25 APRIL 1981, Page 16

At length?

Sir: Peter Ackroyd writes the best film criticism around and his review of Roman Polanski's Tess (18 April) exceeds, if anything, his usual brilliant standard. However, I am puzzled by his bald assertion that 'the cinema has taken over from the threevolume novel as the major source of public entertainment and enlightenment'. That role, surely, has been taken over by television, not by the cinema. Would Mr Ackroyd be prepared to defend his opinion at more length?

Wilfred De'A th 3 Rowallan Road, London SW6