|
Dear Greenlighting Executives, Producers, Directors and Twenty Million-Dollar Actors,
We’ve been reading about it for months. Actually, it’s been about a year. And now it’s in our sights and I’m ready to boycott.
While watching Meryl Streep humbly accept her award from the American Film Institute, the good folks over at Paramount decided that this ceremony on USA was the perfect time to release the trailer for her new movie. It’s a little film called, “The Manchurian Candidate.” Have you heard anything about it?
Oh right. It was a brilliant 1962 film by John Frankenheimer with a surprisingly great performance by Old Blue Eyes and quite possibly the most chilling mother in the history of cinema, a pre-“Murder She Wrote” Angela Lansbury.
So someone decides it’s time to remake this little gem. This time it’s Mr. Demme, the Oscar-winning director who has built himself a nice little track record with movies like, “Silence of the Lambs,” “Philadelphia,” and…uh, “Married to the Mob.” However, there is a small blemish towards the top of his resume. It’s a flop called, “The Truth About Charlie.” Didn’t see it? It’s a little mystery set in Paris in which Thandie Newton must find out why her husband has disappeared right under her nose, while Mark Wahlberg romances her and helps solve the crime. Another familiar-sounding movie…why, it’s “Charade”! While this 1963 Stanley Donen film is a little more obscure than “Candidate,” Mr. Demme seems to have a propensity towards remaking quality 1960s films.
And this is why, o gods of Hollywood, you need to be made aware of this alarming trend. Is there really nothing out there that’s remotely original? Or, rather, is nothing sacred? Why ruin a fantastic picture with an expensive remake? Demme has his heart in the right place since the film has a huge amount of relevance now due to its political themes and portrayal of terror. And no offense to his cast. If you had to pick one actress who has a chance to steal the show like Lansbury did, it’s Streep. Denzel is the best Hollywood “good guy” choice for Sinatra’s role. But leave the classics alone. It’s time for Tinseltown studios to stop exploiting its canon. You’re allowed to tweak the moderate successes (or even complete flops) of the past like “The Stepford Wives,” “Freaky Friday,” or “Cheaper by the Dozen.” Meanwhile, take a few chances here and there. Right now, the independent community is thriving without you. Imagine what you could do a few times a year by financing a kid out of the New York Film Academy with Emo glasses and a dream.
And what’s this I heard at the Tonys about Nicole Kidman starring in a film version of Broadway’s “The Producers”!? At least Mel Brooks is helming it. When you remake a musical version of one of the greatest comedies ever written, the least you can do is hand it over to its creator. Here’s a mistake Hollywood didn’t make.
So, please, don’t (re)make it again.
Charles Curtis
|
Email webmaster
Submit News
