Japanese Originality

It’s tiring to hear it over and over again, but even more irritating having to read it in a newspaper. I’m speaking of J. Gregory Keene’s Jan. 14 letter on the recent acquisition of Columbia by Sony in which he writes “. . . the Japanese have created nothing original.”

Either he is ignorant of or conveniently overlooks original efforts of directors such as Akira Kurosawa and multitalent legends such as actor/playwright/novelist Mishima in his rush to spew forth jingoistic bigotry.

It is fortunate, perhaps, that the United States is blessed with the more enlightened views of George Lukas, Paul Schrader and Francis Ford Coppola, who have all claimed inspiration from these Japanese originals. It gives the rest of us hope that Mr. Keene’s parroting of the same old generalization about other cultures remain only in the provincial minds of a handful of bitter, unoriginal thinkers.

PAUL SCARZO

Canoga Park