Film About Jewish People

As an aficionado of World War II films and especially films dealing with the Holocaust, I was anxious to read Howard Rosenberg’s review of “A Call to Remember” (“A Poignant Holocaust Tale in ‘Remember,’ ” Aug. 30). Sitting in my friend’s kitchen I read aloud to her the piece and afterward asked her, “What is wrong with what I just read?” What could be wrong? The review was thoughtful, thorough and appropriately critical. Or was it?

This is a television film about Jewish people dealing with Jewish issues. Blythe Danner is a wonderful actress. But even the splendid Danner was inappropriately cast in “Brighton Beach Memoirs” and once again, another film written, directed and produced by Jewish men has a Jewish heroine played by a Gentile--an uber Gentile woman.

Why does Hollywood make this mistake? Let’s cast Drew Barrymore as Celie in “The Color Purple,” Rosie O’Donnell would make a wonderful Berenice in “The Member of the Wedding.” I hope you get my point. Even when the leading character is a Jewish woman, a Jewish actress will never play the role. As wonderful as Meryl Streep is, she has very little in common with Nora Ephron and yet she starred in “Heartburn.”

The women portrayed in “Heartburn,” “Brighton Beach Memoirs” and countless other films are articulate, intelligent, Jewish women. So, obviously not every Jewish woman is like Renee Taylor and Fran Drescher. We are not all braying, face-stuffing shopaholics looking for a dentist to marry. My question to Mr. Hollywoodstein is what is it about a real Jewish woman that makes you so nervous? I know we live in a PC world, but there has got to be room in this town for other archetypes than just Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand.

MARJORIE BOWMAN

Los Angeles