Hollywood values

Chris LEE’s article “A Devil of a Time” [Aug. 18] does an excellent job of chronicling events that led to Paul Schrader’s dismissal as director of “Exorcist: The Beginning,” replaced by Renny Harlin. The crux of the article, far more haunting than the film will ever be, shows that art and commerce cannot coexist in Tinseltown. Schrader produced a $40-million art film? Shame on him. He made a film that’s cerebral? The audacity of that man.

Ron Cossey

Studio City

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I had to read the opening lines of “A Devil of a Time” twice to be sure I had read right. First, I learned that director Renny Harlin was hit by a car, shattering his leg and requiring 14 steel pins. In the next sentence I read the following: “Worse still, production on the film ... ground to a halt for two weeks.... “

Please tell me that this is just a case of sloppy writing and not an accurate description of values in Hollywood. Unfortunately, from some of the stories I’ve heard, I fear that in Hollywood a two-week production delay might well be seen as worse than a shattered leg.

David Salahi

Laguna Niguel