What are some of the best remakes out there? I’m looking for remakes that were as good as, or better than, the original.
Let’s keep it to one entry per post, please.
I’ll start:
The Thing. (John Carpenter’s version.)
The original was a great flick, but I thought Carpenter did an even better job of building tension. The film had some nice cinematography as well, including the opening sequence where the ersatz “husky” is being chased across the Antarctic ice. Carpenter’s version of the film was also more true to the original story upon which both movies were based.(“Who Goes There?”)
Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V. Less fanciful than Olivier’s, darker, with the added bonus of Falstaff. But I’m not sure it’s better than the first one, I mean, he IS Olivier…
A little persistance goes a long way. Announcing:
“I go on guilt trips a couple of time a year. Mom books them for me.” A custom made Wally .sig!
I much prefer the Ralph Fiennes/Juliette Binoche version of Wuthering Heights - much closer to the book than the Olivier/Oberon vesion (or any of the several others); at least the RF/JB covers the whole book. It didn’t get great reviews, though.
While we’re on Branagh, let’s not forget Hamlet. Definitely the most complete and moving version I’ve seen. It’s cool to be able to watch a four hour movie and never get bored. I’ve seen a few versions including Olivier, Burton and Gibson(Hey, shaddup! I liked his version too! ;)), but none have opened the play up for me like Branaugh’s version. The fight scene at the end is beyond cool!
I’ll chime in later with some others.
Just make yourself comfy while I shoot nuclear particles into your heart.
(Courtesy of Wally)
The 1983 Mel Brooks/Anne Bancroft remake of TO BE OR NOT TO BE was inferior to the 1942 Jack Benny/Carole Lombard original in every way, but they DID get to slip in this nifty extra line:
Nazi Officer: All the Fuehrer wishes to do is to purge the national theater of Jews and homosexuals.
Mel Brooks: Without Jews and homosexuals, there IS no theater!
D.W. Griffith’s 1922 “Orphans of the Storm,” with the Gish Sisters, was far preferable to the Edison version of 1911, even though that one did have Kathlyn Williams in it . . .
OK, I’m probably going to get hooted down for this one, but how about:
Cape Fear. As good as the original was, DeNiro absolutely went off on the Cady role, and the entire cast of the remake turned in solid performances. I prefer the remake to the original.
I really, really liked the remake of “Miracle on 34th St.” from a few years back with Dylan McDermott and Elizabeth Perkins. It was realisticly fresh (meaning they didn’t just update it by throwing a bunch of fads or catch phrases into it) and yet very true to the original.
I also liked the Beatty/Benning remake of “An Affair to Remember”, “Love Affair,” but I have to admit I never saw the original so I don’t know how it compares.
“Satan – I’ve had enough of your two cents!” – The hilarious Federalist
I finally got to see ‘The Little Shop Around the Corner’ upon which ‘You’ve Got Mail’ was based. I thought YGM was much better. Though I did like James Stewart in the earlier film, I didn’t care much for Margaret Sullavan’s role. She was just too ambitious about getting a monied spouse, to think that would have been appealing to a co-worker was a bit unbelievable.
The second ‘My Man Godfrey’ was better with June Allyson than the earlier one with Carole Lombarde, I LIKE Lombarde, but I thought her acting was just way over the top, bordering on the hysterical at times.
Judy
“Muck should replace ‘suck’. For ‘muck’ is yucky, while ‘suck’ feels very lucky. So, don’t stay stuck on suck, switch to MUCK, today.”
I really liked the Adrian Lyne version of Lolita. It was at least as good as the Stanley Kubrick version and it focused on a different section of the Lolita story so it didn’t really take away from the enjoyment of the original.
Thanks for the grin, RC!!