Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAILY Tuesday, April 1968 PaeTw I-EMCHGN AL Yf vI14-, 1 - -J A look at... 'Inside North Vietnam' by Daniel Okrent THE FOLLOWING note came in the mail yesterday morning (unsigned of course) : "Naturally, I do not actually expect to call your readers' at- tention to the bias which is the foundation of the "documentary" (Inside North Vietnam) which is presently being advertized (sic) in The Daily. I expect that, despite even the Saturday Review's condemnation of Mr. (Felix) Greene, you will find the time and space to praise his 'work of art.' I merely wished to call your at- tention, beforehand, to The Daily's monumental hypocrisy." En- closed is a Congressional Record excerpt of a speech by Wyoming Sen. Milward Simpson, entitled "Felix Greene: Red China's Man in America." Thank you, dear reader, for your illuminating comments. It only helps me understand why Felix Greene feels compelled to make films like Inside North Vietnam, or his earlier China. He makes them because he feels the definite need to counter the at- titudes of the writers who don't sign their letters. And 'these, in turn, do not appreciate Greene's efforts because . they are in- herently unable to make the easy effort of differentiating truth from emotion. WHAT WOULD THE letter writers have those of us who wish to learn about Vietnam do? Who are we to listen to? The sources all line up as invariably bad, if we judge them purely on lack of bias. We are therefore forced to take the best-'and the most be- lievable-of what is available. In Greene's film, we don't think for a minute that he is trying in the slightest to be objective; if we admit this before we settle into a movie like it, then it is much easier to watch and learn with- a clear conscience and from a knowledgeable viewpoint. We don't have to be sickened by the happy-go-lucky representation of a war-torn nation. We can take this in stride, open our eyes, and see what's beneath it all. If you will, it is indeed a "work of art," if only because it is something new, something we haven't seen before. Green takes the 'viewer on a tour of North Vietnam, showing its land, its people, its leaders and, to some extent, its spirit. The field workers, the shelter builders, the war makers, we meet them all. If we do not like the fact that, as a westerner (Greene is an Englishman living in California), Greene could only see Vietnam through the eyes of a guide, it is a reality we must face., WILL SEE KENNEDY: LBJ To Meet Thieu To Discuss Peace (Continued from Page U phrey declined comment last tion year. Then - in another night on whether he will seek the departure from his prepared text I nomination. He said he will not -he disclosed his plan to confer make a decision until after he in the United States with Presi- confers with Johnson today. dent Nguyen Van Thieu "some- McCarthy, a leader of the par- time in the weeks ahead." ty's anti-war forces, lauded John- This it was presumed, is seen son's "generous judgment," said by Johnson as a possible fore- it had "cleared the way for recon- runner of general peace talks with ciliation of our people." Kennedy Thieu's foe, President Ho Chi told a news conference Johnson Minh of North Vietnam. had acted "out of generosity of Though this capital still was spirit" and dedication to the dizzy from the political block- country. He said he has sent buster he dropped into a nation- Johnson a telegram asking for a ally-televised address Sunday, meeting. other free world ' capitals hailed B the new bid for peace. But the two senators got a re- The world's financial markets minder that it may still be a reacted favorably. The New York three-horse race. The top Repub- Stock Exchange saw prices go sky lican aspirant, Richard M. Nixon, high in record early trading. And told reporters: the newly-propped up dollar was "Don't downgrade Vice Presi- not jiggled; the price of gold dent Humphrey." sagged to $37.70 an ounce in Lon- If Johnson does have ideas of don and $38.08 in Paris, choosing the new standard bearer, It was on the U.S. political he did not divulge them. scene that uncertainty and confu- Humphrey is conceded to be sion reigned. Both of the Demo- carrying ,one great handicap; he cratic senators who had chal- has championed vigorously the lenged Johnson, Kennedy and administration's hard line in Viet- Eugene J. McCarthy of Minne- nam and thus might perpetuate sota, praised his decision to bow the national division Johnson out of 1968 politics, sought to end by bowing out as Vice President Hubert H. Hum- a 1968 candidate. Stassen Determined To Win Nomination (Continued from Page 1) his two-man campaign entour- age (himself and a volunteer "manager" from Madison). '" think I have a good chance of winning." He's quite obstinate in this view, and he justifies the op- timism by drawing a very ob- tuse parallel: "Bobby Kennedy only got a small percentage of the vote in New Hampshire, and people still talk about him as a very major candidate." What Stassen fails to men- tion is that Bobby Kennedy had not announced his candi- dacy, had not campaigned in the state, and had another man (Eugene McCarthy) with simi- lar Views already on the ballot. Harold Stassen, however, spent weeks in New Hampshire, campaigning from one end of the state to the other; his name was clearly on the ballot; his personal bankroll has been dev- astated by the large sums of cash he spent there. And he got less than 500 votes. The fact that Stassen is making such a nebulous impact and is still running is not the only contradiction in his cam- paign. He says he expects great vote totals from the colleges, yet his list of Wisconsin colleges with Stassen - for - President groups consists entirely of three small parochial schools in the Mil- waukee area. But, he fights on, and as much as you must pity him, you like him, too. Harold Stas- sen is, if nothing else, excru- ciatingly sincere, and he means well. Those are both admirable qualities for a politician. And, he says, "Our persist- ence counts." If persistence counts as much as he hopes, Stassen cannot lose. GEOGRAPHY 592 "The Dimensions of Cognitive Space" presents JEAN COCTEAU'S film ORPHEUS* at NEWMAN CENTER TONIGHT at 7:30 Also-4 Experimental Films John Kolars, Geography Dept. Is MOTION PICTURE IS DEDICATED TO LIFE,LIBERTY AND 4i u is MUSKET PETITION NOW for CHOREOGRAPH ER Petitions available it) I 4i 'I- k [ % MICHI.GlNj 1 DIAL 5-6290 NOMINATED FOR 4 ACADEMY AWARDS SO GREENE'S MOVIE has its pronounced biases, all of which are quite evident: his Vietnamese have two basic facial expressions, one happy and one determined; captured American pilot speaks, in glowing terms of his captors; interviewed military officials are cheery and forthright, but probably not unlike American public figures when examined for their honesty. But even with the slant, there is much to be learned from it all.. I sincerely believe that the North Vietnamese have all the determination that Greene attributes to them. His camera shows some remakable devastation, and this is finely juxtaposed with shots of down-and-out rice paddy workers with carbines strapped to their backs. The primitive tools of the peasants, put into use after major machinery is destroyed by bombing, are indicative of the nation's willingness to endure the greatest hardship to reach a goal. What is missing from the film, and what probably irks most of those who view it, is any representation of disagreement, of ques- tioning of leadership and direction,.of local evil. It would be niceE if Greene could reach a balance, but any . discriminating viewer should be able to self-compensate. Really: Inside North Vietnam is a very good film. It may not be as good as the American Friends Service Committee's Time of the Locusts (which should be seen by anyone with any doubts at all about the Vietnam War), and it is considerably better than the State Department's -abrasive Why Vietnam? But even this last should be seen, because men's arguments sometimes expose their own idiocies far better than the arguments of an opponent. And all arguments, together, help the outsider find the consensual truth. * El Truman Capote's IN COLD BLOOD "LEAVES ONE CHILLED!" -N.YTimes Wrnen tot the screen and direced by Richard Brooks Positively no one under 16 admitted unless .accompanied by a parent orEuardian ------------------------------------------------- 3020W Washtenaw. Ph. 434-1782 A MASTERPIECE" -NJ YDAILY tNEWS foITOrmAL "AN AWESOMELY ABSORBING FILM I" 20h CcnuryFox presents TH t DINO DE LAURENTIIS Prodwti" , ejE NIE N n he Beginnin ing In D-1501 Color by DeLuxe --SHOW TIME - THURSDAY 8:00 FRIDAY 6:25 - 9:10 SATURDAY & SUNDAY 1 1:00 3:40 - 6:25 - 9:10 MON. & TUES. 8:00 I MUSKET OFFICE 2nd floor Michigan Union due WEDNESDAY, April 3 LAST TWO DAYS DIAL NO 2-6264 I s II i CINEMA I11 TONIGHT IN THE SUN Directed by George Stevens, 1951 Based on Dreiser's "An American Tragedy" MONTGOMERY CLI FT ELIZABETH TAYLOR SHELLEY RAYMOND WINTERS BURR 7:00&9:15 75c Aud.A M-wa~r 3 .w f M SOLD O UT! GODFREY CAMBRIDGE - SEVERN.DARDEN -JOAN DELANEY. x" 1 :15-3:15-5:15-7:20-9:25 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN PROFESSIONAL THEATRE PROGRAM PRESENTS THE EXCLUSIVE U.S. ENGAGEMENT of ST RAT FORD NATIONAL THEATRE OF CANADA O LA SHAKESPEARE'S DOUGLAS RAIN as Bottom MARTHA HENRY as Titanta Ending Thursday SFRIDAY- GEORGE SEGAL PHYLLIS NEWMAN GODFREY CAMBRIDGE in "BYE, BYE BRAVERMAN" 761-9700 1t11 { Forii HELD OVER Mon: thru Thurs. 700 and 9:15 . (W uONIVEE MUSICAL IST 1SO lEyy TONIGHT AT 7-9 P.M. 1 DIAL 8-6416 mind as an Its color is eloquent, of "Exquisite is only the first word that surges in my appropriate description of this exceptional film. absolutely gorgeous. The use of music and, equally silences and sounds is beyond verbal description. The perform- ances are perfect-that is the only word." - Bosley Crowther, N e w York Times. "May well be the most beautiful film evermd " N w aede." - News- " Directed by JOHN HIRSCH, Designed by LESLIE HURRY II iNT ERNA TIONA L PRESENTATIONS 1968-1969 CHORAL UNION SERIES I I I APRIL 1-6, 1968 Evening Performances - Mon. through Sat. 8 :30 pm. Matinee Performances -- Thurs-. & Sat. 2:30 p.m. ALL PERFORMANCES IN MENDELSSOHN THEATRE NATIONAL SENERAL CORPORATION FOX EASTERN THEATRESinVeyLat a SFORVILLA E TeGrydLatDay 375 No.MAPLE RD.-769-1300 The Graduate" 7:00-9:00 STARTS TOMORROW 0 IF 11 }/ COMING: - FOX' %ometimes truth is more excitin HILL AUDITORIUM CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA .......... Oct. GARY GRAFFMAN, Pianist . Oct. BAVARIAN ORCHESTRA OF MUNICH.......... Oct. BIRGIT NILSSON, Soprano .................. Nov. YEHUDI MENUHIN, Violinist; and HEPHZIBAH MENUHIN, Pianist.......2:30, Nov. GREGG SMITH SINGERS.................2:30, Jan. HAGUE PHILHARMONIC..................... Jan. "CARMEN" (Goldovsky Opera Co.) ......8:00, Feb. RUDOLF SERKIN, Pianist .................... Mar. MOSCOW STATE SYMPHONY ................Mar. Season Tickets: $30.00-25.00-20.00-15.00-12.00 5 14 26 14 24 12 24 15 5 13 11 16 18 8 26 I NOMINATED FOR 1O ACADEMY AWARD S! DANCE SERIES HILL AUDITORIUM I NATIONAL BALLET (Washington, D.C.) .........Oct. MOLDAVIAN DANCE CO. (U.S.S.R.) ..........Oct. MAZOWSZE DANCE CO. (Poland) .............Nov. ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATRE .... Feb; BALLET FOLKLORICO OF MEXICO ............Feb. t Season Tickets: $15.00-12.50-10.00-7.50-6.00 CHAMBER ARTS SERIES RACKHAM AUDITORIUM UNIVERSITY PLAYERS a matinee performance of SOPHOCLES'. ANTI GONE BEST PICTURE OFTHE YEAR! BEST ACTOR SPENCER TRACY BEST ACTRESS KATHARINE HEPBURN BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR CECIL KELLAWAY BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS BEAH RICHARDS BEST DIRECTOR STANLEY KRAMER BEST SCREENPLAY WILLIAM ROSE BEST FILM EDITING BEST ART DIRECTION BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY w CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS - ,A Carna Ponti presenation. Distnbuted by.3iemaIIIA Fiimway Company HIGH CAMP MADRIGALISTI DI VENEZIA................. MELOS ENSEMBLE (from London)............ JANET BAKER, English mezzo-soprano......... MUSIC FROM MARLBORO .................. . ISRAEL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA.... . ......... COLOGNE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA............ ORCHESTRA MICHELANGELO DI FIRENZE ..... Oct. 20 Nov. 7 Joen. 5 Feb. 1 Feb. 10 Feb. 22 Mar. 23 I COLUMBIA PICTURES presents a Stanley Kramer production I Sunday, April 7- 2:30 p m. Spencer 'T-'% AA^Il Sine IKatharine IN I I I I