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Bethune: The Making of a Hero

  • 19901990
  • 1h 55m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
392
YOUR RATING
Donald Sutherland in Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1990)
BiographyDramaRomance
Canadian surgeon Dr. Norman Bethune (Donald Sutherland) journeys 1,500 miles into China to reach Mao Zedong's eighth route Army in the Wu Tai mountains where he will build hospitals, provide... Read allCanadian surgeon Dr. Norman Bethune (Donald Sutherland) journeys 1,500 miles into China to reach Mao Zedong's eighth route Army in the Wu Tai mountains where he will build hospitals, provide care, and train medics. Flashbacks narrate the earlier events of his life: a bout with tu... Read allCanadian surgeon Dr. Norman Bethune (Donald Sutherland) journeys 1,500 miles into China to reach Mao Zedong's eighth route Army in the Wu Tai mountains where he will build hospitals, provide care, and train medics. Flashbacks narrate the earlier events of his life: a bout with tuberculosis at the Trudeau sanatorium; the self-administration of an experimental pneumotho... Read all
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
392
YOUR RATING
    • Phillip Borsos
    • Ted Allan(novel)
  • Stars
    • Donald Sutherland
    • Helen Mirren
    • Helen Shaver
    • Phillip Borsos
    • Ted Allan(novel)
  • Stars
    • Donald Sutherland
    • Helen Mirren
    • Helen Shaver
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 5User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Photos10

    Donald Sutherland in Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1990)
    Helen Shaver in Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1990)
    James Pax in Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1990)
    Donald Sutherland in Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1990)
    Donald Sutherland in Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1990)
    Monique Champagne, Daniel Chrétien, Raoul Coutard, Véronique Gabillaud, Pedro Gandol, Robert Guertin, Martine Leclerc, and Eric Moynier in Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1990)
    Donald Sutherland in Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1990)
    Donald Sutherland in Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1990)
    Donald Sutherland in Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1990)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Donald Sutherland
    Donald Sutherland
    • Dr. Norman Bethune
    Helen Mirren
    Helen Mirren
    • Frances Penny Bethune
    Helen Shaver
    Helen Shaver
    • Mrs. Dowd
    Colm Feore
    Colm Feore
    • Chester Rice
    James Pax
    James Pax
    • Mr. Tung
    Da Guo
    • Dr. Chian
    • (as Guo Da)
    Harrison Liu
    • Dr. Fong
    Anouk Aimée
    Anouk Aimée
    • Marie-France Coudaire
    Ronald Pickup
    Ronald Pickup
    • Alan Coleman
    Geoffrey Chater
    Geoffrey Chater
    • Dr. Archibald
    Zong-yao Tan
    • General Nieh
    • (as Tan Zong Yao)
    Ke-Yaw Zhang
    • Chairman Mao
    • (as Zhang Ke Yaw)
    Iñaki Aierra
    Iñaki Aierra
    • Dr. Salvador
    • (as Inaki Ayerra)
    Li Hai Lang
    • Shiao
    Yvan Ponton
    Yvan Ponton
    • Frank Coudaire
    Sophie Faucher
    Sophie Faucher
    • Nurse MacKenzie
    Danute Kristo
    Danute Kristo
    • Ingrid Halstrom
    Beatrice Home
    • Mary
    • (as Béatrice Home)
      • Phillip Borsos
      • Ted Allan(novel)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Donald Sutherland had previously portrayed Dr. Norman Bethune in "Bethune" (1977).
    • Connections
      Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Dan Aykroyd/Bobby Kelton/Helen Shaver (1987)

    User reviews5

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    As as a student of Chinese History I loved this movie.
    Contrary to the guy who said that they actors should be ashamed of themselves for promoting Communist propaganda, they should be proud for telling an inspiring story about an inspiring revolution. Indeed it's refreshing to see something that doesn't try to slander socialism and Mao. Maybe that is why this film was not widely seen and promoted.

    Dr. Bethune was right, and is still right even with everything we know today. The film is correct in portraying these historical events in the positive light they should be portrayed, contrary to popular Western fashion.

    Mao was not a murderer, he was a revolutionary hero, like Bethune, and saved millions of lives.

    Keep in mind that Mao led the Chinese revolution which lifted millions out of poverty and illiteracy. It was in fact the largest transition out of poverty in human history.

    The land reform was the biggest exchange of land in human history. There were indeed mistakes made during the transition out of capitalist (even feudalistic) economic relations and into a more socialistic economy and social structure. But to be fair the capitalist transition took a long time, failed several times, and committed outright crimes. Mao led the largest land reform in world history -- changing agriculture for 500 million people and ending feudalism.

    The reorganizing feudal agriculture by leading a peasant agrarian revolution did cause disruptions to the food supply, but this is not "sanctioning the killing of millions." We never hear claims that say Lincoln "sanctioned the killing of 3 million people" because his election caused the civil war, and the civil war had sweeping consequences on both civilians and soldiers. The historical documents do make clear that whatever one thinks about Mao and the short comings, they do make clear that Mao's intentions was to create a deeply democratic (for the oppressed classes) society where the masses of people would be the rulers of their own destiny. Mao led a civil war, then a radical land reform and a series of unique political movements let led to a remarkable socialist society in China for several decades.

    There are lots of sensationalist books that critics quote, but if you look at the sources, and esp. the review by China specialists after they had time to review it, you will see it gets lambasted in severe ways. For example the Chang and Halliday book, "Mao: The Unknown Story," is almost always cited and in vogue. The work is regarded by specialists as "faction--fiction with a cloak of facts.' David S. G. Goodman, Professor of Contemporary China Studies for example, compared the book to "The DaVinci Code, saying that it purports to show a "a conspiracy of academics and scholars who have chosen not to reveal the truth." Goodman argued that "the 'facts' in The Da Vinci Code are about as reliable as those to be found in...Mao: The Unknown Story." Goodman argued that the book could even be thought of as a "form of fiction" where "a strong narrative" is "a substitute for evidence and argument." One of my favorite China historians, who I used to correspond with when I was doing some research on this very topic is Prof. Mobo Gao, and in his new book, he devotes a whole chapter to that sad affair of "The Unknown Story." His book is, "The Battle for China's Past: Mao and the Cultural Revolution" by Prof. Gao. Find on Amazon.

    The reviews of the Chang and Halliday work reveal a very dubious methodology, that it exaggerates numbers, fakes evidence, provides anecdotal reading to events, etc. But this work receives praise universally from everywhere except for the field the work is suppose to contribute scholarly information to, China Studies. Nearly all China Studies scholars, even those very close politically to Chang and Halliday, have in one sense rebuked this work, yet it remains popular and cited by people as if it has any scholarly validity.
    helpful•10
    3
    • giosvigor
    • Jul 25, 2012

    Details

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    • Release date
      • September 17, 1993 (United States)
      • Canada
      • China
      • France
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Montréal, Québec, Canada
    • Production company
      • Filmline International
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 55 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Stereo

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