A deeper ‘War’

I really enjoyed Carina Chocano’s article and analysis of Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi films [“To Think Like the Masters,” July 10].

I only have an issue with her take on “War of the Worlds’ ” not offering any larger societal point of view, other than the role of the father and his doggedness in staying the course. I think Spielberg was showing us how thin the veneer is that keeps civilization together, and how quickly it could disintegrate into an ugly, yet understandable, sense of panic, barbarism and self-preservation at any cost.

“War of the Worlds” feels just as much a product of its time as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” and “E.T.” reflected the social and political climates of the ‘70s and ‘80s.

Terry Rietta

Santa Monica