Iconic Films That Were Remakes - Blu-ray Forum

onetet · 10-27-2013, 03:28 PM

Remakes and reboots are regularly trotted out as evidence of filmdom's utter lack of imagination, and it's hard to argue against the majority of them being flat, inferior, unnecessary, and/or just pain cash-ins.

That said, remakes (and sequels) have been around since the early days of film, and some bona fide classics were the second (or third, or fourth) stabs at their source material. Here are a few:

The Maltese Falcon (1941) John Huston's film noir classic starring Humphrey Bogart is actually the third film adaptation of its source novel by Dashiell Hammett; earlier versions hit screens in 1931 (under the same title) and 1936 (as Satan Met a Lady, a lighter adaptation starring Bette Davis).

House of Wax (1953)--This André de Toth/Vincent Price film was the first major-studio 3D release, as well as a remake of 1933's Mystery of the Wax Museum.

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)--Hitchcock's classy Jimmy Stewart/Doris Day production was a remake of the director's own 1934 film. During his U.S. career, at moments when Hitchcock was between projects and needed some funding momentum, he would often propose a remake of one of his UK films.

Solaris (1972)--Tarkovsky's film was famously remade by Soderbergh and Clooney in 2002, but perhaps lesser-known is the fact that Tarkovsky's version was actually the second Russian adaptation of Stanislaw Lem's great novel, the first being a 1968 two-part television film.

The Thing (1982)--John Carpenter's landmark sci-fi/horror hybrid was earlier mounted in 1951 as The Thing From Another World, with Howard Hawks as co-director.

The Departed (2006)--As is no surprise to most people here, Scorsese's best film of the 2000s is a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs.

In addition to Hitchcock, directors as different as Tod Browning, Cecil B. DeMille, and Ozu remade some of their earlier films later in their career. Many westerns, spaghetti and otherwise, were not-too-loosely based on foreign source material, such as Fistful of Dollars 's relationship to Yojimbo, which resulted in legal woes.

--What are some other remakes that are at least equally excellent to their original version and/or more embedded in our cultural memory than the earlier film?
--What are some sequels that get a bad rap, but which you like as much or better than their original?

10-27-2013, 03:28 PM	#1
onetet Power Member Member since:Jul 2013 Location:Baltimore, Maryland Blu-ray collection:568 DVD collection:152 Trading Score:50	Iconic Films That Were Remakes Remakes and reboots are regularly trotted out as evidence of filmdom's utter lack of imagination, and it's hard to argue against the majority of them being flat, inferior, unnecessary, and/or just pain cash-ins. That said, remakes (and sequels) have been around since the early days of film, and some bona fide classics were the second (or third, or fourth) stabs at their source material. Here are a few: The Maltese Falcon (1941) John Huston's film noir classic starring Humphrey Bogart is actually the third film adaptation of its source novel by Dashiell Hammett; earlier versions hit screens in 1931 (under the same title) and 1936 (as Satan Met a Lady, a lighter adaptation starring Bette Davis). House of Wax (1953)--This André de Toth/Vincent Price film was the first major-studio 3D release, as well as a remake of 1933's Mystery of the Wax Museum. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)--Hitchcock's classy Jimmy Stewart/Doris Day production was a remake of the director's own 1934 film. During his U.S. career, at moments when Hitchcock was between projects and needed some funding momentum, he would often propose a remake of one of his UK films. Solaris (1972)--Tarkovsky's film was famously remade by Soderbergh and Clooney in 2002, but perhaps lesser-known is the fact that Tarkovsky's version was actually the second Russian adaptation of Stanislaw Lem's great novel, the first being a 1968 two-part television film. The Thing (1982)--John Carpenter's landmark sci-fi/horror hybrid was earlier mounted in 1951 as The Thing From Another World, with Howard Hawks as co-director. The Departed (2006)--As is no surprise to most people here, Scorsese's best film of the 2000s is a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. In addition to Hitchcock, directors as different as Tod Browning, Cecil B. DeMille, and Ozu remade some of their earlier films later in their career. Many westerns, spaghetti and otherwise, were not-too-loosely based on foreign source material, such as Fistful of Dollars 's relationship to Yojimbo, which resulted in legal woes. --What are some other remakes that are at least equally excellent to their original version and/or more embedded in our cultural memory than the earlier film? --What are some sequels that get a bad rap, but which you like as much or better than their original?

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