General - Remakes Of Older Films

[Ambrosia]

This is an intresting example of a film which might work better given the talent of the world film industry and might make a resonable blockbuster. This is a film I havent seen in a while and remember it in the same fond light as The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Time Travelers, The Time Machine, The Day the Earth Caught Fire and many others. However speaking of remakes many successes are not worthy namely

War of the Worlds
The Time Machine

to name only two, however I feel many sound ideas are still locked in the archives for future generations of filmmakers to make their name on given the resources, and by no means am I excluding the technology of the future for it is in the re-telling and re-interpritation of ideas that we begin to see the true merit of original work weakly presented, or just lacking the technology to make it even more real.

Comments welcome.

[ChristineCB]

I agree with WAR OF WORLDS, TIME MACHINE and even JASON & THE ARGONAUTS. But when I saw these awful recent remakes, I was shocked to see they managed to use new tech to create even less believable (or tolerable) effects.

I may be too prejudiced by Willis O'Brien's and Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion to allow any remake of their films, but then I see a Tim Burton doing some excellent wizardry in that same style, and those are completely fun films for his purpose.

I know I hated Cruise-Speilberg's WAR OF WORLDS because I hated every human in it . I kept thinking, "Kill 'em, kill 'em all..."

And the HBO-type JASON and TIME MACHINE were just awful. Winos upchuck with more creativity on sidewalks than those two films displayed. They made me seriously consider re-watching Vince Vaughan and Anne Heche in their horrid PYSCHO. But only for a moment.

Films like these 3 remakes cause me to recall Igor's words of wisdom - "It could be worse. It could be raining."

BLUCHER!

[4737carlin]

Anyone in any doubts as to remakes being bad ideas wait till this rubbish comes out

Apple - Trailers - The Wicker Man - Trailer 1

Remakes are nothing new, just that modern day remakes for the most part are terrible. I was suprised to hear about Christopher Lee saying that he would like to see the Devil Rides Out remade, with modern technology he believes it could enhance the film.

I was thinking about the Man Who Knew To Much and it got me wondering if there has been any other films made twice by the same director?

[Cuffy]

I've long had mixed feelings on this issue, but after considering I voted no - on the grounds that although it's a fine balance, I've seen more bad remakes than good.

At the risk of stating what's been said by many people, many times before - I'd much rather see the effort of modern technology put into original ideas.

[penfold]

A third option - and I can hear the knives sharpening already - would be along the lines of what Lucas has done for the first Star War movies....replace the special effects but keep the original performances intact. For instance, I love, as most people here do, The Dam Busters...the performances are terrific, the special effects are not......I would love to see, as an experiment, the original film with upgraded special effects...

[Cheeky Bob]

Originally Posted by 4737carlin I was thinking about the Man Who Knew To Much and it got me wondering if there has been any other films made twice by the same director?

Michael Mann's HEAT is a remake of his 1989 TV movie L.A.TAKEDOWN, but the latter is only really worth seeing out of curiosity: this is one remake that completely wipes the floor with the original.

I don't have a problem with remakes as a general principle - there are more than enough good ones to justify their existence. But it usually helps if a genuinely talented director tackles something that was flawed in the first place - David Cronenberg's THE FLY being a particularly good example.

Mind you, I've always thought that THE WICKER MAN was thoroughly overrated, so I'm quite prepared to give the remake the benefit of the doubt for now. Neil LaBute has already made more good films than Robin Hardy despite the latter's massive head start, and Edward Woodward claimed to be pleasantly surprised by the quality of LaBute's script.

[Cuffy]

Originally Posted by Cheeky Bob I've always thought that THE WICKER MAN was thoroughly overrated

At the risk of starting a flame war, I'm glad to see that I'm not alone in holding this view. On paper the orignal film seems to tick all my boxes - yet after much anticipation I saw it in the mid 90's and found it a huge dissapointment. A second viewing often does the trick for me - sadly, not in this case.

Anyway, my point is - I saw the trailer for the remake at the flicks last night and, despite my earlier misgivings about remakes in general (which I stand by), I think I'll actually give the remake of The Wicker Man a chance.

[ChristineCB]

Good is good, crap is crap. We all see horrid new films and horrid remakes.

Re-watching Willis O'Brien's original KING KONG as opposed to this new super-techno model, well, there were some exciting scenes in the new one. Falling down a crevice for 9 minutes while fighting T-Rex's, oh yeah, great visuals there.

But a 1977 ATARI TV console has ice-sliding effects on it, just like this new KONG did, and it only took moviemakers (yawn) 30 years to copy Atari? Yeah. Startling special effects.

I was far more impressed that the latest KONG spent the first hour on the humans but I can't re-watch the whole thing. I end up fast-forwarding thru whole chapters, yet the original has all that awful hand-painted backdrops but I can re-watch it.

Good is good. Crap is crap.

[Cuffy]

Originally Posted by ChristineCB We all see horrid new films and horrid remakes.

Absolutely true! Although (and it's a close call - say 55/45) I'm still inclined to believe that more originals than remakes were better flicks.

How about I punch a curve ball here.....

Any suggestions on remakes that were as good as the originals? I nominate the Big Sleep with Bogart and its remake with Mitchum [Danger - subject may cause small scale flame war].

For me there was a kinda magic about an iconic US flick being transported in location to England. It wasn't a great film, but it's still deliciously entertaining.

And, to boot, both are good for car spotters!!

[ChristineCB]

Cuffy, that 55/45 feels about right. I think "First Experience" is an ingredient that unbalances that ratio - when I see a new film, I'm judging it only on its merits. A remake gets judged against itself AND the previous incarnation.

This then stretches into the Books vs. Movies issue. I HATE the film ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST. I love the book. That's why I hate the film.

On the other hand, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS' film dispenses with some useless subplots (Clarisse would really flunk out of the FBI Academy for catching the serial killer?!! Clarisse and her mentor going to bed? C'mon, let's stick with the story, Dear Author) and takes the book's ending to a far more clever and fiendish ending.

Paul Newman's version of the Kesey novel SOMETIMES A GREAT NOTION made for an excellent film, and both the book and the film have necessary differences, none of which detracts from either in comparison.

Good is good, crap is crap.

Just don't ask me why I went to see the lobotomous remake of PSYCHO with Anne Heche and Vince Vaughan. I sat there going, no no, tell me they're not doing a scene-for-scene re-shoot. Please...someone insert something MORE different than a Sony Walkman. But no, they didn't. I never figured out why they cut down so many trees just to make enough celluloid for that film. And I sat there thru the whole film thinking, Surely, the NEXT sccene has to be a bit different...surely...

DIAL M FOR MURDER and A PERFECT MURDER were close enough to contain some common elements, but had enough differences to let me enjoy sitting there. One time. However, on trying to watch PERFECT MURDER subsequently, I can't do it. But when DIAL M hits the screen, I find it easy to watch Ray Milland and Grace Kelly.

I wonder what the popular choice will be in 20-30 years?

I do tend to judge a lot of films for Re-Watchability.

[Kalab]

Originally Posted by 4737carlin Anyone in any doubts as to remakes being bad ideas wait till this rubbish comes out Apple - Trailers - The Wicker Man - Trailer 1 Remakes are nothing new, just that modern day remakes for the most part are terrible. I was suprised to hear about Christopher Lee saying that he would like to see the Devil Rides Out remade, with modern technology he believes it could enhance the film. I was thinking about the Man Who Knew To Much and it got me wondering if there has been any other films made twice by the same director?

In reply to Carlin, In 1956 Alfred Hitchcock remade his 1934 film, 'The Man Who Knew Too Much', this time with James Stewart and Doris Day. Any others?

[NappieB]

"Poseidon" and "Flight of the Phoenix" are recent remakes of the two great movies "The Poseidon Adventure" and "Flight of the Phoenix".

They shouldn't have bothered!

[Carmel]

Some films looked better in Black and White and with the old actors that starred in them, When remakeing an old film to a modern it just does not suite the time and place in some remakes, me personally i think they should leave the old to the old and the modern to the modern. i can think of some that just did not work 1. The Wicker man what an awful remake 2. The Haunting another downer 3. Jayne Eyre how many of theses are we going to suffer through 4. The Poseidon adventure not a touch on the original 5. War of the worlds to much hype on this one at the time for what original was far better. I could go on and on about bad remakes.

[mel walton]

Been reading the comments on this thread, very, very interesting. Don't know whether I should be allowed to vote as I see very few late movies. We watch TCM about 90 % of the time and the remakes that I can think of go way back; IE; 'His Girl, Friday', 'the Maltese Falcon'. Two goods ones amongst several not so good ones. I think, Penfold had the best idea; doctor up the originaL instead of remaking the film, makes good sense. I 'll vote against adding color.

[sandfromaol]

Originally Posted by ChristineCB I know I hated Cruise-Speilberg's WAR OF WORLDS because I hated every human in it . I kept thinking, "Kill 'em, kill 'em all..."

I laughed so much at this comment, the neighbor's dog started barking uncontrollably, which resulted in a knock on my door to see if I was ok.

I must get better soundproofing.....

By the way, I completely agree... 'twas rubbish..