Sir, - Eddie Holt's condemnation of the recent Oscars ceremony was as predictable as is his technique of ending his column with what he begins it with. That he does not think movies are an art form and worthy of honour is indicated by his remark: "Remember these are the flicks that are being honoured." Such snobbery is hardly worth mentioning, but in his haste to rebuke all and sundry, Eddie Holt missed out on the most salient and wise remark that was made on the night.
It came from the veteran choreographer Michael Kidd, who said: "movies excel at showing the terror that awaits us. But they are failing to show us what is good about ourselves. We have lost something." That someone who was accepting an award should speak about the flaws of cinema was extraordinary. Kidd worked during the heyday of the Hollywood musical with Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, and is probably the last of that breed. There are no exemplars of the dance musical who are making films today.
At its peak, the dance musical was a remarkable vessel for the expression of joy. But in an age when comedy is not funny unless it is black (that is, it contains blood and gore), joy is simply unfashionable. - Yours, etc.,
Neagh Road,
Dublin 6.