U.S. remakes lose something in translation
Chris Hicks
Japanese horror films are a special breed, although they come in all colors. There are gorefests, as you might expect, but when the term "J-Horror" is used in the West, we generally think of the more low-key, brooding, creepy films — generally in reference to the recent spate of American remakes.
The one that started the trend, the highly successful "The Ring" (a remake of the J-Horror film "Ringu") was actually pretty good, though the sequel, "The Ring 2," was rather dismal. And in all of the others — from "The Grudge" to "Dark Water" to "Pulse" to "One Missed Call" to the still-in-theaters "The Eye" — something has been lost in the translation.
None of the original Japanese pictures are classics, mind you, but each is far more satisfying than its American remake.
In the case of "The Eye," the Japanese film allows for stronger character development, a clearer back story and better logical progression as far as characters' actions are concerned. Whereas the American film is a quintessential example of dumbing down for the American audience.
But there are, of course, many more that fall flat. The worst in my book is "City of Angels," a wrongheaded reworking of the magnificent German fantasy "Wings of Desire."
Others that couldn't hold a candle to their foreign inspirations include "Point of No Return" ("La Femme Nikita"), "Sommersby" ("The Return of Martin Guerre"), "The Man With One Red Shoe" ("The Tall Blond Man With One Black Shoe"), "A Little Night Music" ("Smiles of a Summer Night"), "Diabolique," "The Vanishing," "Shall We Dance" and many more.
But I understand why some foreign films are tough for American audiences. Asian comedy, for example is a particularly tough sell.
Jackie Chan notwithstanding, Chinese farce can be sillier than anything Will Ferrell has ever come up with and can just as often be surprisingly cruel and harsh. (I love Chan's talent for physical comedy, but his Chinese films often have comic moments that make me wince.)
And in the mid-1980s, a low-key Japanese comedy that had been a huge hit in Japan was shown by an American studio to critics around the country to determine its viability. We didn't get it, we didn't laugh — and it was never released in this country.
On the other hand, I've occasionally heaped praise on foreign films and then loaned them to friends, only to have them returned with looks of bewilderment.
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