While I agree that the 1920’s Ben Hur was far better than the 1950’s Ben Hur, (the reason I put that on my list is because the 1950’s version is usually better remembered by the lay public), you must admit that both pale completely when placed in comparison with the Ben Hur of 1907, Positively the most super Ben-Hur motion picture ever made. And one of the greatest films of that year, easily rivaling That Fatal Sneeze, and MR. HURRY-UP OF NEW YORK, and far surpassing such commercialistic tripe as The Roller Skate Craze and Dancing Box Match, Montgomery and Stone,
The film shows the early genius of Sidney Olcott at his best, Gene Gauntier’s unimitable dialogue really allows us a fantastic glimpse into the seedy underbelly of early silent-era Roman sport-competition and reflects her outstanding abilities to outdo her earlier written genius as seen in The Days of ’61, and combine mad art with sublime style, not unlike her smash hit Why Girls Leave Home,
For Herman Rottger, truly the star of this picture, this film represents the height of his actorial peak, like a supernova that sends light across a thousand galaxies, or a pyrotechnician in Womanhood, the Shame of a Nation, the scene with him in the Chariot Match is one of the few truly spiritual experiences one can hope to have in a movie theater.
Ultimately, this 1907 film is proof positive for me that Jesus loves us and wants us to be Super.
Farewell, My Lovely (1975) - originally Murder, My Sweet (1944)
Henry V (1989) - first film 1944
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) - first film 1956
Richard III (1996) - first film 1908
Sorcerer (1977) - originally Wages of Sin (1955)
You seem to mention some very old films. Please forgive my film history ignorance, but some of the originals from like 1910 or 1907....were those silent films? IF so, is it fair to compare them to movies made 30-50 years later? And what qualifies as a "remake"? Haven't there been many films on say Robin Hood, Frankenstein and Dracula? Does each that came after the original really qualify as a "remake"? There is a cartoon version of Robin Hood also. Is that a remake?
The first one that came to mind for me was John Carpenter’s The Thing, one of the best horror movies ever made. I like the Howard Hawks version too, but Carpenter’s film takes full advantage of the claustrophobic and paranoid atmosphere of the original story. The spider-head scene scared the crap out of me when I was a kid.
I’d include both remakes of What Price Hollywood. The first was A Star is Born in 1937 with Janet Gaynor and Frederic March. The second was A Star is Born in 1954 with Judy Garland and James Mason. There was a third remake of it, but I’d just as soon forget about that one.
Yes, most (though not all) films prior to 1928/9 were silent. You’re right, it’s not fair to compare them–but not all talkies suck . . . I’m sure any day now they’ll get the hang of making them.
You must be joking. Robert Mitchum was far more menacing than Robert De Niro ever thought of being. The remake was poorly done, in my view, and completely unnecessary.
I like subtle. I like the fact that Mitchum just blacked the eye of Bowden’s mistress, instead of turning her whole face into hamburger and putting her into a hospital bed, like De Niro did.