Some movies just shouldn’t be remade. Or so it seems. There are films that are sacrosanct to the degree that it would be unthinkable for a new version? If we’re going down that road, I start with the most obvious one: “Casablanca.” And then there’s “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” that catapulted Paul Newman and Robert Redford to the heights of stardom as they jump over a high cliff to escape the long arm of the law.
Also, I would add “It’s a Wonderful Life” although its storyline was refashioned for a made-for-television movie called “It Happened One Christmas” with Marlo Thomas as Mary Bailey Hatch who gives up her own dreams to run the family’s building and loan company. Of course an angel is sent to show her what life would be like for her friends and family if she never existed. In role reversal fashion, the ever-famous heaven-sent Clarence was played by a female version, Cloris Leachman, as Clara Oddbody striving to earn her wings. The role did win Miss Leachman an Emmy nomination and got high marks in Nielsen ratings when it first aired on December 11, 1977.
Director Frank Capra of the original “It’s a Wonderful Life” called the television remake “plagiaristic” and it aired for two more years before fading into obscurity. Meanwhile, Capra’s original movie with Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey is now a holiday staple televised annually. If nothing else, the “It Happened One Christmas” ensured the longevity of “It’s a Wonderful Life” in front of home audiences.
And speaking of holiday films, there’s one that gets the starring role of having the most remakes. No doubt you guessed that Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” holds first place! Depending on the source, it’s been documented with nine versions starting with a British short film in 1901. On a personal note, my all-time favorite is the 1951 version with Alistair Sim who was par excellence in bringing Ebenezer Scrooge’s epiphany to life.
My next question is: Why are remakes so popular? My answer: I don’t think they are popular, at least with audiences. Oh, you might get a few interested out of curiosity, i.e. audience members who fondly remember the original version and want to recapture some of the magic. Or, you might have audience members who’ve never seen the first version and the filmmakers are banking on another success. If it worked before, well, why wouldn’t it work again? All-in-all, I think remakes are potential disasters.
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Of course the other bankable opportunity is the film series or franchise, an entirely different animal. Industry forecasters, at least three decades ago, reigned supreme in the industry with stats on what movies would fill theatre seats. The film series phase, similar to days of yore, took hold, as if darkened theatres were like living rooms with cinematic screens. Now, with streaming and at-home theatres the dynamics have changed forever. Many films are available on home subscriptions on actual theatre release dates or very soon thereafter.
When it comes to remakes, Disney is king with, yes, “The Lion King” and its 2019 live action version of the animated film with a box office take of $1.656 billion followed closely on its heels or hind legs by other Disney live action remakes, “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” and “The Jungle Book.”
But, I still believe you can’t predict the success of any movie, whether a remake, re-imagining, sequel or series! An audience decides on the watching what warrants a thumbs up and every movie is its own creation!
And I close with a few more movies etched in stone as untouchable in the realm of remakes: “The Godfather,” “The Sound of Music,” and “E.T.” What would you add to the list?