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Footnotes to Siqueiros

The article about the exhibit of paintings by the late, great Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros [“More Than an Activist,” Sept. 12] omits the most-important fact about the painter’s life other than his painting: In 1940 Siqueiros led an unsuccessful attempt in Mexico city to assassinate Leon Trotsky, who was assassinated, not by Siqueiros and his crew, later that same year.

I quote from a biography: “In Mexico City. In the great Stalin-Trotsky schism that split the communist world, Siqueiros was firmly on the side of Stalin. So firmly that on in the early morning of May 24, 1940, he led an attack on Trotsky’s house in Mexico City’s Coyoacán suburb. Shortly before the attack, Siqueiros had been censured for mishandling Communist Party funds.” Isaac Deutscher, Trotsky’s biographer, believed that Siqueiros planned the attack to get back into the Party’s good graces. Describing Siqueiros as a “Latin American buccaneer,” Deutscher describes him as a man in whom “art, revolution and gangsterism were inseparable.”

Lee Quarnstrom

La Habra

The Siqueiros mural had been waiting to be saved decades ago, but nothing was done on time.

Now it is the fashionable thing to do, now that barely any pigment remained. That’s our city.

Were it not for Christine Sterling, we would have no adobe house and much less an Olvera Street. Of course she was from San Francisco.

Posted by:

electra garrigo

From: latimes.com

Naming ‘Leap

of Faith’ writers

In Margaret Gray’s extensive article on Brooke Shields in the new musical “Leap of Faith” [“A Giant ‘Leap’ for Brooke Shields,” Sept. 12], I don’t remember seeing any mention of the writer of the screenplay on which “Leap” is based or the writer of the book for the musical.

The L.A. Times often writes of movies and songs as if the actors and singers made them up as they were going along.

Gray’s a writer. Why not give credit where it’s due?

Gita Endore

Los Angeles

The book for “Leap of Faith” was written by Janus Cercone with Glenn Slater. Cercone was also the screenwriter for the 1992 film. As mentioned in the article the music is by Alan Menken. Lyrics by Glenn Slater.

Ryan Reynolds

buried in a box

“Buried” [“He Studied Hitchcock,” Sept. 12] reminds me of the scene from “Kill Bill” where Uma Thurman’s character is buried alive in a coffin and the audience is buried along with her.

It was an effective piece of cinema; but to extend that one scene into a 90-minute movie? How much can happen in a box?

I can’t even watch movies that take place in a submarine because I tire of circling the same dreary hallways and bunkers, with the same group of characters for the better part of two hours.

I can’t imagine a box offers more diversity than a submarine. Maybe it’ll turn out to be very entertaining, but I don’t see how that’s possible.

Posted by: Rodriguez

From: latimes.com

::

Reynolds looks more mature and distinguished or better somehow in the stills for “The Green Lantern.” Maybe shooting in a box for 17 days and being married to Scarlett Johansson has helped.

Posted by:

SuperUltimateMan

From: latimes.com