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essential movie remakes (1 Viewer)

jayleaf

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i don't post too often but i've had a movie in mind for a long time that deserves to be remade. i'm sure many of you remember the fine british film "Sink the Bismarck" released in the early 50's. it's always been one of my favorites and i would truly love to see this film redone, taking full advantage of modern CGI and DTS sound. the battle sequences would be breathtaking to say the least, if that alone is not reason enough to remake "Sink the Bismarck" it also happens to be one of the most compelling naval stories of WW2.

but i'm also curious to hear if other people have older films they would love to see remade some day.
 

FoxyMulder

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They are re-making another British film, The Dam Busters, i have a problem with it, they are changing the dogs name to be more politically correct, now i disagree with that, stick with the facts, if it's based on a true story then all the names need to be the same including the dogs. Most modern re-makes are disappointing, effects are better but everything else seems worse.
 

Jonathan Perregaux

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Dam Busters: Not only was their black dog (who was tragically run over just prior to the first raid) named ((racial epithet)), but the code word used to signal success on the first mission was also ((racial epithet)). Whoever touches this script better have a ten-foot pole.Tough call on being faithful to the facts, but of course Roots and its sequel both used the same offensive term quite liberally all over broadcast television. However... that hardly compares, does it?It's harder to shine a light on the fallacies of racism and prejudice when you're only talking about a dog mascot's name that, during the 40's, was quite common. Unless the screenplay is genius.Plus, the word "dam."Safer to call it "The Darn Busters" and name the dog Fido.
 

schan1269

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Dam isn't offensive....

Damn is.

And Damn is only offensive with...God in front of it.

As damn is just short for damnation. That...is in the bible.

Ironic.
 

Camps

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Can think of few examples of remakes that were a good idea. Haven't seen the latest KONG but the 1976 version was a pretty good case in point. How about the remake of MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE? Pffft.

DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS was a rare exception. Helping out was the presence of the great Michael Caine and Steve Martin in the roles originally essayed by David Niven and Marlon Brando in the original BEDTIME STORY (strangely, still not out on region 1 DVD).

More typical exceptions seem to be filmings of public domain classics, such as Coppola's DRACULA.
 

Josh Steinberg

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I think the 2001 remake of "Ocean's Eleven" with George Clooney is far superior to the Frank Sinatra original. The original had a good premise but wasn't a great film in my opinion, and I think the remake took the idea and made it into something enjoyable and fun. So maybe that's the secret to a good remake - remake movies that had good ideas but weren't exactly great movies.
 

schan1269

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I think(and hope) the OP wasn't addressing...

Great foreign movie...remade American style.

I hope he meant..if it was X, X is doing to the remake.

Take Zulu. So glad there has never been a US remake of that...
 

David Weicker

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Going back, there have been several 'remakes' where the remake was better, or at least as good (in some cases, where the original is all but forgotten)

Maltese Falcon - '31 and '41
Ben Hur - '26 and '59
Love Affair/An Affair To Remember - '39 and '57
To Be Or Not To Be - '42 and '83
Here Comes Mr. Jordan/Heaven Can Wait - '41 and '78
 

classicmovieguy

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I consider the 1933 Katharine Hepburn & 1949 June Allyson versions of "Little Women" to be pretty much on a par. The '49 version changes some scenes and adds different things, but both versions I find equally enchanting.
 

ScottHM

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There's no need to remake a film that's already considered a classic. The best bet IMO is to find films that almost worked the first time around and fix the deficiencies.

---------------
 

Robin9

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Josh Steinberg said:
So maybe that's the secret to a good remake - remake movies that had good ideas but weren't exactly great movies.
You've hit the nail on the head. That should be exactly the formula film makers follow. There are literally hundreds of films that didn't quite work but which came close. Often it was one single failing that spoiled the film. The leading lady was a moving piece of cardboard, the leading man overplayed horribly, there was a scene which simply didn't make sense, the action sequences were slackly staged etc.

These are the films which should be remade and the earlier film should provide a template for the remake. Instead the studios remake films which were big commercial successes and which cannot be improved on. For example: Psycho. How could anyone believe it was possible to improve on Hitchcock's original?
 

jayleaf

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schan1269 said:
I think(and hope) the OP wasn't addressing...

Great foreign movie...remade American style.

I hope he meant..if it was X, X is doing to the remake.

Take Zulu. So glad there has never been a US remake of that...
Your point is well taken for sure. I suppose it depends to some extent on the director. But i suppose a remake of Sink the Bismarck would be a hard sell to an american studio since it doesn't really have any american connection to attract audiences here. but then again didn't singer Johnny Horton have a hit single back in the fifties or early sixties based on the sinking of the Bismarck. how many remember that tune.
 

PODER

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There are quite a few musicals I'd like to see remade, starting with GUYS AND DOLLS and BYE BYE BIRDIE. Neither movie version comes near the original Broadway production.
 

Vic Pardo

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John Huston, who would have turned 108 today, used to tell how studios would often approach him to remake THE MALTESE FALCON, THE TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE or THE AFRICAN QUEEN and he would turn them down, telling them that what he really wanted was to remake one of his failures, THE ROOTS OF HEAVEN (1958) and get it right this time. But they never went for it.
 

Worth

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I'm sure many would disagree, but I find these remakes superior to the originals:

The Fly
True Grit
The Thing
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
The Thomas Crown Affair
War of the Worlds
Dawn of the Dead
Sorcerer
 

FoxyMulder

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Worth said:
I'm sure many would disagree, but I find these remakes superior to the originals:

The Fly
True Grit
The Thing
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
The Thomas Crown Affair
War of the Worlds
Dawn of the Dead
Sorcerer
I liked the originals but i actually agree with you on every single one.
 

Walter Kittel

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I'm sure many would disagree, but I find these remakes superior to the originals:
The Fly
True Grit
The Thing
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
The Thomas Crown Affair
War of the Worlds
Dawn of the Dead
Sorcerer
I'd remove War of the Worlds from that list. Love the original manta ray design of the Martian craft.
But everything else, yep.
- Walter.
 

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