When Hollywood makes a film based on another film, it’s called a ‘remake’ and is seen as proof that the industry is creatively bankrupt and incapable of producing original work.
When they make a movie based on a novel, it’s called an ‘adaptation’, and it’s seen as artistic, admirable, and prestigious.
I think the industry might have some self-worth issues.
2 replies on “Movie remakes”
Also interesting that when a film-maker veers too far from the original plot of a book, he/she usually gets hell for it. Sometimes the criticism is justified (as in Captain Correlli’s Mandolin), but other times it’s the only way to make a novel cinematic.
Also nearly every movie that’s made of a book gets the reaction, “I’m glad I didn’t read the book first, as the film would have paled in comparison”.
And the BBC gets altogether too much kudos for doing yet another lavish adaptation of Dickensaustentrollope when they could be spending licence-payers’ money on actually getting someone to write something new. Still, at least it keeps the lovable Robert Hardy in work.