Why remake Insomnia? (1 Viewer)

[David Ely]

I can't believe I only heard about this now.

For some reason, someone came up with the brilliant idea that they should remake a film that's only 4 years old! Insomnia is one of my favorite films. I couldn't count the number of times I've watched my Criterion DVD. The original film is perfect. If they want more people to see it, they should release it as-is in the theater.

Remakes rarely work as well as the original film. I can't even imagine anyone other than the absolutely brilliant Stellan Skarsgård in the lead role. Al Pacino? Sorry, just can't see it.

Obviously I can't make any specific comments without seeing any actual footage from the movie. But I would like to suggest to the members of this forum that if you haven't seen the original, go checkout the DVD.

 

[Hendrik]

"Why remake Insomnia?"
...well... why not? Abre los ojos is being/has been remade (starring Tom Cruise, no less) and that movie is no older...
Hollywood frequently 'remakes' other countries' (mostly, but not always French) movies ... to name just a very few random titles: The Birdcage, True Lies, A Walk In The Clouds, Algiers, M, The Blue Angel, Intermezzo(twice!), Sweet Charity, Gaslight, My Father, The Hero...
...let's see now... that's four French, two German, two Italian movies, one British, one Spanish and one Swedish movie...
See... as is so often the case, there's really nothing new under the sun...
. . . . . .

 

[Hendrik]

...oh... and recently the French, of all people, released a feature bearing the title ABsolument FABuleux...
http://www.bacfilms.com/site/abfab/index2.htm
...so, others can play that game, too!
. . . . . .

 

[Luc D]

Wait, someone re-made Sternberg's Blue Angel (which is finally coming out on DVD!!)?

 

[Patrick Sun]

Maybe the director couldn't sleep...

 

[Joseph Young]

Some friends of mine went to an early press screening of this film and they said despite a few awkward moments, it worked generally well.

That said, the original Insomnia doesn't really need a remake (anyone who's seen it would concur with that). I'm surprised that Nolan went into Van Sant mode relatively early in his directing career.

One inplausible scene that had my friends ROTFL in the remake was a scene where Robin Williams, as the menacing villian, is fiercely kicking Al Pacino on the ground
LOL!!!

Joseph

 

[JasenP]

I just saw a remake of Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, except they changed the plot a little:
Instead of a young innocent girl who falls in love, it was about a boy who goes off to a private school to be a wizard!
Hollywood can bite my crank!
Why the hell do the studios feel they need to "Americanize" films that weren't made in the US? Dammit!!

 

[Hendrik]

.
"Wait, someone re-made Sternberg's Blue Angel[...]?
Yup! In CinemaScope and in Color by DeLuxe!
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...and Fritz Lang's 1931 M, too!
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...and Fellini's 1957 Nights Of Cabiria ... as a Musical yet! In Panavision and Color by Technicolor!
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...not forgetting Akira Kurosawa's 1951 Rashomon, which became 1964's black-and-white Panavision The Outrage!
...and so on and on and on...
. . . :frowning: . . .

 

[Bjorn Olav Nyberg]

The devil and Daniel Webster
http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0033532
http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0263265
Alec Baldwin makes his directing debut, Jennifer Love Hewitt as the devil...
Can't wait...

 

[Elizabeth S]

I always cringe when I see another announcement for a remake of a foreign film. But let's face it -- a great majority of the American viewing audience has a mental block against subtitled, foreign films. I'm so sick of people who tell me they go to the theatre to relax, not read. So I think the American studios figure why not remake a tested foreign hit with big American stars -- beats coming up with a new idea!

Anyway, I cannot think of one example where the American remake did the original justice. I do love both "Insomnia" and "Open Your Eyes", but WILL venture to see both American remakes (if only to blast it for the ways they ruined it)! At least there is the attraction of Al Pacino in "Insomnia" and the curiosity of how Cameron Crowe will handle something like "Vanilla Sky".

 

[Luc D]

Don't bother with Vanilla Sky, from what I've heard it's a shot for shot remake (the only real difference would be Mr. Scientology).