Modern American Remakes

I was first very interested in learning more about foreign films that have had great success being recreated as modern American films. I found out that so many films that I have seen are actually remakes. so i looked up the top films that have been remade and have decided to do some reading on them to find out more intorfation that I didnt know, how the old fiml influenced the new one and the success it took on. Recently i noticed that this trend of remaking films isnt just as old as Hollywood itself. Hollywood just did another remake of the Swedish vampire movie "let the Right One in" and that movie isnt even that old. I believe that original  was made in 2008 and the new one "Let Me in" just came out a few weeks ago.

The departed was the number one pick and not only did it succeed in the in hong-kong it did even better in America. When this was announced, people wondered "Wait, Martin Scorsese does remakes? Is he losing it?" Turns out he was not losing it. He just liked the original and wanted to put his own spin on it. The original film is actually three separate movies. They tore up the Hong Kong box office in 2002-2003. It's easy to see why Martin was into them: Duality of man, cops, violence. Right up his alley. He filled his version with scene stealing performances by Alec Baldwin, Jack Nicholson and favored son Leonardo Dicaprio. Plus, it's the first time many of us actually enjoyed Mark Wahlberg's screen presence.<object width="640" height="390"><param name="movie" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM6AeW8ok6E

Another movie that I found out was a remake was The Sound of Music made in 1965. This movie was remade from the Trapp Family from Germany in 1956. "The Sound of Music" is so successful, so iconic, that people simply give you a blank stare when you tell them it's a remake. Can you really imagine anyone else but Julie Andrews playing the indubitable Maria Von Trapp? It's not that the original is bad, per say, it's just slightly forgettable. It also lacked the song-writing talents of Rodgers and Hammerstein. This is truly a case in which the remake surpasses the source material.

Due to its success, The Ring started a trend of remaking just about every Japanese horror film. Sure, most of them suck, but the one that started it all doesn't. Gore Verbinski's remake of Ringu is a taut, scary thriller that, for the most part, follows the original film note for note. These films have become part of the cultural lexicon. Just about everyone is scared to watch sketchy unmarked video tapes now. Even if they won't kill you in a week.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH_aliX6HVc

The Italian Job was first made in England in 1969 and later in 2003 was remade. As crime capers go, you could do a whole lot worse than this spirited remake of the 1969 British original. Also, having seen said original doesn't spoil too much for the remake. The plot and characters are both significantly altered, turning the American film into an homage more than a shot-for-shot redeux. The action scenes are fast and frenetic, featuring the kinds of high speed car chases that just couldn't be done in the 60s. A reported sequel, The Brazilian Job, has been trapped in development hell for the past six years.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5Bnf4o1ItU