The Dam Busters remake - Britmovie

Marky B · 17-12-2003, 04:10 PM

I understand Mel Gibson was going to make a remake a few years ago with Liam Neeson as Barnes Wallis and Gibbo playing Gibbo. (Although one newspaper wag suggested Denzil Washington was going to play Gibson and his dog was going to be called Whitey).
It would have been interesting to see if they would have kept the original music. In fact it would have been interesting if they kept to the facts and not "Americanised" it.
Ta Ta
Marky B

DB7 · 09-12-2005, 10:39 AM

Frost clears Dam Busters for take-off

Tara Conlan
Thursday December 8, 2005

The Dam Busters: Sir David Frost's Paradine is to remake the 1950s black and white classic film
It could be "chocks away" again for The Dam Busters after veteran TV interviewer Sir David Frost snapped up the rights to the second world war classic.

The cult film looks set to be remade after Sir David acquired the rights for an undisclosed sum. He has long been a fan of the film and chose the theme tune to the classic war film as one of his favourites on Radio's Desert Island Discs last week. Sir David bought the rights to a three-year option after the Mentorn creative director, Steve Anderson, alerted him to the sale.

"The idea came out of a conversation with Steve Anderson. I said I thought it was a great idea and said I would pursue it," he said.

"That was a couple of years ago. The situation was quite complicated but we have, just a couple of weeks ago, signed an option agreement with the Brickhill family [relation of the author, Paul]. Now we begin to see if we can make it [a remake] happen.

"With all the digital technology there is now, a new version could be even more exciting. But we can't change the music - it's so fantastically stirring."

Sir David said the new film will explore the characters in greater depth but said he was not sure whether Guy Gibson's dog "Nigger" would be included in the remake.

"We've not yet decided to do about the dog. It plays an important part but the last few times I've seen the film on TV, he's been cut out, presumably because of the name. Perhaps your readers could suggest a new name!"

The remake will be made through Sir David's company, Paradine, which has a three-year option on the project.

Sir David said he and Mr Anderson will be executive producers on the film.

"It will be a David Paradine production for a major studio or major investor. Steve Anderson will also be credited on it," he said.

"The new film won't be cheap. But it really did feel worth having a go. We will consult with the family on it. We have one or two people in mind to play the leading characters but haven't approached them yet. It's a great project and I'm looking forward to seeing it take off."

The Dam Busters follows the true story of inventor Dr Barnes Wallis and his quest to build an ingenious "bouncing bomb" to blow up strategically vital German dams in the Ruhr valley.

On the night of May 16 1943, the specially formed 617 Squadron flew 19 modified Lancaster bombers to Germany, on a mission that was to become one of the most famous episodes of the second world war.

It was celebrated in the 1950s black and white classic film, The Dam Busters, starring Michael Redgrave as Barnes Wallis and Richard Todd as gallant Wing Commander Guy Gibson. The movie - adapted for the screen by RC Sherriff from Gibson and Paul Brickhill's novel - went on to become one of the nation's favourite films.

The Dam Busters March, composed by Eric Coates, also became one of the most popular film scores ever written.

Since he left BBC1's Breakfast With Frost in May, Sir David has diversified his interests. His company, Paradine Productions, is to make a new series for ITV, Frost Tonight, concentrating on politics and current affairs in London.

The only man to have interviewed the last six British prime ministers and seven American presidents is also starting a new interview show for Arabic satellite channel al-Jazeera's new English-language service.

The new al-Jazeera show will feature a mix of "world leaders and entertainment leaders", said the broadcaster. Sir David is also continuing to work for the BBC on a series of Frost Interview specials and long-running gameshow Through the Keyhole.

samkydd · 09-12-2005, 11:09 AM

Not another sodding remake! I suppose the theme tune will be remixed and hummed by G4!

DB7 · 09-12-2005, 11:43 AM

Quote:

(samkydd @ Dec 9 2005, 11:09 AM)
Not another sodding remake! I suppose the theme tune will be remixed and hummed by G4!

And this time the German's save the day:

716Jones · 09-12-2005, 11:54 AM

They would have to rename the dog, wouldn't they, can't risk offending anyone. But why remake the film, it might offend the Germans. "Don't mention the war!"

samkydd · 09-12-2005, 12:48 PM

Quote:

(DB7 @ Dec 9 2005, 10:39 AM)
The Dam Busters follows the true story of inventor Dr Barnes Wallis and his quest to build an ingenious "bouncing bomb" to blow up strategically vital German dams in the Ruhr valley.

Since a lot of secret WW2 documents came into the public domain a few years ago I would have thought that there were many more interesting previously unknown events which would make good NEW films. Sorry, NEW is a dirty word in the film industry!

dylan · 09-12-2005, 12:58 PM

Tom Cruise as Guy Gibson?

Rob Compton · 09-12-2005, 01:13 PM

Nah...Hugh Grant would play him better!

rgds
Rob

ollie · 09-12-2005, 01:37 PM

What's the bleedin point.

cheers Ollie.

Marky B · 09-12-2005, 01:55 PM

The Dambusterswasn't just a war film,it was in a class of its own and the new version will be forever compared to the original. Will he use the same music? And as for the dog,why change its name - the dog's name was part of the mission and therefore part of history. As Sam said,there are plenty of other stories from the Second World War II to make films out of and leave Michael Anderson's classic alone.
Ta Ta
Marky B

Harbottle · 09-12-2005, 03:34 PM

Utterly pointless

smudge · 09-12-2005, 05:39 PM

Apart from anything else, is there an audience for it ?

SMUDGE

Punking · 09-12-2005, 06:16 PM

I watched this just the other day, and I still enjoyed it. The effects are not too shabby considering when it was made. They're a lot better than the ones in 633 Squadron ( a later film) which I made the mistake of watching soon after. Like most people here I also don't see the point in a re-make, but at least it looks like it will be a British re-make and not an American studio one. They'd replace everybody with Americans and have the dog changed into Jessica Simpson, Guy's sexy love interest.

Col.

penfold · 09-12-2005, 10:06 PM

Some of the effects show their age...but the central performances of Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave are unrepeatable, especially in the final sequences where they are coming to terms with the loss of their colleagues lives.
As Frostie has bought the rights to the book, he should film the rest of it...the dams raid is only the first section. What 617 Squadron achieved after Gibson left and was replaced by Leonard Cheshire - he of the homes - in terms of precision bombing was, if anything, even more remarkable. Because their Lancasters could only carry one bomb each (six-, later ten-tonners) they made certain they hit the targets; bridges, tunnels, even battleships.Their precision was remarkable dropping from high altitude. Of course they relied on flare droppers to pinpoint the targets - the Pathfinder squadrons were nowhere near good enough - so Cheshire dropped the flares himself, at low level. Anyone here fancy dive-bombing in a Lancaster??? Their ethos was to avoid innocent casualties - especially when the targets were in France, and they disliked the indiscriminate carpet bombing of much of the war.The final sequence could be Cheshire being the official RAF observer of the atom bomb drops...a different era begins, the age of heroes dies..

mysteriesofedgarwallace · 09-12-2005, 10:32 PM

This film is one of my favourite war films.
Agreed, Todd's and Redgrave's performances are without equal.

What does Frost thing he is playing at?
Pompous ass.........

17-12-2003, 04:10 PM	#1
Marky B Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Billingham,Cleveland Posts: 3,269 My Mood: Country: iTrader: (0)	The Dam Busters remake I understand Mel Gibson was going to make a remake a few years ago with Liam Neeson as Barnes Wallis and Gibbo playing Gibbo. (Although one newspaper wag suggested Denzil Washington was going to play Gibson and his dog was going to be called Whitey). It would have been interesting to see if they would have kept the original music. In fact it would have been interesting if they kept to the facts and not "Americanised" it. Ta Ta Marky B __________________ I once shot an elephant in my pyjamas - how he got in my pyjamas,I'll never know

09-12-2005, 10:39 AM	#2
DB7 Administrator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Shrops Posts: 5,724 My Mood: Country: iTrader: (10)	The Dam Busters remake Frost clears Dam Busters for take-off Tara Conlan Thursday December 8, 2005 The Dam Busters: Sir David Frost's Paradine is to remake the 1950s black and white classic film It could be "chocks away" again for The Dam Busters after veteran TV interviewer Sir David Frost snapped up the rights to the second world war classic. The cult film looks set to be remade after Sir David acquired the rights for an undisclosed sum. He has long been a fan of the film and chose the theme tune to the classic war film as one of his favourites on Radio's Desert Island Discs last week. Sir David bought the rights to a three-year option after the Mentorn creative director, Steve Anderson, alerted him to the sale. "The idea came out of a conversation with Steve Anderson. I said I thought it was a great idea and said I would pursue it," he said. "That was a couple of years ago. The situation was quite complicated but we have, just a couple of weeks ago, signed an option agreement with the Brickhill family [relation of the author, Paul]. Now we begin to see if we can make it [a remake] happen. "With all the digital technology there is now, a new version could be even more exciting. But we can't change the music - it's so fantastically stirring." Sir David said the new film will explore the characters in greater depth but said he was not sure whether Guy Gibson's dog "Nigger" would be included in the remake. "We've not yet decided to do about the dog. It plays an important part but the last few times I've seen the film on TV, he's been cut out, presumably because of the name. Perhaps your readers could suggest a new name!" The remake will be made through Sir David's company, Paradine, which has a three-year option on the project. Sir David said he and Mr Anderson will be executive producers on the film. "It will be a David Paradine production for a major studio or major investor. Steve Anderson will also be credited on it," he said. "The new film won't be cheap. But it really did feel worth having a go. We will consult with the family on it. We have one or two people in mind to play the leading characters but haven't approached them yet. It's a great project and I'm looking forward to seeing it take off." The Dam Busters follows the true story of inventor Dr Barnes Wallis and his quest to build an ingenious "bouncing bomb" to blow up strategically vital German dams in the Ruhr valley. On the night of May 16 1943, the specially formed 617 Squadron flew 19 modified Lancaster bombers to Germany, on a mission that was to become one of the most famous episodes of the second world war. It was celebrated in the 1950s black and white classic film, The Dam Busters, starring Michael Redgrave as Barnes Wallis and Richard Todd as gallant Wing Commander Guy Gibson. The movie - adapted for the screen by RC Sherriff from Gibson and Paul Brickhill's novel - went on to become one of the nation's favourite films. The Dam Busters March, composed by Eric Coates, also became one of the most popular film scores ever written. Since he left BBC1's Breakfast With Frost in May, Sir David has diversified his interests. His company, Paradine Productions, is to make a new series for ITV, Frost Tonight, concentrating on politics and current affairs in London. The only man to have interviewed the last six British prime ministers and seven American presidents is also starting a new interview show for Arabic satellite channel al-Jazeera's new English-language service. The new al-Jazeera show will feature a mix of "world leaders and entertainment leaders", said the broadcaster. Sir David is also continuing to work for the BBC on a series of Frost Interview specials and long-running gameshow Through the Keyhole.

09-12-2005, 11:09 AM	#3
samkydd Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Stackton Tressle Posts: 2,283 Country: iTrader: (0)	Not another sodding remake! I suppose the theme tune will be remixed and hummed by G4! __________________ "...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"

09-12-2005, 01:37 PM	#9
ollie Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: broomhall Posts: 576 Country: iTrader: (0)	What's the bleedin point. cheers Ollie. __________________ "Bullseye !!"

09-12-2005, 01:55 PM	#10
Marky B Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Billingham,Cleveland Posts: 3,269 My Mood: Country: iTrader: (0)	The Dambusterswasn't just a war film,it was in a class of its own and the new version will be forever compared to the original. Will he use the same music? And as for the dog,why change its name - the dog's name was part of the mission and therefore part of history. As Sam said,there are plenty of other stories from the Second World War II to make films out of and leave Michael Anderson's classic alone. Ta Ta Marky B __________________ I once shot an elephant in my pyjamas - how he got in my pyjamas,I'll never know

09-12-2005, 11:54 AM	#5
716Jones Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: South Yorkshire Posts: 121 Country: iTrader: (0)	They would have to rename the dog, wouldn't they, can't risk offending anyone. But why remake the film, it might offend the Germans. "Don't mention the war!"

09-12-2005, 12:58 PM	#7
dylan Moderator Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: London Posts: 508 Country: iTrader: (0)	Tom Cruise as Guy Gibson?

09-12-2005, 01:13 PM	#8
Rob Compton Senior Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Oxfordshire Posts: 1,190 Country: iTrader: (2)	Nah...Hugh Grant would play him better! rgds Rob

09-12-2005, 03:34 PM	#11
Harbottle Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Hampshire Posts: 1,091 Country: iTrader: (14)	Utterly pointless

09-12-2005, 05:39 PM	#12
smudge Moderator Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Wolverhampton Posts: 3,051 Country: iTrader: (10)	Apart from anything else, is there an audience for it ? SMUDGE __________________ Welcome to my house. Enter freely, and of your own will...

09-12-2005, 06:16 PM	#13
Punking Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 4 iTrader: (0)	I watched this just the other day, and I still enjoyed it. The effects are not too shabby considering when it was made. They're a lot better than the ones in 633 Squadron ( a later film) which I made the mistake of watching soon after. Like most people here I also don't see the point in a re-make, but at least it looks like it will be a British re-make and not an American studio one. They'd replace everybody with Americans and have the dog changed into Jessica Simpson, Guy's sexy love interest. Col.

09-12-2005, 10:06 PM	#14
penfold Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Bristol Posts: 2,740 Country: iTrader: (0)	Some of the effects show their age...but the central performances of Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave are unrepeatable, especially in the final sequences where they are coming to terms with the loss of their colleagues lives. As Frostie has bought the rights to the book, he should film the rest of it...the dams raid is only the first section. What 617 Squadron achieved after Gibson left and was replaced by Leonard Cheshire - he of the homes - in terms of precision bombing was, if anything, even more remarkable. Because their Lancasters could only carry one bomb each (six-, later ten-tonners) they made certain they hit the targets; bridges, tunnels, even battleships.Their precision was remarkable dropping from high altitude. Of course they relied on flare droppers to pinpoint the targets - the Pathfinder squadrons were nowhere near good enough - so Cheshire dropped the flares himself, at low level. Anyone here fancy dive-bombing in a Lancaster??? Their ethos was to avoid innocent casualties - especially when the targets were in France, and they disliked the indiscriminate carpet bombing of much of the war.The final sequence could be Cheshire being the official RAF observer of the atom bomb drops...a different era begins, the age of heroes dies.. __________________ Bit of a Bay Window, what??

09-12-2005, 10:32 PM	#15
mysteriesofedgarwallace Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Sussex Posts: 582 Country: iTrader: (0)	This film is one of my favourite war films. Agreed, Todd's and Redgrave's performances are without equal. What does Frost thing he is playing at? Pompous ass.........

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