David Annandale
Joseph Losey’s 1951 remake of M isn’t a bad film. In fact, it’s pretty good. Given how closely it follow its model, it could hardly turn out otherwise. It is, though, somewhat redundant. In the first two pairs of screenshots here, the first of each pair is from 1931, the second from 1951. I could multiply the examples, but the carbon-copying is pretty striking in these images from the opening scene.
#horror #filmnoir
Nov 18, 2022 at 8:29pmWeb
Show threadDavid AnnandaleNov 18, 2022
At least Losey’s film doesn’t feel quite as pointless as Gus Van Sant’s 1998 remake of PSYCHO (which was really just a colourized version of the original, with bonus subliminal cow shots). It makes great use of its setting during the manhunt in the office building, with some very striking shots, and really comes into its own there.
Show threadDavid AnnandaleNov 18, 2022

It tries to strike out on its own in the trial scene too, but there rather fumbles the ball, suddenly trying to make an important character out of the murderer’s “attorney” to indifferent effect.

David Wayne as the killer is certainly full of twitches and shrieks, but he just isn’t Peter Lorre, in much the same way that the tune he plays on his tin flute has none of the creepy recognizability of Lorre’s whistled “Hall of the Mountain King.”

Show threadd4doomeNov 18, 2022
@davidannandale The 1998 PSYCHO is certainly the most pointless movie ever made.
Show threadDavid AnnandaleNov 19, 2022
@d4doome I struggle to think of a competitor in those sweepstakes.
Show threadJeff XilonNov 18, 2022
@davidannandale I'm sure the movie is as fine as you say, but not only does this comparison make '51 look redundant, it makes it look inferior as the original (such a great film) just looks better.
Show threadDavid AnnandaleNov 19, 2022
@JXilon You are not wrong. Lang apparently said the remake led to his film getting the best reviews it had ever had. My surprise is that this is actually entertaining and watchable, despite being what you said.
Show threadJeff XilonNov 19, 2022
@davidannandale that’s a pretty fair surprise. I think it’s fair to say that most film remakes, even ones that play it fairly straight, fail that test, with obviously quite a few super standouts that buck the trend.
Show threadDavid AnnandaleNov 19, 2022
@JXilon And I wouldn’t call this a standout — it’s no THE FLY, that’s for sure. The surprise in some way is that it isn’t a disaster.
Show threadJeff XilonNov 19, 2022
@davidannandale Yeah, no I think that's the rare zone for sure. Most are bad, some are incredible and a few are...perfectly ok and watchable.
Show threadDavid AnnandaleNov 19, 2022
@JXilon What I’m often surprised by (though I really shouldn’t be), is when remakes of movies that were mediocre to start with somehow manage to be worse. I mean, come on, the bar was low — how did you still fall below it?
Show threadJeff XilonNov 19, 2022
@davidannandale Yeah that's a real badge of shame.
Show threadCliff HensleyNov 19, 2022
@davidannandale I… did not realize there was a remake of M, so right now I really think maybe I need to have my film studies card revoked.
Show threadDavid AnnandaleNov 19, 2022
@cliffhensley If I had known about it previously, I had completely forgotten its existence until my recent encounter with it.
Show threadCliff HensleyNov 20, 2022
@davidannandale Okay, now I feel a little bit better. 😅