A few thoughts on the cons (and pros) of English language remakes
“English. English. English is best. I wouldn’t give tuppence
for all of the rest.” So goes the logic of the Hollywood executive it seems, as
they continue to commission English language remakes of foreign films. It is
rightly assumed that executives are pro these remakes because of their
seemingly predictable financial success. The idea has already found an audience
and is now being translated into English for a wider, western audience.
The figures do not back this up however. The most common
rehashes are of oriental horror films such as The Ring, The Grudge and Dark Water. Some of these do achieve
huge financial success in their English forms (The Ring), but many do averagely or worse (Dark Water was a big flop).
However, whilst the misguided accountant has clear (if
wrong) reasons for wanting to remake the films, the filmmaker’s motives are
often more questionable. Why remake a film unless you wanted to do something
new with it?
