Bad film remakes

I so agree about Joan Hickson, I think she will always be my favourite Miss Marple.

And much as I enjoyed the BBC Pride and Prejudice (and Colin Firth!) the original with Greer Garson and Olivier is one of our favourite films.

I've been trying to think of a remake that I enjoyed more than the original and so far the only one I can come up with is Narrow Margin, with Gene Hackman and Anne Archer.

The remake of the Little Women film was dire indeed. I felt cheated when I came out of the cinema.

Didn’t the Olivier/Garson P&P have a Lady Catherine who turned out to be a sweet old lady in the last reel? Yuk!!

The Olivier/Garson P&P also had very distracting costumes imo since they did not fit in with the period of Jane Austen's book.
I disliked the Kiera Knightley version just as much if not more though. The character of Elizabeth Bennett that Austen would never have said something so banal as "well then".
I agree with grumppa though these are versions or interpretations of a novel rather than a re-make of a film which surely uses the same script as the original.

The Lady Vanishes and The 39 Steps have been remade several times but cannot beat the black and white versions by Hitchcock, by far the best.I

Not to mention Cape Fear with Greggory Peck

Yes, @grumppa, Hollywood saccharine applied at the end.
And the costumes were all wrong, because at the time Hollywood couldn’t allow even a glimpse of cleavage. ?

IMO (as an ardent fan of the book) one of the best bits in the BBC version was the scene with Lizzie and Lady Catherine in the garden. I thought the actress who played Lady C (forget her name) was brilliant, and portrayed her correctly as a ghastly and very imperious old bat.

My one complaint about the BBC version is that they omitted Mrs Bennett’s stunned monologue towards the end of the book, when she finds out that Lizzie is going to marry Mr D. A comedy classic IMO, ending IIRC with, ‘Oh Lord, what will become of me? I shall go distracted.’

I’m reading ‘Sleeping Murder’ at the moment, Miss Marple’s last case. She is described as ‘tall and thin’, the description doesn’t fit either Julia McKenzie or Geraldine McEwan, (whose accent and twittery mannerisms irritated me no end).

Joan Hickson is, IMHO, the definitive MM, and Agatha Christie apparently agreed.

@Calenargirl, IMO the Joan Hickson version of Sleeping Murder was wonderfully creepy! And the bit where the girl screams out loud in the theatre was so well done.

The ITV remake was utterly dire! They made absolutely nothing of the shiver-making ‘I’ve been here before’ aspects.

I can’t think of a single remake that hasn’t been utterly dire. Why do the film industry think a successful film can be improved? Is it an ego thing?

I hope they never remake a the Wizard of Oz, You can’t beat perfect

Why remake perfectly good films - they can never be improved.

It’s all a Matter of opinion, isn’t it? My ultimate and all-time favourite Jane Eyre is the one the BBC did with Timothy Dalton as Mr Rochester. Although it was a long time ago, in our family we still quote some of our best remembered lines. As for Pride and Prejudice, nothing ever has come close to the Colin Firth Adaptation. But then that’s just my opinion!

I agree totay ladymuck.

If ever ‘Gone With The Wind’ was re-made, which of course it won’t be because of all the issues, cannot imagine who could better Vivien Leigh or Clark Gable.
Leslie Howard, however, IMHO, was totally wrong as Ashley Wilkes.
Scarlett would not have fancied him over Rhett in a month of Sundays.

totaly that should read.grrrrrr

The original version of “ The 39 Steps” trumps later versions, always will.

A favourite film of ours is 'Overboard' with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. I only managed to watch 5 minutes of the Madonna remake.....arrgghh!!!! No!!!!

I absolutely loved the remake of Lost Horizon ! Went to see it twice in the week it opened. Liked the first one too. Just two very different films.

The Fog made in the 70's is the best , also Amityville with James Brolin " The remakes are cringey and an insult !

The Fog made in the 70's is the best , also Amityville with James Brolin " The remakes are cringey and an insult !

ooh weird things are happening to my computer !!!!

Why do they have to do remakes anyway? Aren't there enough amazing imaginary and real life stories/novelsout there to make original adaptations? Its laziness, IMO.

Ben Hur’ is a novel, by Lew Wallace who also wrote The Robe’.

Imagine a remake of Downton Abbey without Maggie Smith and Hugh Bonneville etc.

The remake of "little Women " was awful. They all looked at least thirty, and spent most of their time hitting out at each other with books, bags etc. Then cringeworthy group hugs. Amy in particular nothing like her character in the book. Laurie was about 17 and seemed to come from Italy.