10 Films That Should Never Be Remade
Don't fix what isn't broken.
Hollywood seems to be somewhat stuck in a rut.
For the last decade, there has been a sharp rise in the number of remakes and reboots circulating world cinema. Ghostbusters, Carrie, Point Break and Total Recall are just some to see their attempted remakes bomb at the box office and with critics, and let’s not divulge this current trend of Disney live-action remakes.
The big studios seem to be running out of ideas.
Not to say that original films are few and far between. On the contrary, you will be hard-pushed to find any remake in recent years to have been nominated for major awards, and this is how it should be.
The classics are classics for a reason, whether it be the outstanding cast, original ideas, incredible new special effects or narrative themes evoking issues of the time of its release, and many simply cannot make the transition.
Hollywood needs to put its emphasis on new, exciting ideas that can revolutionise the industry, not attempt to capture former glories. A surprisingly high number of films successfully stand the test of time, and hopefully, this selection of film industry greats will remain unpolluted by modern trends.
10. Vertigo
Every time Alfred Hitchcock’s name is attached to a project, it seems to be an instant success. From his entire filmography, it is the 1958 release of Vertigo that deserves to remain unsullied the most.
Centring around Detective John “Scottie” Ferguson, played by James Stewart, who retires from the force following the death of his partner. Scottie, however, quickly becomes enthralled in a favour for a friend turned love affair turned suicide case. So much for retirement.
Elster hires Scottie to follow his wife, Madeleine, whom Scottie quickly falls in love with. After declaring their love for one another, Madeleine appears to hurl herself from the top of a church steeple, killing herself.
This transpires to have been a ploy all along. Elster had actually hired a body double to impersonate Madeleine so that he could use the ‘suicide’ as a cover to dispose of his real wife, whom he had murdered.
Vertigo is a brilliantly told narrative filled with twists and turns, with just enough of that 1950’s Hollywood cheese to keep the audience nibbling like eager mice. Although modern Hollywood lacks original police/crime films, remaking the classics shouldn’t even be a last resort.