Originals vs. Remakes OR Brode vs. Brothers
As a film fan, I am curious about the love/hate relationship between originals and remakes. Not many remakes reside in my memory banks but of the ones that do, the original usually proves best. The rule of thumb held true when the postman delivered my copy of Brode, the Danish original to the Jim Sheridan’s 2009 film Brothers of recent wide release. Frankly, I like the original version better. Which leads me to wonder, why make a remake?
When the production is a foreign film, I can see the logic. Subtitles are not for everyone. Primarily, I imagine, the issue is money and opportunity. Bringing a tried and true tale to a new audience reduces risk. Audiences can be fickle creatures, subject to swimming counterclockwise to industry expert’s predictions (Reference: Rob Marshall’s star-studded Christmas bag of coal, Nine), and filmmaking on the grand scale is, after all, a business.
The storylines are virtually the same. The story itself is one of our times, yet ancient and that’s the beauty of it.
Hero brother goes to war
+ Renegade brother home with wife
+ Prisoner of war situation
=Tension divided by combat fatigue syndrome
Sibling rivalry, spousal jealousy, and parental favoritism are universal themes. Eve probably complimented Abel just once too often with “you are so much more like your father” and that was it. Cain couldn’t swallow the stress. Both bad boy brothers, played by Nikolaj Lie Kass and Jake Gyllenhaal, respectfully, proved talented foils and added steamy fodder. Both films employed a talented ensemble. Ulrich Thomsen’s portrayal of the hero big brother though did seem to dig a little deeper into the humanity of the situation.
I am still left with the opinion that movie patrons have the right to expect something more from a remake. When making a remake, comparison is inevitable so make the second one better.
Sheridan elected to remain true to the original ending and perhaps that was the most logical choice. If there is one cardinal rule of successful American films, it is the happy ending. To my observations, foreign audiences seem more accepting that life doesn’t always tidy up bad situations with a pretty bow. Endings of the art-imitates-life variety necessitate the occasional sad ending however hard it may be to leave the theatre with a lump in your throat. All the same, redemption through love is not a bad ending.
