Remakes

Remakes : A necessary evil?

Number 2 indicates that the movie has been done before.

And that it earned enough at the Box Office to warrant a second take.

The popular sequel” SCREAM 2” actually pokes fun and satirizes the clichés of movie sequels throughout the whole movie.

Ironic, but fun, and, I guess, an admission from the producers that they have no good scripts lying around at the moment.

But Scream 2 is an exception, a horror film that is funny and pokes fun at itself is quite unique.

Other famous titles such as India Jones, Star Wars etc. are not necessary according to me

And don’t even get me started on so-called prequels.

Its story has been told, its actors and actresses, producers and directors have done their job with some measure of success and now they all need another down payment to redecorate their mansions in the hills of Hollywood.

A sequel implies laziness and a lack of creativity.

But can the same be said of remakes?

Remakes suggest the story has been told indeed, but likely the faces will be fresh, new young blood will get to shine in popular or iconic roles and an up-and-coming director will get to make that happen.

Can anyone copy Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock's inimitable style? Can anyone create suspense from nothing like only he could?

Yet in 1998 director Andrew Davis did a very respectable attempt of remaking a classic from the master, a remake of the wonderfully suspenseful "Dial M for Murder".

Everyone was wondering, can a contemporary actress, no matter how good, hold a candle to princesses Grace? Could anyone match her elegance and grace (no pun intended)? Reach the sole of her shoes as an actress?

Well in that particular case the answer isn't "no". It is yes and no.

A Perfect Murder follows the original story very closely and even though much of the "whodunit " suspense is of out of the picture (pun not intended), it is altogether not a bad movie.

There is still suspense, there is still some mystery, after all perhaps they've changed the intrigue somewhat  as they have changed other aspects of the story .

Reviews weren't kind, with an especially severe   James Berardinelli writing 

 "the film has inexplicably managed to eliminate almost everything that was worthwhile about Dial M for Murder, leaving behind the nearly-unwatchable wreckage of a would-be '90s thriller."

But it earned a respectable amount at the US Box Office nevertheless. I think that is because people aren't opposed to remakes, provided they have some added quality.

The "Psycho" remake by Gus Van Sant starring Anne Heche and Vincent Anthony Vaughn , also in 1998, didn't do well at all, it was just a shot by shot remake with little or no modernization whatsoever.

I believe there are still many classics that deserve a remake or is it that they deserve or need a second chance?

Mostly remakes will be produced of previously successful pictures, but is that right?

Sure it might be interesting to see a fan favourite reshot with new actors, or new locations as Scott Abbott has done in his remake of the classic Rosemary’s’ Baby.

Same story but with an African American actress in the role of Rosemary and the action happening in the amazing city of Paris instead of in the US. Having seen both I can attest to the fact that it doesn’t  feel like watching the movie again.

They feel like two distinct movies

And inexplicably I do not miss not knowing who the bad guys are. It’s as if one watches the remake with a different perspective.

While watching the remake I’m thinking: “Yes we know the story and intrigue, but show us what you have done with it”.

Or perhaps it’s the just the amazing Carole Bouquet who portrays the dangerous Margaux Castevet who makes it happen. It’s hard to say, but the remake works and has received mostly positive reviews and praise for Patrick J. Adams’s portrayal of the treacherous Guy.

Carole Bouquet

But shouldn’t producers look to remake stories that fell under the radar too? There are plenty of gems that somehow never made it big. Because they were ahead of their day, or perhaps the acting was poor, or simply that the timing of release was off.

As much as I’m an enthusiast of well-produced remakes, I feel that remakes shouldn’t be limited to successful titles of the past.  Find those hidden gems and remake them. Let people discover a beautiful, intriguing and perhaps educational story with all the benefits of a remake for the producers.

If I had to choose a movie to be remade now in 2019 I would need a moment to think, but I would probably end up choosing a remake of Gone With the Wind.

This movie has never bored me and it’s exciting to think of how a remake would be produced with current technology and CGI possibilities.

It would also be interesting to see the choices that will need to be made.

Actors for starters, can anyone duplicate the mind blowing performances of the likes of Clark Gable and the soft-spoken Olivia de Havilland?

Would the director rectify some of the racism found in the story, or would the director choose to stay true to the book by Margaret Mitchell written and published in the 1930s.

Can you possibly tell the same story as one told earlier, nearly a century ago?

I’m not sure. But I find the idea that these choices have to be made, that there will be many meetings on the subjects of racism,  slavery and green eyes,  almost as interesting as seeing the remake itself.

Any Hollywood producer reading my blog ? Please take remakes into consideration the next time you pitch ideas to the executives.

Old forgotten movies perhaps, or movies no one can ever forget.

And of course Gone With the wind.

Ps. I’m available as an extra of for a supporting role. I’ll start practising my southern accent right now.