The number of remakes, from famous classics to the latest titles -as well as their derivative formats – has grown dramatically over the years. Reboots, prequels and sequels are so popular right nowthat they are starting to rival the number of original works present on the screens. Just think about the revival of the sit-com Will & Grace, or cinema-wise, at The Beguiled by Sofia Coppola, a revisitingof the 1971 movie of the same name by Don Siegel; or Blade Runner 2049, just released today, the sequel to the critically acclaimed film by Ridley Scott; or even at the remake of Stephen King‘s IT, which will be released in theatres in two weeks. These are only three of the next big box office hits.
What is the aim behind the remake of a movie? Is it a way to pay tribute to a cult movie or novel? Is it a mere marketing operation? Or is it a way to reach a broader audience, knowing full well how much the public loves the sense of recognition and surprise that springs from the knowledge of knowing how the plotis going to unfold?
Some argue that remakes are overdone, and they claim that proposing the same stories and topics over and over again is a clear sign of a lack of creativity. This critique stands only when we consider remakes as mere “copies” of the original, andwe give the word “mainstream” a negative connotation. Obviously, commercial interests sometimes prevail over artistic ones, and this is especially true for the film industry, but this doesn’t mean that the artistic value of a workisgiven only by its originality, since originality itself cannot be considereda quality. As Gioacchino Rossini once said to a young composer seeking his opinion on his scores: “There is something new here and something beautiful. However, the new is not beautiful, and the beautiful is not new.”
Anyway, the spread of this phenomenonis evidence of the fact thatremakesclearly embody the spirit of the time, since they are one of thecornerstones of postmodernism. Intertextuality in literature, covers in music and remakes in film and television series have their roots in the critical text by John Barth, The Literature of Exhaustion, written in 1967. This text took one of Borges‘ works to extrapolatean often-misunderstood concept: the exhaustion in the titlerefers not to a lack of creativity itself (Postmodernism’s original sinaccording to its detractors), but rather to theattempt to saturate the expressive possibilities of literature, as depicted in Georges Perec‘s novel An Attempt at Exhausting a Place in Paris.
Actually, a remake is a great opportunity for creative development. It islikea translation that allows the circulation of stories that have been successful in their homeland and show great potential abroad. After spending years trailing after others, recently, we have become the “muses”, the mold from which copies aremade. Such is the case for Paolo Genovese‘s Perfect Strangers, which will shortly have a Spanish remake directed by Alex De La Iglesia.
