May 30, 2008

Cinematic Destruction of New York

To the Editor:

I have a few thoughts in regard to Marianna Torgovnick's "The Lure of Urban Destruction" (The Chronicle Review, May 9). For one thing, film is obviously a visual medium, and what's more visually dramatic than destroying very big, recognizable structures, like the Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State Building, and the Statue of Liberty? Los Angeles has nothing to compare, not even the overrated Hollywood sign.

Furthermore, I detect an undertone of envy in Hollywood's