Reel green.

Although sadly it's been a while since Hollywood embraced any serious subject matter that deals with environmental themes, the 1980s and 90s were a prodigious time for the topic ("L.A. Environmental," Consumer News, September/October 2005). While including some worthy titles that are action/adventure (On Deadly Ground) or based on social concerns (Silkwood), Benjamin Chadwick's article glaringly omitted some of Hollywood's greatest titles on environmental issues. May I suggest the following for your viewing pleasure:

At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991): evangelism and rainforest destruction; Medicine Man (1992): Sean Connery and Lorraine Bracco search for a cure to cancer in the rainforest; The Burning Season (TV, 1994): true story of murdered rubber tapper Chico Mendes; The Emerald Forest (1985): kidnapping of American child by Amazon tribe; Mosquito Coast (1986): Harrison Ford and family escape civilization; The Mission (1986): Robert DeNiro in a story based on real experiences of the Jesuits and Guarani Indians; Fitzcarraldo (1982): building an opera house in the Amazon; Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home (1986): rescuing humpback whales; Gorillas in the Mist (1988): Sigourney Weaver plays slain zoologist Dian Fossey.

These films are delivered with heart and eloquently state the case for ecologic balance and environmental justice without trivializing the subject with numbing special effects or things blowing up. Alas, it would be difficult to imagine these films being made today.

Ken Levy

Brooklyn, NY

In his discussion of green-themed movies, Benjamin Chadwick omitted four excellent choices: The Emerald Forest, Gorillas in the Mist, The Burning Season and Medicine Man. The stories are a decade or two old, but the problems remain and the murders have not stopped as witnessed by the assassination of Sister Dorothy Strang in February 2005. It makes these true stories all the more inspirational to those of us who often feel powerless and on the verge of giving up as environmentalists.

Now, if only Hollywood would take on the subject of overpopulation! It is still the underlying cause of global warming, pollution and habitat loss. And it is amazing how many people have not been able to connect these dots! One well-written movie with a strong international cast showing where the world is headed--and how much better it could be if everyone voluntarily decided to hold family size to two or fewer children--could possibly wake up the world before it is too late.

Claudia Vetesy

Heidelberg, Germany