Letters

Cinema's Prince

To the Editors: Your article might have taken its praise of Filmmaker Steven Spielberg [SHOW BUSINESS, July 15] one step further. We need not only more artists like him but more people like him: devoted to their craft and loyal to family and friends. C. Ralph Adler Harmony, R.I.

I hope Spielberg never grows up. Joan Leveton Miramar, Fla.

Since 1981, when I was eleven, Spielberg has been my hero and my idol. I can think of no other person who has influenced me the way he has. Thank you, Steven. Keep up the magic. Matthew Kiernan Madison, N.J.

I do not envy him for how rich he is or how famous or even how talented. I envy him for how happy he is at what he does and how much pleasure he gives to others. Virginia Lutz Cizik Silver Spring, Md.

I am not as enthusiastic as TIME is about Spielberg's films. To me they are overproduced and always use the same tricks. He has fallen into a noncreative moneymaking routine that has nothing to do with the cinema. Patrick Chompre Toulouse, France

Spielberg is the greatest filmmaker of our time. He has provided people of all generations and nationalities with hopes, dreams and a little magic. He can make adults feel like children again and children feel like kings. Michael Tenby Honolulu

As is often said, "Success has many parents, but failure is an orphan." It is odd that among the multiparents of Mogul Spielberg, no mention was made of Richard Zanuck and David Brown, who introduced Spielberg to the world of feature motion pictures by producing Spielberg's first two feature-length films, the acclaimed Sugarland Express and the legendary Jaws. We need no recognition for ourselves, but Zanuck/Brown might have had at least a footnote in your cover story. Richard D. Zanuck David Brown New York City America's Changing Face

Thank you, danke, grazie, merci, gracias for your excellent coverage of immigrants [SPECIAL ISSUE, July 8]. Variety is the spice of life; vive la difference! May this country continue to be the great melding place of the world's peoples. Patrick D. Bosold San Anselmo, Calif.

I particularly enjoyed this issue because you reported the immigrants' failures as well as their triumphs. Henry Grunwald's touching Essay told everything that I have felt and experienced since my family and I arrived here 15 years ago: the fear, the uncertainty, the pain and the joy. You made me feel proud of being an immigrant and an American. Paquita A. Chinga New York City

I commend TIME for addressing the vitally important subject of U.S. immigration policy. Comprehensive immigration reform must be enacted promptly. Not only are employer sanctions needed to deter the immense flow of illegal aliens to the U.S., but some overall limit on legal immigration also must be established. Otherwise the U.S. will face the same overpopulation-related problems now so obvious in the countries from which most immigrants are coming. M. Rupert Cutler, Executive Director The Environmental Fund Washington, D.C.

This is the finest, most thorough coverage of immigration that I have ever seen in any mass-media publication. You offer accurate insights into the ethnic diversity that has contributed to the American mosaic. The strength of this nation lies in the fact that we are different, and each group makes a valuable addition to our unique culture. Vincent N. Parrillo, Chairman Department of Sociology William Paterson College of New Jersey Wayne, N.J.

By accepting the flood of immigrants, we are letting governments of the Third World off the hook. It is time they lived up to their responsibilities to their own people. Some, like Mexico, have immense oil wealth but choose to export cheap labor and poverty. The U.S. should refuse to take the social pressure off these countries. Maybe then their ruling classes would shape up or be forced out. Robert W. Ceder Sheboygan Falls, Wis.

This is the best issue ever. It is like fireworks on the Fourth of July! Bill Hetzler Atlantic Beach Estates, N. Y.

You mention the "American secret," that newcomers are providing their spirit and energy to preserve your country's "uniqueness." But America is not the only place where this happens. My country, Australia--the new New World--is also profiting from the talents of many differing types of people, some of them emigrants from the U.S.--the old New World. Christopher Lee Balmain, Australia

I have been living in the U.S. since 1955 and have gone through the stages of being a tourist, a political refugee, a resident and an American citizen. I never thought my eyes would tear looking at the faces in your photographs, but they did. They were like a mirror of time past: full of hope and gladness to be in the last sanctuary on this planet. Gena Wodnicki Pittsburgh

The pictures you ran with Otto Friedrich's story "The Changing Face of America" were marvelous. How did your photographer manage to make so many of them look like paintings? What sort of camera and lighting did he have? Marie Leyes Paradise, Calif.

Photographer Chuck Fishman shot his pictures in temporary studios he set up in Customs areas at New York's Kennedy Airport. He used high-powered strobe lights that flashed through bedsheets onto his subjects in order to achieve the diffused-lighting effect. Fishman used 35-mm Canon cameras and lenses, with Kodachrome 64 film.

The population of the U.S. is being relentlessly displaced by aliens. Societies that refuse or are unable to control their own population growth are using the U.S. as an escape valve. Will there be room left for our grandchildren or for their grandchildren, and if so, will they thank us for our liberal immigration laws and our refusal to control illegal immigration? Graham Holmboe Fremont, Calif.

As one whose most recent immigrant ancestor had already arrived by 1820, I want to thank you for this rich and moving issue. But more profoundly, we must thank the immigrants themselves, for showing us that amid all our betrayals and disappointments, there is still some meaning in Lincoln's phrase "the last, best hope of earth." Clara Claiborne Park Williamstown, Mass.

There are two immigrants who were particularly important in the development of film as an art. When I was a young actress, my first lead was in City Streets, directed by Rouben Mamoulian, an immigrant from the Soviet Union. Mamoulian, in this and other early films, gave real sweep and motion to the talking picture. I also worked with Director Fritz Lang, a refugee from Hitler's Germany, in his first three American motion pictures (Fury, You Only Live Once, You and Me). Both Mamoulian and Lang should be noted for their contributions to film. Sylvia Sidney Danbury, Conn.

Is massive immigration really that powerful a stimulant to a country? Consider Japan, a tiny island nation with limited natural resources, practically no immigration and a policy of maintaining racial unity. Nevertheless, it is beating us to our knees in many fields of industrial and economic endeavor. Jack Seward Houston

Your paean to immigration should have shed more light on the three big immigration-policy questions the U.S. must answer: 1) How many people shall we admit? 2) Who, of those who want them, will get visas? 3) How will we enforce the limits? We must answer these hard and concrete questions. John H. Tanton, Chairman Federation for American Immigration Reform Petoskey, Mich.

I am from the multitribal country of Nigeria, and I have observed, as well as experienced, the devastating effect different languages and dialects have on political systems there. I suggest that the U.S. maintain only one language, English. Felix Emeka Onwugbufor Camden, N.J.

Americans are now realizing that "their" country belongs to the whole world. Aldo Pugiotto Lachine, Que. The Media and Evil

Charles Krauthammer, in his article "Looking Evil Dead in the Eye" [ESSAY, July 15], has struck the mass media's optical nerve, especially in regard to television coverage of the hostage drama. Cameras report facts but also create editorial perspective. It is unconscionable to have developed such skill and technology in communications without the wisdom or conscience to prevent potential murder. If IBM, AT&T or Exxon were equally indifferent to truth, human life or the common good, they would be prosecuted for criminality. Why not the media? J. Harold Ellens Farmington Hills, Mich.

Prostitution is the word that conies to mind when I think of how TV handled the hostage crisis. Without regard for the national interest, it traded decency for portions of terrorist propaganda. Frank Powell Florence, Ala.

I have misgivings about your Essay, which concludes with the observation that network-news ratings "rose markedly" during the hostage crisis. Was Krauthammer suggesting that the coverage of the situation was a contest for audience ratings? I think the press was instrumental in preventing bloodshed and bringing a relatively swift conclusion to the ordeal. Americans should be wary of this media bashing. With all the afflictions our society suffers today, the occasional excesses of a free press are the least of our concerns. John J. Gallagher Jr. Princeton, N.J. Deacons' Integrity

Your article on the Church of England's endorsing the ordination of women as deacons [RELIGION, July 15] characterized this historic order of ministers in negative terms like "lowest rank" and "beneath priests and bishops." Actually, permanent, or perpetual, deacons are an esteemed order and are the "icons" of the servant ministry of the church with an integrity of their own. (The Rt. Rev.) Harry W. Shipps, Bishop Episcopal Diocese of Georgia Savannah Cicadas Singing

At last! Someone else who understands and loves cicadas [AMERICAN SCENE, July 15]. Unfortunately, too many uneducated or misinformed people malign these incredible insects. They are magnificent. I am a longtime fan, and hearing my first cicada each year is a special, eagerly anticipated event. Jackie Geyer Pittsburgh

I remember when the cicadas invaded Chicago back in June of '73. With great horror I watched the little red-eyed beasties swarm all over everything. I doubt that anyone took a liking to them or thought they were cute. Michael Franks Highland Park, III.