Geeks on Film: The Foreign Dilemma
Last week I was listening to a podcast discuss the Japanese zombie film Versus it was only released in 2000, and eventually the topic turned to what most discussions about foreign movies eventually turn to in America, what could be fixed with an American remake. This conversation troubled me and reminded me of a book I recently finished, The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell. I bet you are probably wondering how a book on the Massachusetts Bay Colony Puritans would remind me of a movie about killing the undead with samurai swords? It’s simple, in the book Sarah Vowell discusses American’s constant need to fix things that are foreign and in our eyes broken, and how through the years this attitude has sometimes not yielded the greatest results. Dark Water anyone? We have always thought as Americans, “We can fix it and we can do it better!”, but I honestly think we should know when to leave well enough alone.
I have always wondered why we can’t just appreciate a foreign film for what it is – foreign. With their exotic dialogue and strange cultural eccentricities, they are a window in to our neighbor’s houses and should be seen as that. This thought came into my head while I read that they were “remaking” the Swedish vampire masterpiece Let The Right One In. A movie I could see no faults in other than the fact that it is indeed – a foreign film. The film had high production values, a great cast and the DVD and Blu-ray release features a rather good, well-voiced dub track. So, what’s wrong? Why do we feel the need to tinker with what some consider, “one of the best vampire films in the last few years”. Because, we can do it better! I had entertained the idea when thinking about this post, of doing a Top Ten Worst American Remakes. But the sad thing is, usually due to the crime against the original no one is inclined to see the original source material. Either that, or sometimes the studio buys up the rights to the original film and quietly “sits on it” so comparisons can’t be made, then unceremoniously dumping it DVD after their remake has failed miserably.
These movies usually fail because of two things: 1.By Americanizing the plot, characters and everything else that made it a hit to its native country, it looses what made it a hit in the first place – its essence if you will. This is in part because in foreign countries the politically correct bureaucracy that governs our Hollywood fare is not quite as prevalent. People are making films for the purposes of entertainment, not to sell pizzas or be distributed worldwide and make billions of dollars. Thus, 2.Because it has been Americanized, fans of the original here stateside are almost obligated – because of the appearance of sophistication it allows them, to completely pan the film and talk it down to their friends and the film fails thus assuring failure. When translated from one culture to another these films seem like what happens when you translate a web-page with Babel Fish, it appears to be the same web-page but the meaning usually has been completely lost in translation.
So when will this end? Not anytime soon, the idea well has apparently dried up in Hollywood evidenced by the remaking of anything not considered “a complete failure”. It has been well reported that the director of the original film is quite angry about the remake, after hearing about all the “improvements” they have planned for this film. But someone shouldn’t have signed over the rights in the first place. Someday artistic vision will take precedence over a paycheck, just not today.
This leaves me with one thought, I wonder if after we remake Let the Right One In will we get to re-market it back to Sweden? And if so we could probably even change the name and they will never know, because it will most assuredly be a completely different film.
Dan, this idea has been brewing in my head since I learned years ago that films like The Ring and the Grudge were originally foreign. I couldn’t have said it better.
I recently saw Let The Right One In and feel it’s the best vampire movie I’ve seen since the rendition of Bram Stoker’s Dracula in the 90′s purely for its originality and approach to the vampire mythology.
I had no idea this plan was in the works until now and consider me furious (expectantly enough)! Great rant dude.
ugh i agree…and they are changing the title, and the names of the main characters:
“Let Me In”
Director: Matt Reeves
Remake of Tomas Alfredson’s acclaimed Swedish film Let the Right One In. Bullied young Owen forms a friendship with his strange but kind neighbor, Abby. As the town begins to suspect her involvement in a string of gruesome murders Owen must decide between the life he knows and protecting his new friend’s dark secret.
As A Brit I can’t agree more.
One Thing I’ll also add to your list is normal low quality of the acting, that bad its not even funny.
In a way I’d love to see America to a remake of the Brilliant Battle Royale. Just how different would it have to be? Kids killing easch other, cant have that because American kid will copy them.
I wouldn’t mind seeing your list of Ten Worst Remakes.
The Robin Williams/Al Pacino version of Insomnia would certainly be on my list… along with a slew of Japanese & Korean horror flicks.
The true horror lies in the fact that even remakes of originally AMERICAN movies mostly turn out horrible. See the last attempt in resurrecting an 80ies slasher classic, “My Bloody Valentine 3D”. While the original was, though of course not half as “origial” as its status implies, a nice and moody genre flick, the remake is a monotonously droning and hammering piece of turd, completely devoid of atmosphere, almost like the gig of some amateurish grindcore band, whose “songs” sound each the same (and for those who say this could be applied to grindcore in general: I urge you to listen to Anaal Nathrakh).
Now, Dan, to your quote:
“It has been well reported that the director of the original film is quite angry about the remake, after hearing about all the “improvements” they have planned for this film. But someone shouldn’t have signed over the rights in the first place. Someday artistic vision will take precedence over a paycheck, just not today.”
It wasn’t Alfredson’s fault. The rights for the original novel(! Not the movie!) written by Lindqvist were sold to Hammer films even before the movie was made in Sweden. “Let me In” will be less a remake of the Swedish movie than much more another take on the novel which it was based on. Reeves said it would be more faithful to the original, but then, I cannot see how he will handle the subjects of paedophilia and gender ambiguity and in the same time strive for commercial success.
Can we get an enlarged version of the poster – one large enough to read all of the text?
“…the DVD and Blu-ray release features a rather good, well-voiced dub track.”
Are referring to the *English* dub track? Umm… ookaayy, but I personally can’t even make it ten minutes into the film listening to the English dub. I myself thought it was pretty heinous. Perhaps objectively the voice acting is not that bad, but having to listen to it in front of the excellent performances of Kåre Hedebrandt and Lina Leandersson is just unbearable.
Asian film fan:
I have to agree with you on the acting, I have to say that is a definitely a weak point and might possibly be the reason The Departed succeeded, because they got real actors. As for Battle Royal it’s well known that while the movie is not “Banned” in the US every distributor – because of the subject matter wont touch it with a ten foot cattle-prod. The original has never been licensed here either, where even the UK has released it. I guess it’s just a sensitive subject in the United States.
TAPETRVE:
Some awesome points in your comment! The American remakes of old horror movies really upset me as well. To me there was no reason to remake My Bloody Valentine, Texas Chainsaw or Nightmare on Elm Street, because they were made before the politically correct agenda Hollywood lives by now was established. You just can’t do the same stuff they did in the 80’s with out toning it down to get that PG-13 every film wants. We just live in a very different time. That’s why I am a fan of Japanese Horror because if anything I almost feel they picked up where we left off and still take chances that we are very afraid of.
As for the rights, I honestly don’t think they will even be able to touch the original novel which is much darker in tone without making something much more independent and low-budget and won’t make the money they want. Not only that but it will offend a lot of people. I really think they should just say “They beat us” and go on to remaking Terror-Vision.
Wolfchild:
I am more of a sub person myself as well. But the first time I watched the film it was with a room full of my wife’s friends as a double bill with Twilight, Let the Right One In was by far the favorite of the night. You have to understand the people who are going to rent this and pick the dub over the subs are not going to be quite as picky. As for the rest of the text on the Miley Poster sadly it’s jibberish.
Infact, Battle has been on normal (non cable/sky) telly uncut here.
God I love that film, Geeky Fun Fact: The knite that Kitano throws into the girls head is a Special Agent Stinger II and can be bought for about £10. Not alot of people know that.
I agree whole bunches. Don’t fear the subtitles, remake Harvey, or go around ruining things with Jive talking robots.
@TAPETRVE:
“My Bloody Valentine” was a Canadian picture, not American.