Oscar’s ‘Best’
Richard Maynard makes some good selections in his history of best picture Oscar recipients (“For Better, for Worse,” March 26).
One quibble: He writes that despite the powerful performance of George C. Scott in “Patton,” the film was only about “the general’s tactics and leadership intercut with lots of battle scenes.” But “Patton” asks some very disturbing questions: Was the real Patton a military genius who helped the Allies defeat pure evil or was he a megalomaniac willing to sacrifice soldiers to further his own vainglorious career? Even more troubling, it asks if we the people of the United States are a militaristic people. Do we love war?
See the picture again, Mr. Maynard; there is more to it than meets the eye.
MICHAEL FALOTICO
Claremont
*
Maynard lists “Lawrence of Arabia” as being in “the pantheon.” On a recent viewing, I found it very long, slow and boring, with great cinematography and an unintentionally funny and foppish performance by Peter O’Toole.
Most surprising was his labeling “Driving Miss Daisy” “utterly insignificant.” “Driving Miss Daisy” is one of the greatest movies about friendship ever, with outstanding performances by Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman and a surprisingly understated and touching showing by Dan Aykroyd (his best performance ever).
MATTHEW SAMBRANO
Palm Springs
*
Maynard implies that he has recently seen the 1928-29 best picture Oscar winner “Broadway Melody” when he describes it as “more entertaining than I imagined,” then discredits himself by stating that it “introduced the song ‘Singin’ in the Rain.’ ”
Although “Broadway Melody” and “Hollywood Revue of 1929” have both been called MGM’s first “all talking, all singing, all dancing” musical (the latter wasn’t), the two films aren’t interchangeable, and “Hollywood Revue” introduced “Singin’ in the Rain.”
DAVID HAYES
Cerritos
*
“Richard Maynard is a film and television producer currently teaching and writing in New York.” What a ridiculously poignant and pathetic commentary he has made on his own career by finding it necessary to trash the work of others.
ROB SEGAL
Toluca Lake