They were once, and they may again

I was reading a review of the new Roman Polanski film, Oliver Twist, in the paper today. And I noticed that in deciding what he (or she) thought of the film, the reviewer kept making reference to previous incarnations of the Oliver Twist story. And that makes sense on an immediate level, but as I've said before, a remake is it's own thing, that exists, almost as drinkin' chums beside other remakes. A movie can be in the shadow of the book on which it's based, sure, that's probably unavoidable (as I haven't said before), but each remake is from the book, not any of the other movies! That's like saying "I took my last name from my older brother, not my parents!". Sure, you can have awareness of a previous incarnation, reflect on what's been done before, to make sure you're doing your own thing. But when people's first response to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was "Gene Wilder did it better" I turn toward them and hornets of sweat fly from my fingertips straight at them! Tim Burton had no thirst for the older one (done by Mel Stuart and David Seltzer). He had his eye set on Roald Dahl's original story! All I'm saying is, it's a different god damn movie, and to so closely consider all it's peers is like those creepy kids at school who idolized their older sister.

Why, I might continue on to say, as if further proving my point, would you spend the time and energy to make a second (or third, or tenth in most of that Shakepear's case) version of a story? Why, to I see a story as a question on a really esoteric game show, and as each generation of filmmakers (who each reprisent the society as a whole) unfolds, they have a chance to step up to the podiums, and buzz in on how to answer that question. I could see assuming that two contemporary filmmakers "answering the question" at the same time was a competition, but for that very reason, that never happens. Artists support one another (in a sort of off-handed way you hear in interviews sometimes). The weird game show thing I just mentioned is more interested in seeing how each new period of film is going to buzz in. I am genuinely hopong that in a hundred years or so a live-action remake of the Star Wars series is attempted.

It's kinda like how you can tell the era in which a film is made, even when it's a period piece of the same period.

Or like how a cover of a song from long ago can be done, and embraced. Because the kinds sound we make, and the kind of music we make has changed a crazily in the past 30 years. Obviously, it's all relative, but recent memory isn't so forgiving, and it takes about a generation to clear all bets.

I'ma gonna go watch The Flintstones movie now.