The Thing

This is an example of a movie that was done so well, I was actually shocked it was a remake. This is because remakes seldom hold up to the same caliber of the original, but John Carpenter pulled out all the stops for his 1982 remake of 1951’s ‘The Thing From Another World’ giving us one of the best monsters ever put on film.

Ben-Hur

The adaptation of Lew Wallace’s novel first hit the silver screen in 1907 as a 15 minute short film, apparently without the author’s permission. It was later remade in 1925 as a silent film, but it is the 1959 version starring the Charlton Heston that first set the record for most Academy Awards won (11) for a single picture (matched only by ‘Titanic’ and ‘Lord of the Rings: Return of the King’).

Payback

This tale of revenge, which was adapted from the pulp novel The Hunter, was originally seen on screen in 1967 and titled ‘Point Blank’. A remake was made in 1993 starring Chow Yun Fat called ‘Full Contact’. In 1999 the film made it’s way back to the U.S. in a remake headlined by Mel Gibson. Originally deemed to dark, the 1999 version of the film was rewritten and given a new director. In 2005 the original director, Brian Helgeland, was given an opportunity to cut the film as he originally saw it and was released under the title ‘Payback: Straight Up’.

Twelve Monkeys

‘Monkeys’ is based on the 1962 French short film about a post-apocalyptic world trying to use time travel to the past and future to fix the present. Both films feature the protagonist seeing himself die in the end, however the original short film featured him going to the future for help as well as the past.

Cape Fear

Scorsese’s second mention on this list, this time for 1991 thriller starring Nick Nolte and Robert De Niro that revolves around an attorney who is stalked and threatened by a criminal he sent to jail. This remake is of the 1962 version of the same title starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum.

Scent of a Woman

Al Pacino’s Oscar winning performance as Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade was actually preluded by Vittorio Gassman in the 1974 Italian-style comedy film  ‘Profumo di donna’.

Vanilla Sky

‘Vanilla Sky’ is a remake of the 1997 Spanish film ‘Abre Los Ojos’ (Open Your Eyes). Even though the remake follows the original’s plot closely it is unfortunately one of the many cases where the original, which isn’t well known in the U.S.,  far out weighs the remake. The original and remake both star Penelope Cruz as Sofia.

Heat

Michael Mann didn’t like the way his movie turned out the first time, so he remade it. In 1989 Mann made the TV movie ‘L.A. Takedown’ which followed detective Vincent Hanna as he chased down a group of professional criminals.  Mann was forced to cut down the length of the original 180 page screenplay to make it more friendly for TV. In 1995 he was able to do his crime drama right, with the result being almost double the length in running time of ‘Takedown’.

Fatal Attraction

The movie that made every guy think twice about cheating on his girlfriend or wife was actually a remake of a British short film from 1980 titled ‘Diversion’. However, there is argument that the film stole its plot from 1971’s ‘Play Misty for Me’ both of which have the same events happening in the same chronological order.

True Lies

A good example of how a remake, if done well, can well exceed the scope and exposure of the original movie. James Cameron’s epic tale about a man living dual identities is a remake of a 1991 French film called ‘La Totale!’. Aside from the big budget action sequences, Cameron’s remake follows the original plot almost verbatim.

-Frank

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Tags: Remake