Films you hope do not get remade

Films you hope do not get remade Sept 22, 2018 22:19:13 GMT

Quote

Post by phludowin on Sept 22, 2018 22:19:13 GMT

Sept 22, 2018 15:38:01 GMT geode said:

Sept 22, 2018 15:05:19 GMT Aj_June said:

geode
I agree with phludowin . My reasoning is very simple. Everyone deserves a chance to remake a movie simply by desiring to do so. While remakes are mostly bad and are not able to increase the quality of original in majority of cases, that in itself is no reason to deny someone the chance.

May be you used an exaggerated way of writing that I didn't get. But to me everyone who is in film-making profession has certain aspirations and should have the chance to do what he or she wants to. If the remake is bad we will simply ignore it. Once in a while remakes are not that bad. Cape Fear for example is not that bad. Even though I personally like the original more, the remake is also good.

I was not talking about a right to do a remake, I was only saying I think it is usually a bad idea. What did I possibly say that led you to the conclusion that I thought remakes should be banned or illegal?

You said this:

Basically no films should be remade. I guess some remakes of silent movies such as "Ben-Hur" were justifiable but others in general? No way.

And Aj_June did not use the words "banned" or "illegal".

Sept 22, 2018 15:38:01 GMT geode said:

People are free to make as many remakes as they wish, but to me it is usually an artistic cop-out that they resort to when they lack the originality to make something new and fresh.

The same could be said about people who do not make a movie from an original script, but adapt a book. They tell the same story the book author told. That's why I mentioned that "Ben Hur" was originally a book.
To paraphrase Aj_June : Everybody deserves a chance to put a story into pictures. Whether this story comes from a book, or another movie, is irrelevant.
Every adaptation from a book that is not the first adaptation is a remake. Some books/stories have been made into countless movies; like "The Count of Monte Christo", "The Three Musketeers", or "Robin Hood". And all movie adaptations have strengths and weaknesses. And in all three cases, my favourite adaptation is not the first one.

Sept 22, 2018 15:38:01 GMT geode said:

The intent almost invariably is not artistic anyway, but financial.

The intent for every movie is financial. Movie production studios are profit-oriented companies. They will finance anything that makes money. And there's nothing wrong with it.

Sept 22, 2018 15:38:01 GMT geode said:

The analogy to stage plays does not work in my opinion since by definition they need to be re-staged for every performance. That is what makes film rather unique. It really is a closer analog to novels. So, say the estate of Margaret Mitchell decided that they would commission a rewrite of "Gone With the Wind"...is there a case to do so?

Why not?
Most stories have basic plots that get told in various ways.

Sept 22, 2018 15:38:01 GMT geode said:

This is the same thing I see with movies. The sad thing is that more than in any other era I think originality in films is rare. If remakes take up a significant portion of what is produced we get even less chance of something inventively original being made.

First, I don't believe it, and second: So what? Original doesn't necessarily mean good.
If I have the choice between watching an original and badly made movie and a well-made movie with a well-known plot, I'll usually choose the well-made movie.