Foriegn Adaptations of Popular Shows

[dean]

So I was flicking through the channels the other night and came across something odd.

A Turkish [I think] version of Fran Drescher's 'The Nanny'.

I thought 'how odd' to myself, and watched the rest of the episode.  What is perhaps the oddest about this is that the sets are all pretty much exactly the same, though the characters have been tweaked slightly so they can adapt it to a different culture [but not really by that much.]

Also I mentioned the other day about how I saw an Indonesian TV series that was a Ghostbusters rip-off, which was quite fun, just because it's Ghostbusters [which is fun, regardless of language and budget.]

So I guess my question to all of you is: have you seen or do you watch foriegn adaptations of popular shows/movies?  I'm particularly thinking of foriegn language as opposed to say, the British Office vs the American Office, but hey, whatever strikes your fancy.

[Amanda]

I actually prefer the originals, like the British Office or Coupling.  The American Office is pretty funny, but not as funny.  And the American "Coupling".  Suffice to say, it didn't last long.  I grew up watching PBS broadcasts of shows like Faulty Towers, Eastenders, Are You Being Served?, etc., and I just really enjoy those shows the way they are.  I'm thankful for BBC America!  *L*   Now I can watch Wire in the Blood, Touching Evil and This Life.   Oh yeah, Touching Evil.  The American version of that didn't last long either.  We should just leave things well enough alone.  

[BTM]

I'm not sure.. the only thing I can think of like that off-hand (as far as shows) is the series The Kingdom, a Danish tv series about a haunted hospital (described by one reviewer as , "like ER on acid.")  A really good series, sadly, only the first two volumes (about eight one hour eps) where produced.  The story was left incomplete, and seeing how THREE of the cast members have passed away, I doubt their will be a third.

The series was remade as Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital, which took roughly the same plot and put in a hospital in (where else) Maine.  Although it has some good moment, the series pales in comparison to the original.

Now, when it comes to MOVIES though, there was been this huge trend in Hollywood of late to take films (right now the big thing is Japanese horror movies) and redo them with an American, which varying results.  For instance, the Grudge and The Ring were both original Japanese movies.  In fact, IIRC, The Grudge was actually the third film in a four film series.

There's been others of course, the Spanish film Open Your Eyes was remade as Vanilla Sky (ironically enough, Penelope Cruz plays a role in BOTH films), and Insomnia (with Al Pacino) was originally a European film (can't really which country off hand.)  Haven't seen the originals, so I can't compare, but I'm sure someone on this board has...

[Mr_Vindictive]

BTM,

The original Insomnia takes place in Norway.  Great film with Stellan SkarsgÃ¥rd in the lead.  I found it to be a bit better than the American version.

I've not seen the Lars Von Trier Kingdom, but I did end up renting all of Kingdom Hospital.  I was surprised, and enjoyed the hell out of the mini-series.  But, like with most of King's work, the ending was a disappointment.

[raj]

Did the nanny in the Turkish "Nanny" have an annoying Brooklyn accent (or would it be an east Istanbul accent)?

[BTM]

>I've not seen the Lars Von Trier Kingdom, but I did end up renting all of Kingdom Hospital. I was >surprised, and enjoyed the hell out of the mini-series. But, like with most of King's work, the >ending was a disappointment.

Well, you should check out the original if you get a chance.  It's more dark and creepy, but not without it's moments of quirky humor.  You'll see a lot of the ideas in the original that King included in his interreptation (Mary, the ghost girl, Mona, the girl rather unsuccessfully operated on, etc, etc.)  Although there's no anteater... :)

 

[Gerry]

> Well, you should check out the original if you get
> a chance.  It's more dark and creepy, but not
> without it's moments of quirky humor.  You'll see
> a lot of the ideas in the original that King
> included in his interreptation (Mary, the ghost
> girl, Mona, the girl rather unsuccessfully
> operated on, etc, etc.)  Although there's no
> anteater...

Agreed.  Both Triers' KINGDOM and KINGDOM II are awesome.  I prefer the first but the second is very good too.  The second is more silly than the first, but both are very entertaining.