AllMovie

This is the true story of Dr. Norman Bethune, the Canadian doctor who tended to the needs of Mao Tse Tung's army during the communist takeover of China. Bethune's motives, most of which he preferred to keep to himself, have intrigued many filmmakers of humanistic or liberal inclinations. This Canadian made-for-TV version, directed by Eric Hill, stars Donald Sutherland as Bethune and Kate Nelligan as his wife. The political and humanitarianism issues inherent in the saga are subtly woven into a thought-provoking screenplay. Sutherland later reprised his role in the 1990 film Bethune: The Making of A Hero.