Proposed 'Rashomon' Remake is Hardly a Remake
Come on, this is just a ploy for attention and they got it
Variety ran what is obviously a press release sent to them by Harbor Light Entertainment saying they were going to make an Americanized bastardization of Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon, which will move the original story from ancient Japan to contemporary America, where a court must decide the facts about the rape of a woman and the murder of her husband.
The Kurosawa original is considered a classic and was well ahead of its time using its flashback techniques (none of which agreed with the other), by winning the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, moving on to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and inspiring such films as The Usual Suspects, Basic and Reservoir Dogs. The idea of moving this film from ancient Japan into the courtrooms of America is just ridiculous and Harbor Lights knows that. I wouldn't even be surprised if this is the last we hear of this flick, at least in terms of a major theatrical release.
This isn't the first time Harbor Lights has tried this. They first announced this idea back in 2001 and couldn't get it to move forward and now they are saying it will be out by 2010. Now they have collaborative backers, but no director named and not even a script is mentioned.
Just forget about this one and take the time to watch the original, which is actually available online right here.
Showing 1 Comment
~ PLEASE NOTE ~
If, in any way, your comment is an attack on the author of this post or a previous commenter, your comment will be deleted without question.
Add a New CommentNOTE: The Facebook login option has been disabled. We apologize for any inconvenience. |
Click to Read Our Commenting Rules & Guidelines
The "press release" was actually from an Asian Variety article that didn't quite get it right. It isn't taking place in a court room, nor is it a "remake" – more of a re-telling. And, this is a co-production with Kurosawa Productions. There have been so many rip-offs of the original (and none of them have come close to the real "Rashomon Effect"). It is time that both the Kurosawa's and the legacy be paid the respect they deserve. Thanks.
BTW, RASHOMON 2010 is just a working title (ala A.K. 100). The digitally remastered print of the original was shown at the Academy this past month. Both Kurosawa's & Mifune's sons (and Mifune's grandson) were in attendance.