Norman Allan
  
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Ted Allan in Spain: the movie, a graphic novel (a conceptual work), is the second most beautiful book I ever...

here's the pocket book edition



 
 

the most beautiful book I ever saw was Arthur Beardsley's Morte d'Arthur.


I found it in a second hand book store in storied Lewis's High Street, 1960s for 25 quid, It's lavishly illustrated. Every page. Every page.

Now TAiS:tm, the graphic novel, does not have much of it's art work yet, so I'm going to borrow Beardsley's drawings, a lot...
 

Back to TAiS: the second most beautiful book

the blurb, when you open the first page, might read

Ted Allan in Spain: the movie, an historical novel by Norman Allan

the skinny: … and you can skip the skinny if you just want to get to the meat

January 1937: Ted Allan turned 21 and readied to travel to Madrid to report on the Civil War for the Daily Clarion, the Canadian communist newspaper, and to work with his mentor, Norman Bethune - but Fred Rose, the Party Leader, has neglected to tell the Clarion...

To get to Madrid was an imperative. Ted Allan enlisted in the International Brigade; traveling to Spain with 26 other North American volunteers... The Brigade sends Ted to Madrid to report... on Bethune! We learn that all 26 of Ted's traveling companions were dead within six weeks.

Ted tangled with a bitter, and envious, Ernest Hemingway. (He had been kissing the bride to be.)

Ted meets with Robert Capa, the war photographer, and his companion, Gerda Taro. In the movie, when Ted is troubled about how to handle "the problem with Bethune", Gerda suggests to Ted that he send Bethune to China.* Ted sends Beth back to Canada, and on ?

Capa leaves Gerda in Ted's "care". Of course Ted falls in love. Ted and Gerda visit the front to report on the battle of Brunette

Will the cub reporter from Canada and the lovely war photographer survive the battle of Bruenette... ?


* in the book, ",,,: the movie," we will learn that this is not true is just a fiction of the movie… a Hollywood plot**
** subplot? piece of shtick I think it is quite cute
 
 


an historical novel by

Norman Allan

 

 

 

 

Ted Allan in Spain:
the movie

a graphic novel
first draft

 

 

 

 

 
 


 

 

for John Lenthier
and all who died fighting fascism

 

 


Heart of the heartless world,
Dear heart, the thought of you
Is the pain at my side,
The shadow that chills my view.
The wind rises in the evening,
Reminds that autumn is near.
I am afraid to lose you,
I am afraid of my fear.
On the last mile to Huesca,
The last fence for our pride,
Think so kindly, dear, that I
Sense you at my side.
And if bad luck should lay my strength
Into the shallow grave,
Remember all the good you can;
Don't forget my love.

John Cornford

 

 


preface:


Actually, this book, Ted Allan in Spain: the movie, is an historical novel. But, I want you to think of it as a film, as a movie, so we'll start in script form. (Note: every pair of even and odd, facing, pages might have a cell of a "story board".) And we might boast of our movie stars

…

starring Ernest Hemingway
Norman Bethune
Robert Capa
Gerda Taro

and introducing…

Marlon Brando as Ted Allan


The first draft runs thus…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Ted Allan in Spain: the movie

by

Norman Allan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Norman Allan  
555 Raven Rd.
Toronto Ont 

  .
 

OVER A DARK SCREEN:
NORMAN (V.O.)
     Ted, tell us about your time in Spain,
     in the Civil War.

FADE IN:

INT. NEWSROOM OF THE DAILY CLARION - DAY

An ASSISTANT leads TED through a small newspaper news-room. (And perhaps this is in black and white to put us in a 1937 frame of reference.)

               NARRATOR (V.O.)
     Originally, I thought I was going to
     go as the Daily Clarion's war
     correspondent. The Clarion was Canada's      communist newspaper. January 1937. I
     went up to Toronto to pick up my
     credentials."

Ted Allan (the ideal casting would be a young Marlon Brando, with an Anglophone Montreal accent)… Ted is shown into the editor's office. Leslie Morris, the Editor, rises to greet him

               EDITOR
     Ted Allan, cub reporter… Sorry, our rising      star Montreal reporter. Great to see you.      What brings you to Toronto?"

               TED
     And now special war correspondent, I      thought. I thought I should talk with you      before taking off.
 

2

               EDITOR
               (shrugs.)
     War correspondent? I don't understand.

               TED
     I'm going to Spain.
               (he pats his pocket)
     Passport. Ticket. Sailing next week. I've      been planning this with the Party, with      Fred, Fred Rose. He told me, several      times, that he'd talked to you.

     

               EDITOR
     Fred Rose, The Party Chairman, that is,      mentioned the possibility. "Ted might," he      said. He seemed to be just floating a      balloon. He did not say, "Leslie, Ted is      going. The Party wants you to send Ted      Allan. He just speculated. And, if you had      arrived here yesterday morning, I'd have      said, "Fine," and you could have gone as      the Clarion's correspond- dent, but      yesterday Jean Watts, from New York, came      in and offered to dispatch to us from      Spain. So now she's our Madrid      correspondent."

 

3

               TED
               (in disbelief)
     I checked this, I double checked this with      Fred three, four time over the last weeks.      He said he'd talked to you.

               EDITOR
     That's our chairman.
               (Leslie Morris shrugs again),


DISSOLVE TO

INT. COMMUNIST PARTIES HEADQUARTERS, MONTREAL - DAY

TED ALLAN and FRED ROSE are standing facing each other in Fred Rose's office, Ted talking with passion.

               TED
     You said you'd spoken to him.

               FRED
     I spoke to him a while ago. I told him you      wanted to go.

               TED
     I've got my passport, ticket, said my      goodbyes.

               FRED
     The Party needs you here in Montreal.

               TED
     I'm going to Spain.

4

               FRED
     The Party wants you here in Montreal.

               TED
     I'll join in the International Brigade.

               FRED
     You'd die in the trenches.

               TED
     I'm going to Spain. I'll enlist.

               FRED
     If you insist, you will die in the      trenches.

DISSOLVE TO MONTAGE: two old trucks crossing the Pyrenees.
 

5

ROLL CREDITS: "Ted Allan in Spain"

               NARRATOR (V.O.)
     We came over the mountains, into Spain, on      the backs of two old trucks. Twenty young      Americans, seven Canadians, new recruits      to fight fascism.

CREDITS: Starring Ernest Hemingway

               NARRATOR (V.O.)
     Wrapped in blankets: January 25th,1937.      Cold enough. My twenty first birthday. Me,      I'm Ted Allan. A volunteer. Spirits high,      but scared: Life on the line.

CREDITS: Dr. Norman Bethune.

               NARRATOR (V.O.)
     Sure. Like Fred said, we were all probably      going die, but the fascists, the Nazis had      to be stopped, whatever the cost.

CREDITS: Robert Capa

MONTAGE: flatbed at the back of a truck with about a dozen young men hunkered together. And one woman, Jean Watts, the reporter now for the Daily Clarion in Spain. We hear the trucks engine laboring as it climbs the mountains.

               NARRATOR (V.O.)
     The trucks groaning round hair-pins.
     Night falling. Sleeping out in the open.      Shivering till sleep.

CREDITS: and Gerda Taro
 

5

        
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 


 Chapter 1:   "from spiralling ecstatically this...            Chapter 6:
Chapter 2:    current work                                              Chapter 7:
Chapter 3:                         Chapter 8
Chapter:4:          Chapter 9:         
Chapter 5:                                                                      Chapter: 10:



 
     
 

intro : i found the most beautiful book I ever saw in a second hand book store in storied Lewis's High Street, 1965,6,7? for S25

Arthur Beardsley's Morte d'Arthur

  
 

the most beautiful (that I know of) is Arthur Beardsley's Morte d'Arthur

 

 there's a story: footnote
     
 


 
     
 
 
     
 
 
     
 
 
 
 
     
     
     
     
     
 
 
     
  https://www.silverfishlongboarding.com/forum/france-germany-the-eu/122478-places-ride-pyrenees.html  
 

how can i turn this
into a "story board"

 

A

storyboard
here
would
show

A

an aubrey
Beardsley
homage

 
 

another amazing

beardsleyboard

A

a figure

Ted

doing

something

 
 
 
     
 

imagine
cells
of a
storyboard
as wonderful
as beardsley's
(that's hard)

i bet i've already
said this
earlier
so that the
repetition here is
waffle

this cell needs work
  
     
   
 
 
     
     
 

the surealisty

 

illustrate TAiS text with abmda !!

  
 

here

a picture of

Ted and Martha

on the road

to Madrid

 
     
     
     
     
 

 

 

 

 

  
       
 
 
 
Chapter
 
 
 
  oh, and do visit normanallan.com : the website  
  http://www.allposters.com/-sp/How-Sir-Bedivere-Cast-the-Sword-Excalibur-into-the-Water-an-Illustration-from-Le-Morte-D-Arthur-Posters_i7678195_.htm