Friday 11 September 2009

Steven Spielberg is remaking 'Harvey' - This had better be the greatest film of all time.

So, Steven Spielberg is remaking 'Harvey.'

And I really hope he knows what he's doing.

'Harvey' is magic. It's one of those rare films that isn't just about words and acting and what you see. It has that something underneath it that makes it magic. Like 'The Kid,' like 'The Apartment,' like 'Shawshank Redemption.' It's a film that goes beyond being just something well made. It is a movie that I never thought would get remade. Just like one of those buildings you can never knock down, because it's just too amazing.

"Hey everyone, let's go to Egypt and build new pyramids! We have more money now. We can make them out of metal! They'll be great!". NO, they wouldn't be great. The new 'Harvey' won't be great.

Okay, maybe it will be great. Maybe remakes can be awesome, it's just that I've never seen one. Well, I've seen some good films that have been remade out of decent older stuff. But when it comes to the TRUE classics, like the outrageously PERFECT 'Harvey' - you wonder why they're doing it.

Specifically, you wonder why Steven Spielberg is doing it. Spielberg, a man who's been at the forefront of black and white film preservation, a man who loves old cinema as much as anyone in the world. If he wants a film about an invisible rabbit, I'll write him one. Or, fuck, just remake 'Donnie Darko' -- but why oh why does he need to remake the original 'Harvey'?

I can understand some random producer hack wanting to remake the film. It's a great idea, it could do very well commercially. I just don't understand why one of the geniuses of cinema would even think of remaking it. And yes, I know, I read what everyone is saying, about how 'oh, he's remaking the play, not the film.' That really makes no difference here.

Rumours abound that Tom Hanks will be filling the shoes of Elwood P. Dowd. Hanks is my favourite actor. Spielberg is one of my heroes. But I don't want this to happen. If 'Harvey' gets remade then before we know it all of the old films will be up for grabs. We'll be going to see 'Alien Versus The Odd Couple,' 'Some Like It Hot 3D,' it'll be horrific.

I want us to be more careful. If we are really and truly out of ideas, then let's just shut the film industry down. That's it, thank you, goodnight. Let's end all filmmaking and instead people can just sit in empty cinemas and update their Facebook statuses. 'Harvey' is magic. Leave it alone.

Care to share?

6 comments:

  1. EXACTLY!! Like going to Egypt and building new pyramids....

    Funny I was just talking about this yesterday.. I bet there will be a CG animated giant bunny instead of leaving it up to the imagination!

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  2. Yes, yes, yes! This is such an exercise in futility! Harvey cannot be bettered, so why try? Shame on Spielberg.

    I wholeheartedly second your motion to shut down the film industry if they can't come up with new ideas. Did you see the remake of Beyond a Reasonable Doubt is coming out this week? Ugh! It's not only a remake, but it's been modernized! Simply dreadful. I refuse to watch these defamations of classics. I'll save my money and buy the original on DVD.

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  3. NO effin way. No no no no no no no. There will ever ONLY be ONE JIMMY STEWART. Get over it! No no no no no why why why? Some people have too much money, control, power and time on their hands. Why not just restore and release it, with a big media campaign? Show the kids how great black and white can look, with a great cast of character actors, just a perfect film. Did I mention Jimmy Stewart?? Tom Hanks is NOT Jimmy Stewart.

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  4. I fail to see how any actor today can recreate or better Jimmy Stewart's Elwood P. Dowd!

    Spielberg may have good intentions, but I'm still skeptical about re-makes of near perfect classics!

    It'd be nice if Hollywood could tap into some originality for a change!

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  5. I guess we can just choose not to watch new versions. We can just love what came before. We can't stop this type of thing happening. Clearly, many people will enjoy it.

    It just makes me sad, I can't help it.

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  6. That is the worst news I've heard all day. I'm sure it will be right there next to the remake of Sabrina, Willy Wonka and the like. Not that I've actually seen those remakes, I don't need to, I know they won't be better.

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