I am being a bit mean but that's OK Hollywood can take it. In the 3 I have picked, I feel the original films are better than the remakes but that doesn't mean the remakes are bad, in fact, a couple of them are quite good in their own right. so here are my picks. I will place the original film first followed by the remake.
1. THE SEVEN SAMURAI (JAPAN)-1954 REMAKE-THE MAGNIFICENT 7-1960
I might have talked about this before but, to be honest, I have not seen a lot of the original foreign films so I am still going with this pick:) To say the Seven Samurai is a film classic is like saying The Beatles are an OK band. The original is a true masterpiece and should be seen. I greatly enjoy watching The Magnificent 7 because of the camaraderie of all the cast. Each have a special talent and they all go in to save a village. The music is one of the best ever!
2. LES DIABOLIQUES(FRENCH)-1955 REMAKE-DIABOLIQUE-1996
I love the original French film because it leaves you guessing. The remake is ok but even the poster gives something away which it shouldn't. Hell, even the casting in the remake, gives it away. The original film is excellent and I was glad to see it again, last year. This is one head tripping film and worth seeing especially the original. It takes place at a boarding school run by a husband and wife team with the wife being a teacher ruled over by her brutish husband. Another teacher, is having an affair with the husband but feels sympathy for the man's wife. It starts from there and then draws you in.
3. LA CAGE AUX FOLLES(FRENCH/ITALIAN)-1978 -REMAKE-THE BIRDCAGE-1996
I laughed so much when I saw The Birdcage and this brought Nathan Lane to the regular audiences instead of just knowing him on Broadway. I watched La Cage after I saw the film and I laughed even more. Actually, I saw the musical in Toronto with Gene Rayburn(Match Game fame) before either movie and loved it! An endearing gay couple own a nightclub where the one runs the club and his partner is the star attraction. They raised the one man's son and now their son is engaged to a wonderful girl whose parents just happen to be very god-fearing conservative people. Her father is high up in government. The original film is a true gem and became a bonafide hit in the States and was up for Oscars. The remake was a huge hit as well and is very, very funny. If you need a laugh, watch these 2 films.
What film would you choose?
Oh wow, I'd never even heard of The Birdcage until now but it sounds great! Definitely going to have to watch that one soon :)
ReplyDelete- Allie
ALLIE!!! You've never heard of The Birdcage!!!! WATCH IT NOW!!!
DeleteI am so shocked you have not even heard of this film:) Yes watch it and have fun
DeleteThe first one was a great original and remake. Didn't like the Birdcage though.
ReplyDeleteThere are some they do better - Ringu/The Ring - and some they don't - Let the Right One In/Let Me In.
The Ring gave me nightmares and still gives me the creeps
DeleteThought provoking post. Quite often I don't realise that the films are remakes. I just enjoy (or not) what I'm watching. Maybe I should be more aware :) I do however compare novels which are made into films. Some pull it off well and others, the book wins hands down. Hope you are having a great week.
ReplyDeleteUsually the book is better so I always believe one will be disappointed in the movie if they read the book first
DeleteI haven't seen any of these, but I've had The Birdcage in my Netflix queue for awhile. I'll eventually get to it. I didn't know it was a remake.
ReplyDeleteOh yes and that original movie is priceless...so is the theatre play
DeleteI agree Seven Samurai is the superior film, but that The Magnificent Seven is outstanding in its own right. I had a blast watching The Birdcage, but never saw La Cage. I guess I should. Never saw either version of the other which I definitely should, at least the original. Great post.
ReplyDeleteThak you! Yes The Magnificent 7 is a great movie in its own right. The Birdcage is fun
DeleteI must admit I didn't even know there was a genre that did movies like this from adaptations of other country's movies, so apparently I haven't seen any of these. I'll have to ask hubby if he's aware of any, as I think I mentioned before, he's more movie savvy than I am. I loved how you signed up for A/Z with Birgit a girl who likes cards and movies (or something very similar :) Will be a fun challenge!
ReplyDeletebetty
it will be-I am not making cards for it but it says what i do on my blog:)
DeleteI haven't seen any of these, but The Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven are both on my watch list. I didn't know the latter was a remake.
ReplyDeleteIt is and I like both:)
DeleteHi, dear Birgit!
ReplyDeleteGreat reviews, dear friend! The only ones I have seen are the Hollywood remakes The Magnificent Seven and Birdcage. I am loving Nathan Lane's appearances on current TV series The Good Wife and Modern Family. Coincidentally, I am posting about "the magnificent seven" today - a magnificent 7-piece band that originated in my native Central Pennsylvania - on this the 50th anniversary of their first regional hit. I invite you to come over and meet The Magnificent Men!
Nathan Lane is great fun. I plan to see your post when I have a chance.:)
DeleteNever knew The Magnificent Seven was one, great movie indeed. I found The Birdcage a bit meh when I watched it years ago.
ReplyDeleteI find it a fun flick and more fun as I re-watched it
DeleteHaven't seen the first choice (either of them)
ReplyDeleteLove the first original...avoiding the remake like the plague
Haven't seen the last original, but LOVE THE HELL out of the remake!
I am surprised you have not seen either of the first choice of mine. I hope you change that this year:) The original is much better than the remake of my 2nd choice and I think you would enjoy La Cage
DeleteGreat picks!! I should be ashamed to say I've never seen Seven Samurai but you can't see everything and it is on my to see list. I enjoyed Magnificent Seven without fully loving it and I think that's part of what has made me think the other can wait.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to see Diabolique show up, I thought of it this morning-too late to add it in. The original is brilliant but the Sharon Stone remake was lackluster not awful just ordinary. However did you ever see the TV remake from the 70's called "Reflections of Murder" starring Joan Hackett, Tuesday Weld and Sam Waterston? While nothing matches the original it's far superior to the later one with the lead trio all quite wonderful. You can find it on YouTube, the print is not the best but it's worth seeking out.
I liked the original La Cage well enough but I loved The Birdcage. Nathan Lane and Robin Williams are so great together and Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest play their parts just right plus the hilarious turn by Hank Azaria.
I went with some more obscure choices though my bonus was in heavy rotation on cable for years so that one maybe not so much.
Sorcerer (1977)-Four desperate men agree to transport a volatile shipment of nitro-glycerin over rugged terrain in the hopes of earning enough money to escape their present state. William Friedkin directed remake of the French classic Wages of Fear wasn’t a big success on its initial release but is a taut gritty drama. An international cast headed by Roy Scheider give intense performances. Perhaps not the equal of the original but on its own a solid suspenser.
Human Desire (1954)-Fritz Lang helmed redo of Jean Renoir’s La Bête Humaine is hampered a trifle by the Hayes Code but his great cast, in particular Broderick Crawford and Gloria Grahame, and solid direction fill in the code demanded blanks. Loaded with sexual undertones.
Intermezzo (1939)-American remake of identically named Swedish film also starring Ingrid Bergman served as her introduction to Hollywood. A world famous concert violinist becomes enamored with his daughter’s piano instructor. Feeling restless he invites her to tour with him, eventually they become involved and he leaves his family for her but soon realizes what he had originally. It’s a weepie loaded with beautiful music that’s worth catching for Ingrid’s stateside debut.
Honorable Mention-Point of No Return (1993)-Stylish, glossy remake of Luc Besson’s La Femme Nikita with Bridget Fonda at the height of her brief heyday as the druggie turned government assassin. Not quite as sleek as the original but a propulsive engrossing thriller with Anne Bancroft a standout in her brief role as an etiquette teacher with an underlying fierceness.
I have seen the original -Wages if Fear-and found that excellent but didn't know they remade it. I love Fritz Lang! I have to watch for this one. I loved Fury and his 2 with Edward G Robinson and Joan Bennett. I have seen the remake of Intermezzo but not the original and would love to since they both star Ingrid Bergman. Did you like her better in the original or in the remake? Point of No Return is quite a good film and I used to watch the Canadian TV series
DeleteIngrid is radiant in both versions and it's fascinating watching the same actress play the same part in two different languages. Since she was fluent in both tongues there was none of the stiffness that many actresses have when performing in a language that isn't her first. All that being said I liked her in the American version best probably because I saw that first but also it being in my native language it was easier to put up the nuances.
DeleteI loved The Birdcage. Saw it in the theater, even. I haven't seen many foreign films (I knit while watching movies, and it's hard to knit and read subtitles at the same time), but I've seen several Hollywood "homages".
ReplyDeleteYup-there are many films they redid. So glad you saw a film I picked:)
DeleteThe Birdcage is a very funny film guaranteed to produce laughs.
ReplyDeleteIt is funny and I think my favourite is Hank Azaria
DeleteWhy didn't I think of The Birdcage? That movie is so damn funny. And, one day, I will see both Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven.
ReplyDeleteBoth these films are worth seeing
DeleteBIRGIT ~
ReplyDeleteThe first two I've seen, of course. None of the others. I'm very selective when it comes to Foreign films because, frankly, I don't like most of them.
Generally, American screenwriters understand the art of storytelling for film far better than foreign screenwriters do. Too many foreign film writers can't seem to grasp that a novel and a movie are two very different mediums and must be addressed in very different ways.
Movies are one of the few things we Americans do best. Lately though, we've failed at that, too. We're just plumb out of good ideas, hence all the comic book / superhero movies and remakes of great movies from the past that didn't at all need any remaking.
I'll never forget the time I tried to make it through 'A ROOM WITH A VIEW'. I think I got maybe half way, and still that was the longest 46 years of my life!
~ D-FensDogG
'Loyal American Underground'
I think you may very well like Les Diaboliques and La Cage is just funny:) You thinking about Room With a View is my thought about 2 films-Atonement (huge snore)-I called In boredom. The other is In The Bedroom which I call In boredom. If I want to see someone smoke a ton or cut grass or their hedge, I can just look outside.
DeleteEnjoyed The Birdcage, haven't seen any of the others. As you might have guessed before, my film knowledge is quite slender!
ReplyDeleteThe Birdcage is fun! One has to sit to watch a movie and you and your hubby are always walking and enjoying the sights-I'm envious:)
DeleteHaven't seen Mag 7 or 7 Samurai, for which I hang my head in shame. I saw the original Diabolique for the first time a couple of years ago and thought it was well-done but didn't LOVE it. I've only heard awful things about the remake though so I'll probably never see it despite loving the cast (yes, even Sharon Stone).
ReplyDeleteLOVE LOVE LOVE The Birdcage and La Cage in ALL its forms - play, musical, and French film! Each one is such a riot and very much its own thing.
Maybe you will see those movies this year?? My hubby has the hots for Sharon Stone but this remake is not a great one. I loved La Cage and loved seeing it in Toronto when it was on tour
DeleteBirdcage is a movie I absolutely love! It makes me laugh out loud every time I see it. Of course, the others are all new to me! ;)
ReplyDelete~Jess
It is funny and Hank Azaria is so great in it (as their butler/ cleaner etc...
DeleteSo this was originally a musical or did I misunderstand? I bet it was a hoot. Wasn't Robin Williams great in this?
ReplyDeleteHe was great! La Cage, the film, was originally a comedy. They made it into a musical which I saw in Toronto when touring.
DeleteI never saw the first two but love the Birdcage!! I can watch it again and again and never fail to laugh. So funny. If the original made you laugh even more I'm curious about it now.
ReplyDeleteOh gosh the original film is so funny! It was so great that it became a hit in North America too.
DeleteI've got to see the The Seven Samurai again. That was a great movie. I have yet to see the Magnificent Seven. Both versions of La Cage aux Folles are fun. I like the original more.
ReplyDeleteTwo stories that I think get better with each remake are "Little Women" and "Pride & Prejudice."
I love both La Cage and The Birdcage (love when Hank Azaria's character has to wear shoes). Just give me Colin Firth and I am happy:)
DeleteThe Birdcage is hysterical! Nathan Lane stole the show for sure.
ReplyDeleteYou can't go wrong with The Birdcage - such a hilarious film. I saw the musical when it was on in London - so glad I caught it.
ReplyDeleteSome more movies that are not familiar to me(aside from reading the names sometime or other). I have seen the Magnificent 7 (liked Yul & love the theme song). Caught Robin & Nathan in the movie on Netflix and thought that was hilarious. Of course Robin is always great in anything he does...Good inspiration for some things to look out for on this post. Have a great week. TFS & Hugs
ReplyDeleteI've seen (and loved) The Magnificent Seven, but not The Seven Samurai. And I remember seeing The Birdcage when it first came out, but that was so long ago (and I was so young) I don't remember a thing about it.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen any of them, but the ones I want to watch are your first two picks: both original and remake.
ReplyDelete