This blog is a perfect example of why America is the true vampire, sucking the creativity of other countries and reusing it to make money because it's easier than being creative for ourselves:
"The erstwhile blood funneler didn’t include a note or press release or any identifying details – just the blood-caked funnel. But a few moments of internet research revealed it to be a promotion for Let Me In, the American remake of Swedish vampire masterpiece Let the Right One In. The original film (based on the novel by TK) is a marvel of understatement and atmospheric creepiness, a fantastic convergence of entertainment and art. And since, as far as I know, every single print and DVD and digital copy wasn’t destroyed in some sort of vast international warehouse fire conspiracy, there is absolutely no reason to remake this film. Except that Americans like to make money. And did you know that Americans made exactly zero dollars off the original Swedish version of Let the Right One In? It’s true! This cannot stand! One producer told the Los Angeles Times, “We’re incredibly admiring of the original, but to be honest with you, that picture grossed $2 million. It’s not like we’re remaking Lawrence of Arabia.”
But who knows. Though I object on principle, Let Me In could wind up being a perfectly fine piece of entertainment. But reshooting and repackaging something great so you can sell it to dumb people too lazy to go to an art house theatre and read subtitles is a cheap trick. Kind of like sending me a plastic funnel coated with red dye to trick me into writing about your movie. Goddamnit."
So don't be a lazy American. Rent the original Let The Right One In and enjoy it for all of it's foreign genius. It is a touching and haunting story of a young, lonely boy and the vampire girl who becomes his only friend.
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3 comments:
They've been doing this for years and years, especially in the horror market by remaking Japanese and Korean films, sometimes nearly frame by frame- just done in America with American actors.
And when our current film makers are not stealing from other countries, they are remaking our great films from the past (with new graphics!), or constantly redoing comic hero flicks. This play of creating Let Me In is an old-school move for Hollywood.
Personally, even though I've not seen the new one yet, I like the original better. ;) It was a brilliant masterpiece and came across as true artwork captured on film. I highly recommend people see it.
I know that it's been going on for far too long. I wouldn't be so upset by it were the American remakes not so poorly done and totally unecessary.
Movie houses are more interested in saving money in marketing and advertising these days. They know if they remake a movie, they have a built-in audience. A big group of people that will go see the movie because they liked it before- or because they heard the original was good but they don't like subtitles. This is attractive to studios because it means they don't have to generate interest in a movie from scratch- the same reason they like to use the same actors and directors for everything.
Somehow this "auto-audience" phenomena persists in spite of the fact that 99% of remakes and "reboots" are terrible. I can't decide if it's optimism or ignorance that keeps the "auto-audiences" flocking to the thater.
The worst thing about it is the original films suffer as a result- guilty by association. People who never saw the original and hated the remake probably won't give the original a chance.
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