL Canadians for Democracy in Chile has record, Los Parros Live in Vancouver. $6 each. Phone 254-9797. Your 1979 bound volume of the Pacific Tribune can be ordered until Feb. 18 from the Tribune of- fice. Cost $35. Turn your old postcards and stamp- ed envelopes into cash. For further info phone 939-0020 or write to: S & H Postcards, 1023 Westmount Dr., Port Moody, B.C. V3H 1L1. Half of proceeds go to the Tribune. Kant Lllen I Jewellery and Watch Repairs. Reasonable charge. Phone 254-7678. ROOF REPAIRS — Reasonable’ New roofs and alum. gutters, 277-1364 or 277-3352. TRADE UNIONIST seeks re- search, writing work. Phone Ron ‘Sostad — 980-5157. NOTICES FOUND. Small necklace. Possibly lost by someone who attended New Year’s Party at 2066 Parker, Van- couver. Owner can claim by identi- fication. Phone 254 4180. WANTED TO RENT Responsible working parent and child require 2-bdrm suite for March 1 in Vancouver, east of Main. Phone Penny, 591-7086. Single man wants 1-bdrm or bache- lor apt. in East or Central Vancou-. ver. Phone 588-3140. LEGAL SERVICES ‘Rankin, Stone, McMurray, Bar- risters and Solicitors. 500 Ford Building, 193 East Hastings St:; Vancouver 682-7471, HALLS FOR RENT RUSSIAN PEOPLE’S HOME — ‘Available for rentals. For reserva- {tions phone 254-3430. 'WEBSTERS CORNERS HALL — Available for banquets, meetings, ‘etc. For rates: Ozzie, 325-4121 or 685-5836. UKRAINIAN CANADIAN CUL- TURAL CENTRE: — 805 East Pen- der St., Vancouver. Available for banquets, weddings, meetings. Ph. 254-3436. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FEBRUARY 1, 1980—Page 7