Documentary News Letter (1947-1949)

64 DOCUMENTARY FILM NEWS Canada Goes to China by Grant McLean GRANT McLEAN is nephew to Ross McLean, Films Commissioner of Canada. He has been with the Canadian National Film Board for about six years is head of their Camera Department and ranks as Director Cameraman. the rain fell in a fine spray. Murky, low-hanging clouds almost obscured the S.S. Rainbow as she edged her way up the Woosung River, past miles of junks and sampans. The flat, treeless terrain stretching for miles on both sides of the river loomed unreal and uninviting. Anchoring in midstream the cargo nets of the Rainbow were slung over the side. They contained baggage marked 'Fragile', 'Handle with Care', 'Canadian Government Property'. A lonely figure alternately roared and pleaded with the deck-hands as he nervously followed the progress of the gear as it was stowed in a bouncing LCM, a dirty-grey assault craft now intent on water-taxi service in the harbour of Shanghai, China. I was that lonely figure and my mind was busy unscrambling the reasons for my presence on this alien shore, surrounded by thirty pieces of luggage and equipment ; and before I had time to organize my thoughts I was immersed in a sea of meaningless babble and surrounded by hundreds of milling Chinese dock labourers in the dusky segment of a cold March evening. Nine Months' Venture This one-man expedition to China was the result of combining the desire of UNRRA to obtain documentary film evidence of their work in China, and the willingness of the NFB of Canada to co-operate in this regard, having also a view to the value of new documentary material on China. An agreement was reached by John Grierson, the Canadian Government Film Commissioner, and Bill Wells, UNRRA's Films Division Chief. This agreement formed the basis of my China venture. I left New York on board the S.S. Rainbow on February 13th, 1946, and arrived in Shanghai on March 25th. It all seemed so simple and straightforward. With a deep breath I plunged into the crowded streets circling my ten porters like a sheep dog. 1 left China much the same way nine months later. But a lot had happened in those nine months. From the first 1 worked in close touch with Gerald McAllister, head of the UNRRA Public Information Section in Shanghai. McAllister won my immediate admiration by rescuing me from a native brothel where I was billeted, and offered to share his room with me at the Metropole Hotel. We formed an excellent working relationship, so that at no time did any friction arise in working out what stories to cover in the interests of UNRRA. Distribution of Supplies UNRRA had reached an agreement with the Chinese Government whereby one of the Government agencies, called CNRRA (Chinese Relief and Rehabilitation Administration), took over UNRRA supplies at the docksidc and handled their distribution in the interior of China. The now so well known inefficient and often corrupt distribution of supplies was one of UNRRA's major problems. It was the responsibility of UNRRA to see that its supplies were distributed honestly and without regard to political or religious creed. The fact that less than two per cent of the supplies reached Communist China is evidence of UNRRA's inability to adhere to their charter in this regard. The original basis of the Chinese operation, the UNRRACNRRA agreement, was palpably unworkable, and all the efforts of Kizer, Ray, La Guardia and Rooks failed to change the distribution pattern. However, some UNRRA supplies were reaching the interior, UNRRA's technicians had leaped into their huge tasks with energy and will; things were being accomplished and I set out to record that work and its effects on the country as a whole. It was necessary to shoot more than this actual delivery of supplies in order to get the meaning and significance of the story that UNRRA wanted. The decision on what stories to shoot and what should be the overall approach to my year's work in China was one of the more difficult problems which had to be faced immediately upon arrival. The situation in China was complicated by so many factors, and in many of its facets was so near anarchy, that UNRRA's instructions to me were hardly enough to go by. Story Choice I was compelled by circumstances to cover what stories I considered best, having in mind the general directions outlined by UNRRA. With the very real difficulties of transportation and communication, an error in judgment in this regard could have easily cost a month or more of my limited stay in the country. For example, if the Yellow River project had proved a failure — and it hung in the balance for many weeks — a great deal of my work in that area would have been in vain. In making decisions of this sort, reports from UNRRA field workers were of value; talking with men who had just returned from the interior proved even better, though a Ouija board probably would have worked well in conjunction with these other methods. At least I understand that this last method is impartial, and nothing else in China was! Problems Though finances had limited the size of the unit to one man, a two, or better, a three-man unit would have proved more effective. Too much time had to be spent making arrangements, and there was also the problem of having to spend so much time doing the little things necessary to staying alive. Other production problems in China could be listed: as political, civil war, transportation, communication, heat, health, humidity, dust and languages. One of the reasons for separating the political problems from those directly associated with the civil conflict is best illustrated by relating one of my experiences with a Government ministry. I was informed in an interview with a Government official that all footage had to be developed and censored before leaving the country. I dreaded the thought of having my rushes processed in China. What few machines they had were ancient and ill-kept, and the chemicals were years old, having been captured from the Japanese. I set out to convince the authorities that my status as a Canadian Government official and as a UN representative should place this footage outside of the normal rules and regulations. They suggested a compromise; they would have one of their men go with me and cover everything in 16 mm. This they would process and censor, with the understanding that we would censor the 35 mm. material in the same way. This would have been completely impractical and I thought it wise to ask for the same treatment that would be accorded a Chinese Government cameraman working in Canada. Several hours passed, a great deal of tea was consumed, but the point was won. Travelling Around Foreigners in China were required to have exit visas before leaving Shanghai for any other part of China. This added to the innumerable delays faced prior to each trip into the interior. The civil war made it difficult to pass easily between the Nationalist and Communist-held territories. The ebb and flow of the civil war made it uncertain from day to day who would be in control of the region I would be travelling in. I made two expeditions far into the Communist regions to cover specific stories on UNRRA's work. My flag-bedecked jeep was never turned back at a barricade, though cajolery and threats, so often necessary, were enough to get me into and. fortunately, out of a number of uncomfortable situations. The poor marksmanship and rusiv rifles of the peasant-conscriptees combined to give comfort whenever boldness seemed the only way to get through. However, whenever a coup of this sort was necessary, I took great care to return via a different route. Some other UNRRA programme personnel units were not so luck> . No other cameraman had the good fortune to get to Yenan, then the Communist capital. For the first time, Mao Tse Tung was photographed in motion pictures. Transport The transportation problem w as one to w Inch there was no satisfactory answer. I used trains (the war constantly interrupted the normally poor service), planes (most unsafe, for the maintenance facilities were limited), boats (even