Badmovies.org Forum

I was in Wal-Mart yesterday and saw a DVD of The Wicker Man 1973.  I did not realize the movie in theaters now was a remake.  I had the same feeling with Gone in 60 Seconds.

It's a kinda "let down - been down that road before - but we pulled the wool over your eyes - because you didn't know there was an earlier movie" feeling.

Did that ever happen to you?

Ben Hur.  The great classic was originally silent.
-Ed

Boris Karloff played the Original Col.Kurtz in a Playhouse 90 episode of HEART of DARKNESS,the novel that was made into APOCALYPSE NOW ,in Nov. of 1958.Also in the cast were Roddy McDowall,Oscar(Mr.Sardonicus)Homolka,and Eartha(BATMAN TV)Kitt.
.MEET JOE BLACK,WITH Brad Pitt was first done as DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY,with Fredrick March.
DIRTY ROTTON SCOUNDRELS(with Steve Martin and Micheal Caine) was first done as SCHOOL for SCOUNDRELS in the early 60's with Terry Thomas.
(I always thought the remake of the THING was better than the original.)
With all the remakes of 70's horror films,I wonder if they'll remake I DRINK YOUR BLOOD,LAST HOUSE on the LEFT,or DELEVERIANCE?

Actually "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" is a remake of a 60s by the numbers studio comedy called "Bedtime Story" starring David Niven and Marlon Brandon. I was amazed when I finally saw it how little was actually changed from the first one, it's a good lazy/rainy Sunday afternoon movie. But there is apparently a real remake of "School of Scoundrels" due before the end of the year.

I was unaware until after I saw them that "Brewster's Millions" (1986) and "The Four Feathers" (1939) were each one of multiple versions of the same story. Even the bland Chris O'Donnell comedy "The Batchelor" was a remake of an often remade story.

The Louis Malle 80s comedy "Crackers" is a very mild Americanized remake of the classic Italian comedy "Big Deal on Madonna Street". I saw it on TV for years, it was my dad's girlfriend's favorite film, before I was ever aware of the original. The George Clooney produced comedy "Welcome to Collinwood" is a better remake of the same film, but both remakes lack the sweet charm of the original.

I was unaware that "Heaven Can Wait" was remake of "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" early on, or that that film had been remade with Pat Boone as "Goodbye Charlie" (I think). But I was aware that the unfunny Chris Rock film "Down to Earth" was a remake of the same film. Just made me loathe that film even more.

I sought out the Russian version of "Solaris" once I found out Clooney was involved in a remake. I like both films, but recommend finding the Stanislaw Lem source novel. Neither film comes close to capturing the depth and breadth of the book.

Also saw most of the major Western/Amercian remakes/borrowers of Kurosawa films like "Yojimbo", "Seven Samurai" and "The Hidden Fortress" before I became aware of them.

I didn't realize that the MALTESE FALCON(1941) was a remake of a 1931 version with Richard Cortiz as Sam Spade and Dwight Frye as Wilmer(!)
.The Fantastic Four was first made as a low budget Corman production in 1993 with Alex Hyde White as Mr. Fantastic,and Joesph Culp as Doc Doom! And Jay(Dennis the Menace) Underwood as the Torch!
Warner Oland played Fu Manchu in silent films before Karloff essayed the role in '32.

I didn't realize that the MALTESE FALCON(1941) was a remake of a 1931 version with Richard Cortiz as Sam Spade and Dwight Frye as Wilmer(!)
.The Fantastic Four was first made as a low budget Corman production in 1993 with Alex Hyde White as Mr. Fantastic,and Joesph Culp as Doc Doom! And Jay(Dennis the Menace) Underwood as the Torch!
Warner Oland played Fu Manchu in silent films before Karloff essayed the role in '32.

I think that post was a remake...

Ha!  Freep, you're funny!
I'm usually fairly "up" on remakes, so was very surprised to learn here that there's a '31 Falcon out there somewhere -- I really had no idea!
I was certainly amazed the first time I found out that the Frankenstein story had been originally shot by Edison in 1910 --
Also, I was floored when I found out that there were so many Tarzans and Wizard of Oz's, dating from before 1912 -- L.Frank Baum apparently helped film a 1908 version of Oz himself.  I had known about the 1912 Elmo Lincoln Tarzan, but apparently there are some out there earlier still.
* * *
Remakes in film should really be no more of a concern than a restaging of Hamlet, for example.  If the people involved think they can really make a good go of it, or give it a step up or a new take, then go for it, please.
I like both Yojimbo AND Fistfull of Dollars, for instance . ..
Where I start getting my knickers in a twist, as it were, is when you read of or see remakes wherein you know that the people involved had no CLUE as to what the appeal and the presence of the original really meant.  Hence my constant jokes about the porno-claymation-musical remake of Citizen Kane.
I think that recent Jodie Foster thing on the airplane was a perfectly good remake of Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes", for example, and I like both films equally well in their own ways.
I thought the remake of The Blob was a great addition to "Blobabilia", and like both the original and the remake for different reasons.
There are lots of remakes that I hate with a dull throbbing despair, but why speak of those?
I will say in conclusion that I have seen more sucky remakes than good ones.
peter johnson/denny crane

I guess it all depends on your view on what makes a remake.

Technically, for me at least, I wouldn't count any of those films that remade silent films for instance, or get too angsty of movies based off books etc.  Especially since alot of those are classic tales that automatically seem to be done everynow and then [like Frankenstien etc]

Eg.  Though it was based on Heart of Darkness, I wouldn't really count Apocalypse Now as a remake [in my mind that is] but just a very well done, unique adaptation of the original story.

By the same token I wouldn't consider Speilberg's War of the Worlds a remake of the 50s film, but more an adaptation of the original story by Wells, since the 50s version and Speilberg's were all based on the same source, and Speilberg didn't really pay much homage to something specific in the 50s version

I'd also love to call Fast and Furious a remake of 'Legend Of Speed' but I'd more class that as a rip off than a remake!

But then you have movies like Scorsese's Cape Fear which I originally didn't know was a remake, which in turn takes alot of elements from "Night of the Hunter''.

I guess I consider an official 'remake' as a film specifically drawn, inspired by and made based on another film, rather than other text, unless of course that text was superseded by the film version to the point where people think of the film version way before even realising it was based on a book.

I gitta agree with Dan here. He nmade some interesting "remake vs ripoff vs tribute vs same source matterial" ground rules.  Nice analysis!
-Ed

Which would make the current "The Wicker Man" w/ Nic Cage and Ellen Burstyn a remake of the earlier film w/ Edward Woodward and Chris Lee, as the original film is acknowledged in the credits of the remake.

And while "Heaven Can Wait" is a remake of "Here Comes Mr. Jordan," the title comes from another, earlier "Heaven Can Wait" w/ Don Ameche.

Re. Scorscese's remake of Cape Fear:
Both Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck get cameo roles in the remake.  They were the original Robert DiNiro and Nick Nolte characters in the original
peter crane/denny johnson

Well, I hope the remake of WICKERMAN isn't as lame as the hippy dippy original.(Gasps from purists go here)
Which gets me to thinking how much of a bore HORROR of DRACULA was to me.(I 'll need sa bullet proof vest for that one...)

I've missed what sort of things you DO enjoy, RCMerchant --
What might they be?
I'm secure enough in my deep affection for all things Chris/Hammer not to have your putdowns affect me (left eye starts twitching uncontrollably) . . .
Er, could you be a tad more specific, re. why Horror of Dracula, a movie I watch easily 5 times a year, whether I need to or not, is such a bore to you?
peter johnson/denny crane

Originally, this film was known as Shop Around The Corner, it was made in 1940, and it was set in Hungary. It starred James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan.

Then, someone decided it would make an excellent advertisement for AOL's e-mail service.

If the original hadn't been in my college library, I might never have known...

??? - - Shop Around the Corner --
As far as I can tell, this isn't connected with this post --
What movie were you responding to?
love
peter j.

Gosh,Pete,don't take it personal,but I actually am working on an extensive review of why I like SCARS better than HORROR...(don't get me wrong...I liked HoD ok, but...)

??? - - Shop Around the Corner --
As far as I can tell, this isn't connected with this post --
What movie were you responding to?

Check the post subject.."You Got Mail" was a remake of "Shop Around The Corner"

Of course it was!
Didn't notice the letter heading until you pointed that out -- Big whoops from me, yet again --
Thankyou for allowing me to continue to post here, despite my constant errors --
Rehearsal for War of The Worlds today -- looking really good!
Also, great house tonight for Dearly Departed -- nice to be all involved with live theatre again --
     Now, our War of the Worlds would seem to be in a nether-region of remakes:  We're trying to duplicate onstage the 1938 radio broadcast -- right down to bringing a toilet onstage to unscrew the lid of the pickle jar on to duplicate the sound of the emerging Martians, just like they did back then -- But are we doing a remake of "The Night That Panicked America"?  No.  There was no Theremin in the Foley for Welles' War, yet we're using mine -- an effect that would've been available to sound men in 1938, but Orson chose not to use.  Otherwise, we're using the same Howard Koch script, inside a make-believe version of a 1938 radio studio, amplified to a theatre audience, but not broadcast -- Remake, or simply Weird Art?
peter johnson/denny crane

I wish I was involved in something like that.If you guys ever need artwork done,(Posters or flyers or anything),I'll help for free.If you wanna see an example of my work,go to the bad movie frappr site and click onto my site and I have some posted on my pictures.I think you will be surprised.HEAVY METAL mag,in the early 80's'said I was too outragous.Dale Ashmund liked it,and used some in an undergound zine,though...

Dear RC --
I had never been to the Frappr before, so bit of a ditz about getting it to work -- didn't understand that it loads slowly --
BUT  I think I finally DID get to see the artwork you posted --
Before that, though:  Whose autographed Bela Lugosi photo is that?  Do you own that?  Quite a coup if you do!
I like your artwork just fine -- I detect a Basil Wolverton influence in more frames than others -- I have no say-so or control over the artwork for the show, but if you'd like to knock out a poster/flyer/small drawing for us, I'd love to take it to my director & show him --
Pertinent info:
Longmont Theatre Company presents Sorry, Wrong Number and War of The Worlds, from the original radio scripts -- Live, onstage at the Longmont Center for The Performing Arts, 513 Main St., Longmont, Colorado.  Opens Friday, October 13 -- play dates October 13, 14, 15, and 20, 21, 22 -- Friday and Saturday shows at 7:30pm -- Sunday matinees at 2pm (Yeah, it's an abbreviated run -- it's not part of the "regular season", but rather an experimental show -- art for art's sake, and all that).
Maybe a shadowy figure creeping up on a 30's-type gal on a phone on one side of the poster, bounded on the other side by a Martian walking-machine blasting some running people -- anyway, YOU'RE the graphic artist, not me, so your call --
If it'll print on 8X10 as a jpg or something, then e-mail it to petdix@msn.com,
or snail it to Peter Johnson, 530 Main St. Longmont, CO  80501
I'll pitch the hell out of it to our director guy if/when I get it, so good chance anything you produce could be used.
Did you enjoy The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen's take on Wells?
peter johnson/denny crane

GREAT! I'll get to work on it right away! FAR OUT!
(N0,the Lugosi photo is just a cool pic I downloaded,off  of an Ebay auction site...I'm a big Bela fan...)

See you in the funny papers . . .
peter johnson/denny crane