Hollywood’s (Hopefully) Untouchable Movies

I know it’s been said more than once before, but Hollywood is a money-making machine. Its sole job is to keep the leafy green bills coming, whether it’s from original ideas or churning out prequels, sequels and remakes. It’s led to the possibility that when it comes to remaking or re-imagining movies, nothing is sacred. That having been said, I do feel that there are more than a few films that are, or should be, untouchable. These are movies that are often referenced and ever appreciated. Unfortunately, that also tends to mean that they should also be revisited. And if Hollywood ever gets its hands on them, there will be no hope left for any of us.

With this being my sister’s favourite film, I’ve had the pleasure of being subjected to multiple, multiple viewings of the wildly popular musical. But you can bet that if a sequel was ever made, you’d be getting a lot more out of our family than just a boycott. The fact that the film has been adapted into a stage musical is nothing. I imagine it would adapt well for the stage. But trying to remake the film would probably take some modernizing, if only because this generation would have a hard time imagining movies without sound. Remaking often means modernizing, and I don’t think Singin’ in the Rain is built for that. If it’s perfect the first time, leave it be.

It’s hard for me to believe, but I only saw this movie for the first time a few years ago. Of course I had seen more than my fair share of homages and spoofs in honour of the film. Classic films tend to do that, and this film is no different. I feel fairly confident that no one will touch the Capra classic so long as Christmas remains a favourite holiday (although Capra did touch his own film – he asked for a colorized version to be made as well, though I have yet to see that one aired on television). Best to leave well enough alone, especially when it comes to a classic like that one.

This is another film that I’m afraid will be thrown under the remake bus. It’s such a brilliant concept, a man being forced to repeat the same day over again, that it’s also been spoofed and just plain copied. As a trope of its own, the concept of Groundhog Day is a treasure and a great film to watch. Unfortunately, it also means that one day, unless families are consciously showing it to their kids, someone is going to remake it to reintroduce the concept to the newer generations. I hope I’m not around to see it.

I’m not sure how exactly to explain why remaking these films is a bad idea except to say that it just is. These two films are staples of the film industry. They’re the kind of movies that other filmmakers want to make, not remake. It would be the equivalent of someone painting the Mona Lisa, presenting it, and saying “How do you like it? Pretty good, huh?”. Things done perfectly the first time do not need to be repeated, and these films are no exception.