Movie remakes

[kensei]

They say there are no truly original ideas anymore. As evidence, every so often some popular movie from years past gets remade. Same title, but updated to the modern era or maybe just with a few new twists. How many versions of "King Kong" have there been? In the past year there have been at least two remakes, "Total Recall" and "Red Dawn." I'm sure this trend will continue, so I thought it might be fun to invite everyone to throw out their ideas for movie remakes they would like to see. What would be different? What should stay the same? Who would your dream cast be? Could be amusing.

My contribution would be "Jaws." The mechanical shark was just scary enough for 1975, but he kind of falls short by today's standards. Just think what the crew that did "Jurassic Park" could accomplish today with a combination of animatronics and CGI- a great white shark that you would swear was real if you didn't know better! I would want it to follow Peter Benchley's novel more closely than the original, and include the police chief's wife having an affair with the shark expert. There would be no exploding shark at the end either. In the book, after sinking the boat the harpoon-riddled shark is approaching Chief Brody as he treads water, but then dies from exhaustion, blood loss and internal injuries when it is only a foot away from him. I think that would be tremendously suspenseful on screen. Oh and by the way, shark expert Hooper dies in the book when he's attacked in the cage, and so should he in the movie remake.
Chief Brody- Vigo Mortenson
Matt Hooper- Robert Downey Jr.
Quint- Jeff Bridges
Ellen Brody- Nicole Kidman

(Just a coincidence that Downey and Bridges were already in "Iron Man" together.)

Any other ideas?

[Phil H]

You have put your finger on the right point - there has to be a good reason to re-make a film - improved CGI could be one. But would it be enough?

I believe that there's some idea around to remake "Casablanca" either itself or as a sequel. Without the original cast, I suspect it will be a disaster.

I have no particular ideas in mind, but it seems to me that a film needs to have something to say about TODAY - i.e. that a remake would have relevance, perhaps by a different emphasis to the original; or a contemporary setting.

But often a film is "Classic" for particular reasons: brilliant or charismatic casting; or a style (like Capra's) which would be difficult to catch; design, photography (Lawrence of Arabia springs to mind).

I have just seen the new Great Expectations (with Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter) which I liked and enjoyed. But David Lean's version from the late 40s, still stands herad and shoulders over any of the many remakes and TV serials.

I'll put my thinking cap on and ponder what might work for me.

Phil H

[j.r-ahde]

Hello you all!

I wish, that they never remake The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

I could never imagine Johnny Depp shouting "Hijo de Una Gran Putaaa....!!!" like Eli Wallach did as Tuco after Blondie/Joe/Manco/The Man With No Name...

All the best
Jukka

[sdreid]

Some remakes are OK but I can't think of any right now that was better than the original.

I suppose films like Little Shop of Horrors, The Thing, The Day the Earth Stood Still and Godzilla were at least better in a technical sense.

[sdreid]

Please don't ever remake Dr. Strangelove.

[Phil H]

Please don't ever remake Dr. Strangelove

Would you be OK about Doctor Lovestrange? A story of the battle for same sex marriage in the 21st Century.

Phil H

[sdreid]

I haven't seen the original Phil. I hope they never remake Granny Gets Spit Roasted either.

[Phil H]

Granny Gets Spit Roasted

Is that the film about the wonderful warm grey-haired grandma who becomes an international celebrity through her TV programme on "101 ways to cook a chicken"?

[Robert]

Most remakes seem to be a letdown, though the Robert Powell version of "The 39 Steps" was the best of the three.

I certainly wouldn't put any affairs into "Jaws." Let's concentrate on the shark. Also, I wouldn't ruin it with modern special effects.

I would have liked to see "Casablanca" with Frankie Howerd, or "Citizen Kane" with Tommy Cooper. Alas, too late.

[Steve S]

Geek Head......"Cromwell" with a script and costume that bore some relationship to the 1640's....

[Phil H]

Though you would probably not get a performance to match Guiness as Charles I. In my opinion he captured so much about that complex, tragic man, from his walk, to his stutter, from his pride to his slight Scottish accent, from his look to his dignity. Amazing!

Phil H

[Magpie]

I thought "His Girl Friday" was slightly better than "The Front Page"


I'm trying to figure out why they felt the need to remake "Django"--it's not like anyone has seen the original, so there's no nostalgia factor. Why not just steal the concept and make something "new"?

[Errata]

The best old movies can't be redone.

For example, The King and I. It cannot be successfully done without Yul Brynner. Anyone else could be swapped out, but not him. And you know it's true because he originated the role, played it for years before it was made into a film, which he starred in, and he continued the role until his death. Not continuously, But I saw him in the musical when I was a kid, and I'm 34. That's a long run.

My favorite movie, The Lion in Winter was remade with Patrick Stewart and Glen Close. Both of whom I admire enormously. It wasn't as good. Patrick Stewart does dazzling evil and stoic heroicism really well, and I think he is better than Peter O'Toole. But complicated roles like Henry are a little flat. And Glen Close tried to come up to the standards of Katherine Hepburn's mix of acid and tenderness, ambition and exhaustion, and just didn't make it. It seemed unnatural. And the princes were just an unholy mess, and Philip was worthless. It was one of those things that had it come up in my living room, I would have thought the remake would have been a great idea. It just didn't work.

So you can't do the iconic ones. Except maybe for one. And this totally comes from my general hatred of Steve Mcqueen. The Great Escape could be redone. With more funny. And more accuracy. And definitely more Stephen Fry.

[Steve S]

Though you would probably not get a performance to match Guiness as Charles I. In my opinion he captured so much about that complex, tragic man, from his walk, to his stutter, from his pride to his slight Scottish accent, from his look to his dignity. Amazing!

Phil H

Granted...He is the film's saving grace...And I now see him when I think of Charles...In fact,none of the performances are bad,it's just what they have to work with and what they're wearing........

[Phil H]

Steve - do I detect a kindred interest in military uniforms and historic fashion?

Errata - I too had high expectations of the re-make of "Lion in Winter" and was badly disappointed. Like you, I admire partick Stewart highly (I have seen him on stagge and was a fan before his Star trek days) but for me he fails miserabl against O'Toole's command and understanding of the part. O'Toole also made the material fit is somewhat "mannered" style. For Hepburn there was not even the dlightest contest.

And when you think that in the original they cast Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton (two future stars) at the outset of their careers, as Richard and Philip, not to mention the underrated Nigel Terry as John and John Castle as Geoffrey - that is casting in depth and with huge insight into potential.

On great performances, like Brynner's, an old UK magazine called Films and Filming once had an article about "the crime of the great performance". It pointed out that on film some performances - Edith Evans as Lady Bracknell, Olivier as Richard III, Harrison as professor higgins would be other examples - are not only iconic but become immortalised on film. A great stage performance is lost once the production ends - we know Irving was great as Richard III but have no real record. Thus modern actors have to tip-toe around performances preserved in aspic that are also seared into the collective minds of audiences. inhibiting to say the least.

Phil H