Bethune: The Making of a Hero

Bethune: The Making of a Hero is a 1990 film directed by Phillip Borsos about the life and death of Dr. Norman Bethune, from Gravenhurst, Ontario. It stars Donald Sutherland, Helen Mirren, Helen Shaver and Colm Feore. It was nominated for numerous awards in 1991 and 1993.

A rare Canadian epic, Bethune: The Making of a Hero is more famous for its arduous production in China (it was the first Canada-China co-production, and one of the first large-scale Western productions in that country) and the bickering between the star and the writer than for anything else. Right from the start Donald Sutherland and Ted Allan clashed over the interpretation of Bethune’s legacy. Sutherland (who is a dead ringer for Bethune) passionately believed that despite his drinking and womanizing, Bethune became a saintly hero in China, whereas Allan (who had served with Bethune in Spain) equally passionately believed he might have been a hero but remained a deeply flawed man until the end. Director Phillip Borsos was caught in the middle of these conflicting visions and it shows.