‘Martian’ change

THE usually reliable Carina Chocano failed to capture the most salient flaw in the film adaptation of the novella “Martian Child” [“ ‘Martian Child’ All Too Earthbound,” Nov. 2]: The protagonist in the book was intentionally altered from that of a gay man to a straight widower.

By electing to alter this crucial component to the story -- undoubtedly to make the material more acceptable to a wider audience -- the filmmakers both compromised and vitiated the essence of the story.

Lewis D. Rosenberg

Thousand Oaks