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Why does the movie industry make 'remakes' of films?
Or to specify the American industry. In my research I aim to understand why they are remakes. Are there profit motifs involved or a lack of original thinking in the US film industry?
Do they have the intentions of improving on the existing movies?
To ‘update’ a story so as to fit and be understood by the current cultural state of America, and the rest of the world. What was in contexts in the 50’s maybe out dated and ‘foreign’ today or may not fit certain policies, such as political correctness in such films as 3:10 to Yuma, lighting a cigarette/cigar in a bar or office space. This can also be looked at Seven Samurai (Dir. Akira Kurosawa) and The Magnificent Seven (Dir. John Sturges), where a movie relating around the theme of Samurais would have been unsuccessful to a country that had not only fought the Japanese 20 years ago, maybe because of there lack of knowledge on the Japanese culture and westerns we’re accessible to the American public, understood.
Where do these movies originate from?
What percentage of these original movies are ‘foreign’ or existing US titles. Are the adapted from Plays or short stories, and if so are they then a reinterpretation of existing material instead of being a remake of the original adaptation.
there is also the topic of American directors remaking there own movies, Howard Hawks Rio Bravo, El Dorado, Los Lobo all have similar storylines, are these remakes or a continuation, exploration and reinterpretation of an evolving piece of work, just as Ridley Scott has done to Blade Runner. What of foreign directors 'remaking' pass success in there home country in America, Funny Games by Michael Haneke comes to mid was a 1997 Austrian movie, there is know 2007 version, directed by the same man in America, again The Grudge directed by Japanese director Takashi Shimizu whom also directed the original grudge in Japan. Is Funny Games and The Grudge remakes? Or have they work evolved, is it a cash in by director and producer or an artistic step?
I shall finish this with a quote that I have found to be quite appropriate to the subject I have chosen to research.
“John Huston once said: “There is a wilful lemming-like persistence in remaking past successes time after time. They can’t make them as good as they are in our memories, but they go on doing them and each time it’s a disaster. Why don’t we remake some of our bad pictures … and make them good?””
I understand that this topic has probably sprung up many a time, but i shall be using all comments from this thread as primary research and a basis for my findings. i still don't have a clear answer as to hating or not minding remakes.
initially I had started this research as I hated the idea of a remake, I saw it as an easy way to earn a few bucks, but have come to relies that they aren’t all that bad they has been some greats, Scarface and The Maltese falcon to name the very few, what remakes in the last 10 years stand out as greats with the increase of remakes in the American industry. Here is an approximate tally of remakes dating from the 1900's to present day, know these are solely based in America, include straight to TV and tape/DVD and stage plays recorded for TV and vhs/dvd. I know that there are others that I have missed, but this is what I have been able to gather.
18901899
1900-1909
1910-1919
1920-1929
1930-1939
1940-1949
1950-1959
1960-1969
1970-1979
1980-1989
1990-1999
2000-2009
Thank you for you time.
Or to specify the American industry. In my research I aim to understand why they are remakes. Are there profit motifs involved or a lack of original thinking in the US film industry?
Do they have the intentions of improving on the existing movies?
To ‘update’ a story so as to fit and be understood by the current cultural state of America, and the rest of the world. What was in contexts in the 50’s maybe out dated and ‘foreign’ today or may not fit certain policies, such as political correctness in such films as 3:10 to Yuma, lighting a cigarette/cigar in a bar or office space. This can also be looked at Seven Samurai (Dir. Akira Kurosawa) and The Magnificent Seven (Dir. John Sturges), where a movie relating around the theme of Samurais would have been unsuccessful to a country that had not only fought the Japanese 20 years ago, maybe because of there lack of knowledge on the Japanese culture and westerns we’re accessible to the American public, understood.
Where do these movies originate from?
What percentage of these original movies are ‘foreign’ or existing US titles. Are the adapted from Plays or short stories, and if so are they then a reinterpretation of existing material instead of being a remake of the original adaptation.
there is also the topic of American directors remaking there own movies, Howard Hawks Rio Bravo, El Dorado, Los Lobo all have similar storylines, are these remakes or a continuation, exploration and reinterpretation of an evolving piece of work, just as Ridley Scott has done to Blade Runner. What of foreign directors 'remaking' pass success in there home country in America, Funny Games by Michael Haneke comes to mid was a 1997 Austrian movie, there is know 2007 version, directed by the same man in America, again The Grudge directed by Japanese director Takashi Shimizu whom also directed the original grudge in Japan. Is Funny Games and The Grudge remakes? Or have they work evolved, is it a cash in by director and producer or an artistic step?
I shall finish this with a quote that I have found to be quite appropriate to the subject I have chosen to research.
“John Huston once said: “There is a wilful lemming-like persistence in remaking past successes time after time. They can’t make them as good as they are in our memories, but they go on doing them and each time it’s a disaster. Why don’t we remake some of our bad pictures … and make them good?””
I understand that this topic has probably sprung up many a time, but i shall be using all comments from this thread as primary research and a basis for my findings. i still don't have a clear answer as to hating or not minding remakes.
initially I had started this research as I hated the idea of a remake, I saw it as an easy way to earn a few bucks, but have come to relies that they aren’t all that bad they has been some greats, Scarface and The Maltese falcon to name the very few, what remakes in the last 10 years stand out as greats with the increase of remakes in the American industry. Here is an approximate tally of remakes dating from the 1900's to present day, know these are solely based in America, include straight to TV and tape/DVD and stage plays recorded for TV and vhs/dvd. I know that there are others that I have missed, but this is what I have been able to gather.
18901899
1900-1909
4
1910-1919
17
1920-1929
20
1930-1939
49
1940-1949
42
1950-1959
74
1960-1969
55
1970-1979
60
1980-1989
111
1990-1999
165
2000-2009
221
Thank you for you time.
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