Two views on political endeavor

POOR Leni Riefenstahl (“Art Intersects Politics in Many Shades of Gray,” by Reed Johnson, Sept. 10). Her career’s just starting to take off with big-budget epics like Berlin Olympics ’36 and Poland ‘39, and then the studio head who gave her that first break goes bust with the mega-flop Russia ‘41-’45.

Arnold Zelonka

Malibu

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DRAGGING in references to Elia Kazan and the Hollywood Ten as to whether their works can be viewed “outside the context of their personal political leanings” is a tortured attempt to compare Riefenstahl’s Nazi glorification with legitimate storytelling. In the 50 years Johnson speaks of wherein “bitter arguments” arise, not one film written by any of the Ten or directed by Kazan can be shown to be the kind of propaganda created by Riefenstahl. It is a scurrilous shot.

Malcolm Stuart

Los Angeles