To the Editor:
Re “The ‘West Facet Story’ Remake We Didn’t Want,” by Yarimar Bonilla (Opinion visitor essay, Sunday Evaluate, Dec. 19):
If Dr. Bonilla had taken the time to see the unique film, she would perceive the significance of the remake. I noticed the unique solely a month in the past. The 1961 model is a wonderful masterpiece, however flawed with offensive brownface and dangerous Spanish accents.
From an anthropological perspective, I perceive Dr. Bonilla’s stance. Nevertheless, as a film buff and a first-generation Hispanic American, I deeply respect Steven Spielberg’s model.
Even when this film flops on the field workplace or will get snubbed on the Oscars, I imagine that it’ll survive as an necessary movie of the post-Trump period of immigrant fear-mongering. It’s a reminder that rampant racism can destroy (if we permit it to) the love between two individuals of various cultures or races.
Omar A. Sandoval
New York
To the Editor:
If Shakespeare had been topic to the dear literalism of Prof. Yarimar Bonilla’s critique of “West Facet Story,” his performs won’t be round at the moment. There’s artwork and there’s historic purity, and so they needn’t bow to one another.
David Lloyd Maron
Englewood, N.J.
To the Editor:
Yarimar Bonilla longs for an genuine Puerto Rican portrayal on the massive display screen. I don’t begrudge Ms. Bonilla her evaluation that the most recent model of “West Facet Story” by Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner missed the mark. However as a result of they lack a Latino identification, it’s clear to me that she would by no means discover their “West Facet Story” as much as snuff.
She insists that studios wishing to painting the Latino expertise allow Latino administrators and artists to create genuine Latino artwork. I hope for that, too, however her essay appears to counsel that nobody can inform the story of one other’s American expertise in the event that they don’t share the identical identification, and that appears too slim a rule for artwork.
Let’s not discourage highly effective administrators and writers from exploring and expressing the numerous aspects of America, even when their try is barely a shadow of the lived expertise.
Ari Gerstman
Washington
To the Editor:
Yarimar Bonilla’s opinion piece on the “West Facet Story” remake misses the purpose. It isn’t, nor ever was, meant to be a documentary about Puerto Rican historical past or tradition. It’s a Spielberg-updated-to-make-it-more-P.C. musical model of “Romeo and Juliet” set round Fifties gangs in New York and nothing extra — or much less. And an excellent one at that.
Mike Wallach
Wexford, Pa.
To the Editor:
Bravo, Dr. Bonilla! And now, a phrase: Please inform Mr. Spielberg to maintain his fingers off “Fiddler on the Roof.”
To the Editor:
Re “The place Handing Out Sizzling Soup and Cocoa Is About to Get Tougher” (information article, Dec. 15):
A lot of the article leaves the impression that Newark, the place I’m mayor, is considerably insensitive to the wants of our homeless inhabitants and is discouraging teams from aiding them. This impression is diametrically reverse from town’s confirmed efforts to look after our residents with out everlasting addresses.
Our required allow ensures the secure dealing with and distribution of meals for the safety of the customers. It isn’t paperwork for the sake of paperwork.
The town can also be asking these teams to think about not centralizing their efforts at Peter Francisco Park throughout from Newark Penn Station, however to associate with our 23 homeless shelters and 55 meals pantries and soup kitchens all through town. This fashion, these teams can feed our homeless in locations the place shelter, social companies and psychological well being outreach can be found.
We take into account these neighborhood settings to even be far safer for our unsheltered inhabitants. The world round Penn Station is congested with automobile and bus visitors, and has proved to be harmful for individuals who have psychological and bodily well being issues.
Creating properties, offering companies and defending our residents with out addresses is a confirmed prime precedence of my administration, and, sadly, we really feel that was not precisely mirrored within the Instances article.
To the Editor:
Re “Group Urges Assist to Kids Who Misplaced Caregiver to the Virus” (information article, Dec. 10):
Because the chief of a corporation that has spent over 520,000 hours supporting grieving kids, I’m involved that advocacy and funding solely for kids bereaved due to Covid-19 may create an unintended new caste of forgotten grievers — kids whose dad and mom die from different causes.
In the course of the pandemic, functions to our program elevated 22 %, and Covid-19 wasn’t the first trigger. Many have been a results of suicide, overdose or violence, echoing nationwide traits. Limiting help to 167,000 kids bereaved by Covid-19 overlooks the remainder of our nation’s 5.3 million grieving kids.
To be clear, I applaud the Covid Collaborative’s efforts and am frankly grateful that childhood grief is lastly being mentioned as an necessary public well being problem. That’s step one. Now, I encourage the Covid Collaborative and its supporters to advance the larger image objective of creating methods and applications that may be scaled to make sure that all grieving kids can dwell a life wealthy with risk.
Sara Deren
Westport, Conn.
The author is the founder and chief govt of Expertise Camps.