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Thread: American remakes of foreign classics

  1. #31
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    Aug 2002
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    Gross generalization of "Americans"

    Saying that "Americans" want happy endings" sounds like something a high-schooler would say. Lumping Americans into a unified mass is simplistic.

    Americans aren't "jingoistic" when it comes to exploring other cultures. I know many Americans who regularly watch French, German, Russian, Italian films. I have even seen a film from Macedonia. It's true that most Americans, like any audience, prefer movies in their own language. It has nothing to do with nationality. There are people all over the world who watch movies more for "diversion and entertainment". It's not fair to lump avid movie fans, American or not, into this category.

  2. #32
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    Oct 2002
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    Nights of Cabiria

    Originally posted by anniedoa
    the worst remake ever is "sweet charity" with shirley mcclain. it made me sick!! it couldn't even begin to compare to fellini's "nights with cabiria"
    You are right. Yet, Bob Fosse turned it into something in a totally different genre and he didn't even steal the title. It's a campy, fun musical no one can confuse with Nights of Cabiria. Sweet Charity may even send some renters Fellini's way, when they see his name prominently displayed in the credits.

    anniedoa, when did you watch Nights? Is there anything specific that makes it memorable for you? A restored version (that includes most of what was cut for its original U.S. release) was shown in theatres in late '98, and released on DVD in '99. It is gorgeous.
    Last edited by oscar jubis; 03-09-2003 at 11:50 PM.

  3. #33
    anniedoa Guest
    hey oscar!!! i'm new at this, so i'm going to have trouble following the rules. this is too much fun!!!

    i first saw nights with cabiria in 1972. i went nuts over it!!!! i bawled like a baby almost entirely thru it. i can't spell her name, but guilleta messina??? was so beautiful. i love fellini


    movies, and this one is my favorite. i read an interview with fellini about the movie, and he said the original ending, cabiria was supposed to die. he said when they watched it, it was just too much for everybody, so they decided to change it. that's just tooo much for me!!!! no kidding. a person could go into a
    coma or something!!! i loved everything about that movie. it is sooooo corny and sooo real. well....fellini real. i think he really understands reality. but then i might be kind of nuts!!!
    i think no one should dare to "remake" or even use in the credits a fellini film. they have a mood and characters like no one can re-create. unless you can help me out. who else creates characters that are so strange that they become so real? i love movies with a great dark mood.... there are a few goods ones out there.
    like mary poppins......hahahahahahahahah! sorry this is so long... i don't have anyone to talk to about movies. the chat rooms are a joke. i'll get better i promise... just don't kick me outa here yet!!

  4. #34
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    I saw the re-release of Nights of Cabiria with Dr. Strangelove on the big screen in '98. A historic night for me. I didn't cry, but "La Strada" gets me every time. When Zampano hears that trumpet, the floodgates open. Real men cry every once in a while...
    "Set the controls for the heart of the Sun" - Pink Floyd

  5. #35
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    Oct 2002
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    Originally posted by anniedoa
    hey oscar!!! i'm new at this, so i'm going to have trouble following the rules.
    Welcome anniedoa! No rules!! I do try to be as specific and precise as possible in my comments, and to keep the focus on film. I also believe in crediting others when I use their ideas consciously. For instance, I plan to call 2002: the year of the political film in my upcoming best-of-2002 post. It's only fair to credit Johann who brought it to our attention oh... about 3 months ago.
    i first saw nights with cabiria in 1972. i went nuts over it!!!! i bawled like a baby almost entirely thru it. i can't spell her name, but guilleta messina??? was so beautiful. i loved everything about that movie. it is sooooo corny and sooo real. well....fellini real. who else creates characters that are so strange that they become so real?
    The film we saw in America before '98 had an important, unique sequence removed. It's know as "man with a sack". In the first, Cabiria has her purse stolen by a boyfriend who pushes her into a river. The second sequence ends with Cabiria being dropped by an actor once his girlfriend returns. This sequences move from hope to disappointment. This "new" sequence is the only one that moves from disappointment to hope, as a despondent Cabiria encounters a man delivering clothes and food to the homeless. She is touched by his mission and moved to reveal her real name for the first and only time in the film. The restored version is likely to have better sound and image than the print you saw in '72.

    You mention the characters being so strange yet so real. Cabiria is a hooker with a heart of gold, an "innocent" whose hopes are invariably dashed. What makes her strange and distancing is Ms. Masina's acting style. It is a style usually associated with the silent era, full of theatrical grimacing. Is her performance an homage to Chaplin,Keaton,etc.? Is the name Cabiria a reference to Italy's silent film of the same name? What I found real is her emotional vulnerability, the wonderful sense of place, and the "street Italian" dialogue written by one P.P. Pasolini.

    I hope you visit a new Fellini thread called The Maestro if you want to discuss other films by Fellini. Find it under Favorite Films.
    Last edited by oscar jubis; 03-10-2003 at 07:16 PM.

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