SMOKE IN HIS EYES

Art Spiegelman wrongly concludes that the movie “Schindler’s List” attempts to define the Holocaust (“Now, for a Little Hedonism,” by Sean Mitchell, Dec. 18).

“Schindler’s List” was never intended as a definitive statement of the Holocaust and Nazi atrocities--and Steven Spielberg has stated this for the record.

The impact of this movie lies in its ability to deliver a stunning visual message--and as an educational device, to very large numbers. Let those who would deny the Holocaust ever took place see this movie.

I suggest Spiegelman return to his “Maus” cartoon strips, Pulitzer Prize notwithstanding. Each to his (or her) own medium.

NITA POLINSKY

Los Angeles

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Spiegelman is a great artist, but it’s always struck me as a tad meshuga that someone could spend so much time drawing the horrors of the Holocaust while sucking poison gas from paper tubes.

RICHARD GLEAVES

San Diego