Sunday, May 11, 2008

The dangers of movie remaking

Last night we saw the remake of 3:10 to Yuma from 2007 with Russell Crowe as the wild west gangster and Christian Bale as the honest farmer trying to make a living. We saw the 1957 original a few months ago. For those of you that haven't seen either, please, please, see the 1957 first, otherwise you will not understand what is going on, why things are happening, all you will see is great photography and people shooting each other at close range with lots of blood coming out of pouches under their clothes. The new movie is great, but the plot line is confused and some major connections are missing.



I liked the 1957 version much better, it was more understated and it told a story of how good and bad is not always to easy to tell apart and how people can change. I think the contrast between the movies are also telling in historical movie sense. The older one is black and white and is slower and takes the time to let you follow the story, while the new one is fast, colorful, and drastic, but you don't always get what is going on. Sort of how the world is these days.

5 comments:

PP said...

The new one is by no means "great", in fact I would say it is plain awful. The original one is great.

O.K. said...

Ok, I'll have to see the old one then. I saw the new one a few months ago, and I thought already then that it lacked in the storytelling.

PP said...

There is no tension in the new one...the tension of the ol one is replaced by gunslinging action, Hollywood style. The original has a VERY long sequence where the outlaw is being guarded in the hotel, it keeps building and building the closer it gets to 3:10. Funny the new one I don't think even features a clock or watch in it.

LS said...

OK, I admit, the new movie is not great, it is bearable but only if you have seen the old movie. Why did they have to make a new version?

Here are some other great movies I hope they never make remakes of:
How to Kill a Mockiingbird
12 angry men
Casablanca
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Baghdad Cafe
The Train

LA said...

The second one was not as good as the first