Top 10 Movies You Didn't Know Were Remakes
#10: “Last Holiday” (2006)
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Gender swapped remakes can be hit or miss, but they’re also a fun way to switch things up. “Last Holiday” is a comedy drama from 2006 starring Queen Latifah. It’s also a 1950s British movie, with Alec Guinness in the title role. In both versions, the story follows an ordinary salesperson, who discovers that they’re dying of Lampington’s disease. They decide to take off on the trip of a lifetime and in the process find love and a new lease of life. The original was written by famous British writer J. B. Priestley. It seems like an odd choice for a modern reimagining but the themes and characters actually translate really well. Although they did drop the twist ending.
#9: “Meet the Parents” (2000)
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This star-studded favorite from 2000 was a box-office smash. Both critics and audiences loved the movie. It spawned two sequels and earned Ben Stiller two comedy awards. However, it wasn’t original. Eight years earlier, a low budget indie film, also titled “Meet the Parents”, caught the attention of Universal Pictures. That movie tells the story of the hapless Greg, who can’t do anything right when meeting his future in-laws for the first time. It was only 76 minutes long. But according to one critic: “much funnier and tighter than the Hollywood version.” Whether or not that’s true, the original is certainly darker. Jim Herzfeld’s expanded script for the remake also added a Hollywood happy ending.
#8: “The Prince of Egypt” (1998)
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Yul Brynner movies are prime fodder for animated remakes. “Anastasia” and “The King and I” both got the cartoon musical treatment back in the nineties, as did the Biblical epic “The Ten Commandments.” The 1956 movie starred Brynner and Charlton Heston. It was based on Dorothy Clarke Wilson’s novel, “Prince of Egypt” which dramatized the story of Moses. The animated movie adds songs by Stephen Schwartz and the run time is significantly shorter. Visually though, it owes a lot to the original, which was filmed on location in Egypt, in glorious technicolor. Scenes like the burning bush and the parting of the Red Sea pay homage to the Paramount movie, as does the animation design of the characters and costumes.
#7: “CODA” (2021)
The touching story of Ruby, a child of deaf adults, made waves at the 2022 Oscars. But the movie was actually adapted from a 2014 French language film called “La Famille Bélier”. In this earlier version, the protagonist’s family are farmers not fishermen. Otherwise the plot and characters are very similar. Also a box office success, the French-Belgian film is itself very similar to a 1996 Indian movie, “Khamoshi: The Musical”. However, it drew criticism from the deaf community for the casting of hearing actors in the pivotal parent roles. The US version improved on this, recruiting Oscar winner Marlee Matlin and actor Troy Kotsur - who won his first Academy award for the film.
#6: “Three Men and a Baby” (1987)
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“Three Men and A Baby” is an eighties comedy classic. It inspired a sequel - “Three Men and a Little Lady” - and six Indian remakes. But it’s not the original. The version starring Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson, came two years after the 1985 Oscar winning French film “Trois Hommes et un Couffin.” In English, that’s “Three Men and a Cradle.” The movie’s premise has all the ingredients of the best French farce. But the absurdist plot, wit and slapstick humor are also universally appealing. The French version has a sequel of its own too. Set 18 years after the original, it follows the titular baby, all grown up and falling in love.
#5: “The Departed” (2006)
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Boston-set thriller “The Departed” cleaned up at the 2007 awards ceremonies. It bagged numerous gongs including Martin Scorsese’s first Oscar for best director. The all star production was a hit with audiences as well as critics. But it wasn’t the first movie to tell this particular story. The plot was inspired by real-life gangsters and FBI agents in the US. But it was adapted from a Hong Kong action movie called “Infernal Affairs.” This 2002 film follows Lau Kin-Ming, a gangster and spy in the Hong Kong Police Force. Simultaneously, Chan Wing-Yan, an undercover cop, becomes part of Lau’s gangster triad. The movie’s writer, Alan Mak, cited 1997’s “Face/Off” as his inspiration. So indirectly, “The Departed” is kind of based on “Face/Off.”
#4: “The Sound of Music” (1965)
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When you think of “The Sound of Music” it’s more than likely the 1960s classic that comes to mind. But the story began long before Julie Andrews donned her wimple to play Maria. The movie is based on the life of the real Maria Von Trapp and her family. She wrote a celebrated autobiography, which was turned into a German movie in 1956. It later became a stage musical, which was finally developed into the movie musical we know and love. Both movies were filmed on location in Salzburg. When viewed side by side, the similarities are striking - but you do miss the songs.
#3: “Some Like It Hot” (1959)
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Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon play the central characters in the best known version of “Some Like it Hot.” It’s hard to imagine anyone else in those iconic roles. But they were actually stepping into the high-heeled shoes of the French and German actors that came before. The first version of this cross-dressing caper was a 1935 French language movie called “Fanfare d'amour”, or “Fanfare of Love”. This was then adapted into a West German film in 1951. Billy Wilder was heavily influenced by the German remake, which has a similar atmosphere and look. The opening moments are a bit different though. There’s no Valentine’s Day Massacre in the original versions. The characters are just short of work.
#2: “The Wizard of Oz” (1939)
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L. Frank Baum’s novels have enchanted readers since their publication in 1900. So really it’s not surprising that there’s more than one adaptation of the story. The famous Judy Garland movie released in 1939 remains the definitive film version. But “The Wizard of Oz” had already been adapted multiple times at this point. The most notable is probably the 1925 silent feature. L. Frank Baum’s eldest son is credited as a co-writer on the screenplay. The movie also stars a young Oliver Hardy as the Tin Woodsman. In a twist on the original tale, this Tin Man turns out to be a villain, who double-crosses Dorothy and her friends. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. “Flubber” (1997) The Robin Williams Caper Is a New Twist on 1961’s “The Absent Minded Professor “I Am Legend” (2007) Vincent Price & Charlton Heston Were Also The Last Man On Earth in 1964 & 1971 “Anastasia” (1997) The 1956 Live-Action Version Stars Ingrid Bergman & Yul Brynner “Freaky Friday” (1995) Jodie Foster Played the Lindsay Lohan Role, Back in 1976 “Cheaper By The Dozen” (2003) Before This Steve Martin Movie, There Was the 1950 Original
#1: “Scarface” (1983)
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When Al Pacino first saw the early 1932 gangster movie “Shame of a Nation”, little did he know that the story would become pivotal in his own career. But it caught his interest and together with producer Martin Bregman, he set in motion the creation of 1983’s “Scarface.” The original movie was based on a pulp fiction novel, written by Armitage Trail and inspired by Al Capone. The screenplay was written before Hollywood began enforcing stricter regulations on film violence. But the film-makers were advised to add a subheading and a prologue explaining that gangsters weren’t good guys. The movie was both praised and condemned, accused of glorifying violence - but audiences thought it was pretty good, as did Al Pacino years later!
