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What is the reason behind creating a Remake of an All Time Classic?

It was brought up before. But is always for good conversation. I am not saying every classic should be remake. "Gone with the wind" or "West Side Story" need no remake. But at times I watch an old movie and no longer has the impact that 60, 50 years ago when produced. Sometimes is the method of acting, other times the language. I see westerns and missing are the several accents of those involved. The modern approach of speak for a cowboy of 1855. I will love a remake of "The Cid" with Javier Bardem in the leading role played by Charlton Heston. Eva Green in 15-20 years from now on a new "Sunset Boulevard" version. Always find interesting that... No greek or roman looking actors in movies about Greece or Rome. Hell, John Wayne played "Genghis Khan" and his brother in the movie was a Mexican. So that's a movie in need of a remake for the sake of ethnicity accuracy. I will like to see what movies you will like to see new versions and the why. Give us your casting you want. And tell us of movies you feel not ever whatsoever should be remake... like me with "Gone with the wind". Be all the creative you want. Is not a scientific task in need of corroboration evidence.

GipsyOfNewSpain 9 Jan 15
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I see many reasons why a classic film might be remade.

Modern sensibilities and ethics may well have supplanted previous ones. You mention "Gone with the Wind," which seems to me is ripe for a remake. A critical one, one in which we fully understand that Scarlett is clinging to a way of life that is not only slipping away, but ought to slip away. A new take on that story, one that shows her having to confront that everything she loved was built on a shocking immorality, could be a worthwhile story to tell.

Another reason is that modern technology, and dispensing with the Hayes Code that required avoiding over references to violence and sexuality, enables a story to be told better. Related, modern cinematic techniques and screenwriting conventions may offer a different or better angle on the story. (Query, though, if the Hayes Code didn't elicit a level of creativity and subtlety in storytelling that, no longer being necessary, has become lost.)

And third are modern twists on classic stories. Imagine "Look Who's Coming Home For Dinner?" with the races and sexes reversed, or otherwise mixed up, for instance, or "Strangers on a Train" with two gay characters. Is it the same story? Do we feel differently about that story when it gets shot through a different lens like that?

What I don't get, though, are the efforts by modern filmmakers to do shot-for-shot remakes of classic movies, like the attempt to remake "Psycho" shot-for-shot.

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A lot of times the decision is -- do we remake it, or are we creating a sequel/prequel to the original? Rob Zombie's Halloween was a remake, and it was a great one, but you can't help but look at them as totally separate films because of the vast differences. The remake of Planet of the Apes was a huge failure, but the prequels are amazing -- is it because we love our classics, or did they just get a better script and directors? 🙂

Other great remakes, that trump the original, in my opinion -- True Grit, 3:10 to Yuma, Dawn of the Dead, Cape Fear (as you said below), The Departed, and It. Now I could name three dozen terrible remakes, of course....

I'd be disappointed if they started remaking Alfred Hitchcock films (pretend that ridiculous shot-for-shot replication of Psycho never happened).... who could do them justice?

The potential is always there... to me is fascinating being in a project to re-create a classic and be able to make it better. The new audience is the key. what do they think. Today's audience is pampered with technology. As a former cable installer I was called to go and help a 20 year old fellow co-worker... he's never seen a tv without a remote control, couldn't change the channel and didn't wanted to ask the owner of the house. Pride got the best of him so a new audience may take on the new and ditch the old because the old was b/w or not enough explosions. De Niro's character in Cape Fear was one of the worst ex-con criminals I ever seen. Signs of times. The tattoos. because it was moved into an updated time instead of that old era. The setting is always key and I appreciate your input because you mentioned westerns that are not popular right now but were "It" at my childhood. And the remake were better.... As a kid drama shows were westerns or detectives private and police. Thanks. To be able to balance what will be different from the original while keeping the original is like playing god and who the fuck didn't ever played to be god as a child?

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I have nooo idea..I think they do so to add in CG action scenes..it generally destroys the orginal story I.e. War of the Worlds or The Thing..the orginals were outstanding.
The remakes..meh..

Blue Screens... As a boy I loved the scenes with 1000 extras running around making war. Now is all CG. Thanks for your two cents... much appreciated.

@GipsyOfNewSpain
you're welcome..as you may have seen in posts i've responded on..I have no problem sharing my 2 cents..sometimes a dollars worth.hehehe..

@Charlene And because of you... I may be 98 cents richer one day. You are always welcome to our little world.

@GipsyOfNewSpain well ty..and welcome to my Yuge world..

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desperation as hollywood is devoid of writers

Great point... The craft been taken over by special effects... And fucking zombies. I understood when the vampire craze came up, but zombies? You set up a trend and every other channel will follow. Opportunities that used to create the next director, actor, writer, producer, despite the several channels are not there. Is more of monkey see monkey do. What is it now? Magic? Time/dimension travelling? angels and devils among us? And a phrase from last century... "sex sells". fifty shades of garbage is a remake really of Last Tango in Paris. With glamour instead of misery for the millenials. I recommend you a great movie about Hollywood, is a bio-documentary called "The Kid Stays In The Picture". A producer and his whole life. From battle with Frank SInatra about Mia Farrow working Rosemary's Baby to him losing a woman to Steve Mcqueen. Great honest portrait of a producer in his own words. Thank You for your two cents.

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When both the possible rewards and the risks are great, there is a tendency to just do what has been done before. Then if it fails, you can always say "it worked last time". If you do something new and it fails, you may have to return to your previous career in the fast food industry. Movies are usually made with other people's money, it is easier to show the money people something from before and saying, "it is like this, but with more explosions." Now there is no law that says the remake has to suck, but unfortunately, that is usually the case.

The thing about the explosions... maybe that is why I don't care for james bond anymore. I have an opportunity to sit down watching movies with an ex-con and all he cared about in the movies was deaths, crimes committed, murders and explosions. His wife told me.... what else he did in prison but watch violent tv shows? It does saddest me that nobody can come up with a movie saying I could had done a remake of this better. Or I wish to see a remake of this for this or that reason. I learned from friends that were musicians in the 70's how different they listened to music. How they isolated a certain instrument and did not paid attention to the lyrics or the rest and they come up with ways to make the song better. I in turn will change the lyrics. They were young 17-18 but will come up with ways. I put out the question and there is so much of negativity for why not and seems to be bogged in money and lack of imagination to make something better. So do makes me understand how then science is accepted as the new religion. So now I see how often enough, not referring to you in specific are the same that believe in aliens and jesus never existed and there is not a god but they can't imagine making something better yet they will worship anything science put out. I can not make a better Casablanca or Gone with the wind but having the money and resources there a few westerns I would had tried to make more authentic, treating the native american more fairly. I think the Last of the Mohicans was a Great Remake. Not to you George.... Forget the Fucking money and learn to be Fucking creative. When I was in my group of 8 years old I was the one driving the story line of our games. Doesn't matter if I was a nazi soldier or an apache renegade or the pirate that lived in a tree. We dreamed and killed dragons. An example; a knocked down tree to us was a tank, a fort, a cave, a spaceship, a pirate ship, a castle, a dragon, dinosaur, a monster, a bomber plane, a burning house, a ranch under attack, a submarine, a destroyer... never a knocked down tree.

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Moolah for the studios.

Oh yeah have to bring revenue. Nobody do movies anymore for the love of art.

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$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

You got the money I got the remake. A remake of gunfight in the ok corral but in a one flew over the cuckoo's nest environment. The Earps and Doc Holliday are the patients and the cowboys are the nurses. Just 10 days in the facility to build up the tension. for the final showdown in the cafeteria for OK corral. Instead of baseball game the Super Bowl. Based on a real life experience of course.

if it's on a screen its based on money

@LeighShelton You are correct. To make it to the screen has to bring money... How many versions are we going to see of the Murder on the Orient Express?

as many that will sell

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Why? I have seen so few remakes that were anywhere near as good as the original. The only reason for making one is that it require little original creativity.

That is the point to make one better than the original. You can take the original script as departure point. Correct the wrongs, do better casting, so much that can be done.. like they say "only mediocre people are at their best because the rest of us are trying to improve". Casablanca is an example of a movie not needing a new version. So Gone with the wind yet newer versions of the phantom of the opera were better. Because the technology got better. Music got better etc. What a better challenge than topping greatness. I will like to see Eva Green as Gloria Desmond in Sunset Boulevard.. Gabriel Bardem as Rui Diaz de Vivar on The Cid. Forget about the original creativity because they say in hollywood there are only 32 plots and everything you see is exactly that, one of the 32 plots. Actors will tell you to be able to take somebody else classic and reproduce it as new takes a lot of original creativity. Every guy playing Dracula is an example of that hit and miss situation. Bela Lugosi was not the original count. The point is to make better that the classic.

@GipsyOfNewSpain , stories about the same character are not necessarily remakes. If you think there are only 32 plots maybe you should watch some Canadian cinema, where viewer are know to shout out; "Oh, no its Canadian! " the is partially because the movies have new and exotic plots no one can relate too because of the failings of Hollywood to get beyond 32.

@HeathenFarmer variation of the same 32 plots. don't short yourself. If you can't come up with a reason for a remake it is okay. Is not that I think there are 32 plots but steven spielberg said it in an interview and do makes a lot of sense. A murder by a spouse is a murder by a spouse regardless how or where it happens. I look for innovation in foreign language movies because they don't need to feed the audience with killing and explosion. I had noticed how the hero of many movies is nothing but a serial killer in a murdering spree and not once is considered by press or cops in the movie as a serial killer. Noticed also lately the missing of blood when somebody get shot within 5 to 10 seconds there is not another shot in the movie when you see the corpse unless is part of the plot which in most cases is not. I gave the example of what I will do westerns in which every character who just being in country 20-30 years or less kept their accent, where a cowboy do not talk with modern lingo and thinking were the native american gets a fair assessment of their situation and why they are in a warpath. I mentioned to someone about a gunfight in the OK corral settled within the confines of a mental institution ala one flew over the cuckoo's nest in current time, is not remake but is not out of the 32 plots either. I love the effort done in trying to bring a Shakespeare act into modern times. It does not always work and most likely it will work in theater and not in movie. After all William S was not thinking in a movie script. About western movies. I will give you this true example of how the west really was.... This is History... Do you know the messenger that took the message to officer Reno with the order to reinforce Custer did not spoke English? Was an Irish born soldier and when questioned couldn't give any answer of the situation. So Reno disregarded the order. It is in those details about the john wayneless west that could told in a new light. And like I said you don't need to see another remake. I did enjoy much the remake of The Last of the Mohicans. Or a couple of the Draculas too. Not the last one... was terrible. I don't need to see another bad remake but a good one... I am all for it.

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