I was sitting the other day listening to the Panic Dots film Podcasts. Episode One is centred around a little known Swedish Film called ‘Let the Right One In’. How sad was I to learn that once again, some bright spark in Hollywood has decided to remake it for an American audience.
That phrase, ‘for an American Audience’, is one that should send a chill down the spine of any film buff. What is it about an American audience that requires such a spoon fed attitude to culture? The rest of the world is content to watch and enjoy the cinematic expression of other countries without having it tailor made to their own wants or needs.
It is possible that the American people have such an innate sense of insecurity and fear of anything outside their own borders that there seems to be this need to take an amazing film and rehash or rework it to suit their own individual culture.
Take ‘Let the Right One In’. It is a perfect example of cultural expression. So much so that the location is a character in itself, even the language (Swedish, funnily enough) perfectly compliments the tone of the film. For me even dubbing the original into English takes away some of the nuances of the language that adds to the profound effect the film has on the viewer. Continue reading “American Remakes of Foreign Films”