Feature:A letter to cinema fans who would rather reiterate others’ opinion than understand the difference between a remake and a re-adaptation.

Dear Friends,

It is with great annoyance that I come to you with the following news:

As of 12:00am 1 January 2012, I, David J Rowley, will no longer tolerate the verbal diarrhoea that is the regurgitation of others’ opinion as one’s own.

To wrap up 2011’s great year in film David Fincher gave us The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to bring in the holidays the way they should with a chrome dildo in the ass. However, it’s with this release that I’ve noticed discussion boards erupt with hate towards this “remake.”

Let me be perfectly clear: Fincher’s film is not a remake; it is a Hollywood adaptation of a Swedish novel. I am aware a Swedish film was released prior to the Hollywood version. From what I have heard it is very good. My point is not to argue which is better; rather to explain the difference between remake and a new adaptation – or re-adaptation – of previously used source material.

In the recent months I’ve received word that Hollywood is looking into the possibility of creating their version of Troll Hunters. Now, if this is news to anyone I apologize for the bluntness to which it was presented, I have no intention of blindsiding anyone. Please take your time to recover.

As an American I happily welcome your remarks and criticism on this matter and please make them as personal as possible. Upon hearing this news I gave myself a vicious verbal flogging. As much as I love American cinema I will not tolerate their ability to throw money around and seemingly control the movie industry. It is this notion that makes me both proud and ashamed to have watched every Academy Awards show for the past decade. Often times I agree with the films being honoured but I can’t help but berate myself for not watching any other awards commentary for movies.

But I’m getting away from the real issue. Too often it seems like Hollywood has first say on which movies should be made and when. As it’s been since the beginning of cinema foreign pictures have just as much to say through the medium. The key difference is Hollywood producers have more money to get their film to a wider audience, thus gaining a higher notoriety. In 2009 Danmarks Radio a Swedish production company released The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo with Noomi Rapace as the ever-intriguing Lisabeth Salander. Fast-forward to the end of 2011 and David Fincher has just released his own version of the film.

Capturing the cold and mysterious terrain of Sweden, Fincher takes this international best selling story and unapologetically crafts a haunting film you can’t look away from. The sexual violence and brutality are shown in full detail adding greatly to the investment in different characters, especially Roony Mara’s Lisabeth. She evolves from quiet, desperate and self-reliant to ruthless, genius and self-confident making her revenge all the more watchable despite its graphic nature.

Different directors; different screenwriters; different cast; different producers; the only thing shared between these two films is the location it was shot – Sweden – and the novel by Stieg Larsson.  And it is the novel that Fincher looked to when he decided to make this film. He did not look at Neils Arden Oplev version because this is not a remake.

Not long after the Millenium series – the name of Larsson’s books involving Lisabeth Salander – set for release, Larsson had a heart attack that ended his life. I mention this because it’s important to note the actual author of the sources material, though Swedish, never worked with either movie. This allowed for his book to be adapted in a variety of ways leading to the scripts of these two films.

As I mentioned earlier I have not seen the Swedish version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. This isn’t because I’m intolerant of foreign films or have a general hate of subtitles. No, I haven’t seen it because when it was released it didn’t look that interesting. Also I was confused because it seemed the movies and books were coming out at the same time I couldn’t figure out which came first, the girl or the dragon tattoo. But I have read many positive reviews in online forums and magazines especially as Fincher’s release date grew nearer.

The problem is people don’t understand what they are getting upset about. Many claim the side of foreign films as the best form of cinema while others feel American cinema as the best kind of moving pictures. Still others just want to hate on American films. I don’t often enjoy remakes and when made to pick a side I’ll go with the original.

After hearing all the chatter of online forums I started thinking about other films that have been re-adapted. It was earlier this year Joel and Ethan Coen directed True Grit and their interpretation is much better than the 1969 version staring John Wayne. The dark and frigid tone of Charles Portis’ is better captured in the Coen Brother’s camera.

Another more glaring example is Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins. Throughout the years many different people have written Batman’s story and each one interprets it in their own way. Tim Burton’s film is nothing like Nolan’s or Joel Schumacher’s but their drawing inspiration from the original source, the Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. Yet we don’t call these films remakes, they just stand alone as films existing in their own universes.

Just so it is not confusing to anyone let me also give an example of what a remake is. Above I mention a few movies that would be classified as re-adaptations. Vince Vaughn as Norman Bates in Psycho is a remake. I loved Swingers and Old School but if I ever have to sit through this again I apologize to the people around me for my annoying cynicism. Psycho is a classic that should have never been considered as a movie to remake.

But every now and again a remake slips by that people don’t realize is a remake. When Martin Scorsese’s The Departed hit theatres it was received with open arms. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave Scorsese the Best Director award that year. And that’s really disappointing. Of all the great films he has release Scorsese got this award for remaking the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. From what I have read these two titles are virtually the same film. The fact this information wasn’t mentioned by Scorsese in anyway is very disappointing considering his love of all things cinema.

So as we all gear up for the new year in anticipation for the movies to come let us remember to think before making any callous statements about the direction of motion pictures today. All those excited for the comic book blockbusters – The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Amazing Spider-Man, Man of Steel – you’re not seeing a remake you’re seeing a re-adaptation. Those looking forward to seeing Ralph Finnes’ Coriolanus you’re in for a reinterpretation or re-adaptation as well.

These movies, like The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, need to be consumed without bias. Sure there have been other versions already envisioned by another director but that doesn’t mean the source material cannot be used again. Fincher proves that you can release a very different film from one that has been previously made and still maintain a sense of originality.

For me I will watch anything that sounds like a good story. There are too many releases each week to research every film and ensure it is completely original. When you are out at the theatre getting ready to watch a movie the only thing that you should be thinking about is how the movie stands on its own. It doesn’t matter if a story is rehashed, reimagined or remade; the only thing that is really important is that the film entertains you and opens you up to new ideas you never considered before.

David Rowley