Classic cinema lives in remakes, nostalgia

By Jill Blackledge / IOWA STATE DAILY / November 9, 2005

Many films are returning to a more classic form. A form that includes Hollywood icons such as "Gone With the Wind," "Casablanca" or "Breakfast at Tiffany's." And, in addition to a move toward independent films, Hollywood is taking a step back to its former days. Recent notable Hollywood remakes include "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "War of the Worlds" and the upcoming "King Kong."

"First of all, though, it depends on how audiences define what is 'classic,'" says Stu Pollard of Lunacy Productions, based in Los Angeles.

"Someone who's from my generation, 40 years old, will define it differently than a 20-year-old," he says. "The simplest definition is something that just holds up over time, with 'Casablanca' being the ultimate example."

Pollard says Hollywood returns to classic cinema because it knows it will work.

"The driving force in Hollywood is money, and people are always going to be looking for ways to make money or rely on ways they know they can make money," he says.

Scott Beck of Bluebox Limited in Iowa City says he agrees.

"The Hollywood style, or 'studio' film, is always going to be around - it is a profitable enterprise for the studios," Beck says. "Studios make movies to make a profit, whereas many independent films have no guarantee to make a profit."

Joe Boyle, owner of Lemonus Productions in Davenport, says classic Hollywood is about nostalgia.

"The reason that these older films can be successfully remade is because they are remembered and thought of fondly," he says. "The classic films of the past last simply because of their longevity and their ingrainedness in our culture."

Bryan Woods, also of Bluebox Limited, says, on the other hand, remakes are popular because of a lack of original ideas. He says the industry forces the lack of originality because screenwriters already have to be part of the system in order to have their work read.

"Hollywood is such a hard system to crack," he says. "There are all these great artists just waiting to get their foot in the door with America's next great story, but their access is denied."

New generations also equal new audiences, Beck says. He says he thinks that is why new movies such as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" work, since the newer film isn't all that different from the original.

Woods says that, in addition, Hollywood uses remakes to play it safe in the industry. In theory, if a film worked in the past, it should work now.

Boyle says that is not always the case, however.

"This attitude can sometimes pay off, but many times the remakes do not have the same vision, quality direction, actors, etc. and can come off dull where the original film shined," he says.

Pollard, however, also says remakes of older movies and TV shows are produced because studios know they will appeal to the largest theater-going population - young people - which changes the style of films.

"Movies are made for young people," he says. "It's a franchise with a built-in audience, and the way they're going to make it new and fresh is to put current stars in it."

Beck says studios package a product based on a target demographic, which is why many action movies are released during the summer, for example, when students are out of school.

Rather than being concerned with numbers, Woods says studios should worry more about plot.

"Bottom line is cinema is still young, barely 100 years old. There is absolutely no reason why movies should be repeating themselves," he says. "Hollywood needs to worry less about statistics and more about the depth and quality of a story."

Although newer movies may use the classic Hollywood style, they still need to have some fresh elements for them to stand out against the original.

"There's that saying that there are only about 15 stories in the world, and every story is a spin-off of those," Beck says. "However, you can still take old elements and make them new. Freshness comes in execution."

With perhaps only a few minor changes to style, Boyle says he thinks classic Hollywood films will always remain prevalent in society.

"The reason is there are two main types of audiences - ones that like to think about the quality of a film, the subtext, characterization, plot, etc. and ones that like to see expensive action films with lots of explosions and violence, cheesy dialogue and Vin Diesel," he says. "Hollywood will always cater to these moviegoers."