Beatles vs. Dylan

Thanks to Joan Anderman for her insightful article on the movies about the Beatles and Bob Dylan ("His songs are open to interpretation," Arts & Entertainment, Nov. 25). It was funny when she wrote that "Across the Universe" made her want to listen to the Beatles. That is how I felt after seeing the movie. It was not great, but I do enjoy hearing other interpretations of their music, and it makes me appreciate it all the more.

ROBIN BROCK
Tallahassee, Fla.

Joan Anderman touched upon but missed a very important point. The Beatles spent a lot of time in the studio perfecting their songs so that it is almost impossible to improve upon their performances. Change them, yes, although the change is usually not for the better. Dylan, on the other hand, is known for banging them out with out-of-tune guitars, missed beats, flat notes, uneven tempos, etc. The music seems almost incidental to the lyrics in a recorded Dylan performance, hence it is very easy to pretty up or musically improve a Dylan tune. The Beatles perfected their songs; Dylan slammed them out with no adornments.

ROBERT D. YOUNG JR.
Millbury

Excellent article by Joan Anderman on Bob Dylan and the Beatles, the two most important musical influences in my life. I agree wholeheartedly with Anderman's treatise. One thing that distinguishes the Beatles from all other pop/rock bands is the collaboration between John and Paul, who paradoxically proved the sum of one and one to be one and also greater than two. One thing that allows Dylan's songs to transcend their respective genres is their timelessness and universality. He writes about outsourcing and the fact that nothing is made in America anymore. And this was back in the early '80s.

PHIL BRUNO
Bedford, N.H.

What right does Ty Burr ("Reasons to watch this get lost in 'The Mist,' " Living/Arts, Nov. 21) have to try and sabotage the movie's potential success by publicly giving away the ending? The suicide/euthanasia moment is the true shock value of the movie because those of us who read Stephen King's story years ago may have wondered how the movie would end. It's really the only surprise unless you just don't remember the story. And Burr even tried to disguise the fact that he spoiled the film.

MICHAEL RHODES
Silver Spring, Md.

Thank you very much to Ty Burr for giving away the horrific, hateful, irresponsible ending to "The Mist." I heard the ending was a downer, but I still wanted to see it because the reviews were so favorable - and I like a good thrill as much as the next guy. After reading Burr's review, I realized that the ending is not only tragic but pointless. The addition of the Army arriving is just the coup de grace. Burr showed professional discretion, warned readers about the spoiler and helped a lot of people who didn't want to see such a misanthropic film.

TOM SIEBERT
Wayne, N.J.

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