Smug, Glib and Impertinent

As much as I enjoyed Stephanie O's letter to the editor about my 'Pride and Prejudice' column in 'The Beat,' (see the post above this one,) my personal all-time fave has to go to a letter published in 'Artscape' (an earlier incarnation of 'The Beat') in response to a column I wrote for their first issue back in February of 2006.

It was the time of year they announce the Academy Award nominations and I had complained about the fact that the best film I had seen the previous year was a thirty-second commercial for Kellogg's All-Bran Strawberry Bites. The Leo Burnett advertising agency titled it 'The Muse.' But for me it will always be 'Love Story Between Strawberry Girl and Research Guy."

I hope you remember it because it truly was beautiful. If not, you can always find it on the YouTube under 'All-Bran Strawberry Bites Ad.' or 'All Bran Strawberry Girl.'

But that's not really important here. Here is the passage I wrote which invoked the ire of one reader -

"I seldom get out to the motion-picture theatres these days. The reason? Hollywood just doesn't make any good romances anymore. Over the holidays, I had been thinking of seeing 'King Kong.' It's about a giant monkey who fights dinosaurs and has adventures and stuff and (get this) *falls in love* with a leggy blonde showgirl, the eternal male fantasy. But I'd already seen the original from 1976 starring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange so I didn't bother.

"The other much-hyped love story of 2005 was the cowboy movie 'Brokeback Mountain.' I passed on seeing this one for the same reason. I figured I'd already seen it before. Every western I've ever sat through ends the same way - the cowboy says good-bye to the school-marm and rides off into the sunset. There's never been a western made that wasn't really a love story about a man and his horse.

"The only other romance from last year that sounded half-interesting was 'Capote.' Apparently it's about this writer guy and his unrequited love for a jailed homicidal mass-murderer. Well, at least it's an original idea, I'll give 'em that much. But I really don't know anything about the movie so I can't comment on it."

... anyhoo, all of that prompted this printed response from a Ruth J. -

"Dear Mr. Drysdale, I am compelled to comment on your utter dismissal of 'Brokeback Mountain,' a movie which I found to be one of the finest love stories ever committed to film. I've seen the movie twice, to appreciate better its stunning Canadian landscapes, and most especially, its achingly, heart wrenching story of homosexual love. You, on the other hand, never having seen it at all, have the temerity, the abject audacity, to pan it outright. I have three words for you, Mr. Drysdale: they are "smug, glib, and impertinent."

Well, I guess she told me.