Remaking original films : what works
What Makes a Good Remake of a Film
Remakes of originals are nothing new. We cannot fault the film industry for trying to reinterpret originals just as we could not fault Shakespeare for rewriting an Italian play which would become " Romeo and Juliet." However, remaking an original film is a very dangerous undertaking.
Breakfast_club There are a lot of horrible remakes on the way, among them Rosemary's Baby, The Breakfast Club , Sweet Sixteen, and others. It seems like a horrible idea to mess with a classic , and it is guaranteed to be constantly compared to the original.
The audience will always compare the copy to the original, and if it was a masterpiece it really will always pale in comparison. Take for example the remaking of "Psycho", it is a film that has been so etched into the psyche in every generation it was guaranteed to fail , no matter what. The movie is far too sacred to be toyed with, almost like trying to reinterpret Picasso.
The only way to reinvent a genius interpretation is to completely retool and rethink everything about the film, even the name. It is little known that the movie "Trainspotting" ( a film about Drug addled youth in Scotland) is the modern equivalent of "Clockwork Orange." Because it is placed in a different context, the audience does not even think to compare the two.
Another example of this is the "teen" remake of "Cruel Intentions," which although has the same script as the original film ( and the book) with Michelle Pfeiffer and John Malkovich, the film appeals to a younger and more modernized audience by placing the film in the context of the modern New York socialite world.
Charlie Another rule for successful remakes is for films that were not altogether serious to begin with. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is a film that was bankable because of the appeal to children and adults of adding the Oldham quirky touch to a classic film. The film "Sabrina" although having beloved actress Audrey Hepburn in it was remade to a delightful little film with Harrison Ford.
At times having bankable A list stars involved in a film may also prevent the inevitable comparisons. "Ocean's Eleven" was a beloved movie with the " Rat Pack" acting in it. However, it's modern predecessor was equally successful because of the presence of Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Julia Roberts as well as a very well written script.
Foreign film adaptations can also hold success when they are adapted. "City of Angels" the lovely and heartbreaking story of an angel falling in love with a woman, was originally a much darker German film. "The Birdcage" with Robin Williams was also a very successful French comedy. These films were bankable because they did not reach the larger world audience and therefore were freed from the inevitable comparisons to the original. They are also allowed a bit more slack because of the fact that they were "Americanized."
There are also films which were originally good but enough time has passed to allow room for reinterpretation. The film "Cape Fear" was successful in the 1950's but did not stand the test of time and allowed for a modern interpretation. "The Departed", "Titanic", and "The Fly" were also based on older films and in fact it can be argued were better than the original.
Remakes will always be present in Hollywood, and in the world. The vital thing is to respect the original material and to try to find a cohesive way to see things in a whole new way. Audiences will eventually respect people for it instead of just going for the literal interpretation.
Remakes imply that there was something horrible with the original film. This is not always the case, but many successful remakes have had certain levels of success through using these basic techniques. If only the film industry would follow them they would have saved themselves a lot of heartache!
Maryam DiMauro
Remakes of originals are nothing new. We cannot fault the film industry for trying to reinterpret originals just as we could not fault Shakespeare for rewriting an Italian play which would become " Romeo and Juliet." However, remaking an original film is a very dangerous undertaking.
Breakfast_club There are a lot of horrible remakes on the way, among them Rosemary's Baby, The Breakfast Club , Sweet Sixteen, and others. It seems like a horrible idea to mess with a classic , and it is guaranteed to be constantly compared to the original.
The only way to reinvent a genius interpretation is to completely retool and rethink everything about the film, even the name. It is little known that the movie "Trainspotting" ( a film about Drug addled youth in Scotland) is the modern equivalent of "Clockwork Orange." Because it is placed in a different context, the audience does not even think to compare the two.
Another example of this is the "teen" remake of "Cruel Intentions," which although has the same script as the original film ( and the book) with Michelle Pfeiffer and John Malkovich, the film appeals to a younger and more modernized audience by placing the film in the context of the modern New York socialite world.
Charlie Another rule for successful remakes is for films that were not altogether serious to begin with. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is a film that was bankable because of the appeal to children and adults of adding the Oldham quirky touch to a classic film. The film "Sabrina" although having beloved actress Audrey Hepburn in it was remade to a delightful little film with Harrison Ford.
At times having bankable A list stars involved in a film may also prevent the inevitable comparisons. "Ocean's Eleven" was a beloved movie with the " Rat Pack" acting in it. However, it's modern predecessor was equally successful because of the presence of Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Julia Roberts as well as a very well written script.
Foreign film adaptations can also hold success when they are adapted. "City of Angels" the lovely and heartbreaking story of an angel falling in love with a woman, was originally a much darker German film. "The Birdcage" with Robin Williams was also a very successful French comedy. These films were bankable because they did not reach the larger world audience and therefore were freed from the inevitable comparisons to the original. They are also allowed a bit more slack because of the fact that they were "Americanized."
There are also films which were originally good but enough time has passed to allow room for reinterpretation. The film "Cape Fear" was successful in the 1950's but did not stand the test of time and allowed for a modern interpretation. "The Departed", "Titanic", and "The Fly" were also based on older films and in fact it can be argued were better than the original.
Remakes will always be present in Hollywood, and in the world. The vital thing is to respect the original material and to try to find a cohesive way to see things in a whole new way. Audiences will eventually respect people for it instead of just going for the literal interpretation.
Remakes imply that there was something horrible with the original film. This is not always the case, but many successful remakes have had certain levels of success through using these basic techniques. If only the film industry would follow them they would have saved themselves a lot of heartache!
Maryam DiMauro
Deep Pencil
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Movie Train
clueless was a modern re-telling of jane austens emma, ten things i hate about you was shakespeares much ado about nothing, and bridget jones diary was essentially pride and prejudice . . . it is really very clever when they make the original stories barely recognisable
however i will say making film versions of popular tv shows from the past rarely comes across as funny as intended: mod squad, starsky and hutch, dukes of hazzard etc sometimes fall a little flatter than i anticipate
this is such an interesting topic, thanks for the post