Brief Encounter

[selenak]

On the notes of: why sometimes dosing yourself up with medication so you can do your duty can be worth it: today in Berlin I met Florian Henckel von Donnersmark, aka the director of The Lives of Others, Das Leben der Anderen, aka my favourite movie in 2006. We talked about Los Angeles, Lion Feuchtwanger (he said he must be the only one to have the original first edition of each volume of the Josephus trilogy, I smiled smugly and said, "no, you're not!") and I did ask about that dreaded thing, an American remake of his film. He said he has nothing to do with it, though they keep him posted on the stages etc., and it's definitely going to be made. Quoth I: "Is it still going to be set in the GDR?" Said he: "No, they're going to set it in the US of today, just a touch more paranoid than it already is. Which, you know, could result in an interesting movie in its own right."

I'll say. Also, to put a remake of a movie originally set in a Communist dictatorship in the US under Bush is one of the most angry cinematic commentaries on American politics I can think of. Considering I read today in the papers the Attorney General to be refuses to classify "waterboarding" as torture, it's sadly not even satire in many ways.

Comments

[scriva.livejournal.com]

I still have not watched, though, I#m very interested.

The idea of an American remake of a movie about the Stasi problem, set in today's US, is one of the strangest things I can imagine. I'm slightly irritated at the degree of self-involvement it displays, and slightly baffled at the implied commentary.

I hope you can cure yourself now, being at your parent's at least. :)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Wish I could, but I'm off again today due to having to be in Munich tomorrow for work reasons. But hat's the last trip in a while, and anyway my mother already has bought half the pharmacies of Bamberg empty.*g*

Remake: it never occured to me before that they would set it in the US, because this isn't exactly Three Men and a Baby (= French comedy which ended up being remade in a US context), but I find it intriguing IF they can pull it off, and before I was just dreading the remake prospect. I mean, obviously neither the FBI nor the CIA is the Stasi, and as I said to M. below, an American actress could film elsewhere without losing her audience entirely, an American writer could just leave the country and still publish in the US if they find it impossible to live there, etc - but still, you can imagine the threat of having their lives destroyed, just by different means, and definitely using surveillance as a part of accomplishing it. We'll see.

[scriva.livejournal.com]

I partly agree with you, but the part of me who "dreads" it is still slightly bigger than the part of me who is impressed. But I guess the movie will be interesting in whatever way.

And good luck with fighting the bacterias! *g*

[mimesh.livejournal.com]

Oh, interesting encounter. From your comments he doesn't sound half as egomaniacal as the press made him out to be.

When I first heard of the American remake, I was horrified because I thought they would basically tell the same story only with American actors. As daring as the concept to set the movie in the US of today is, I'm not sure how many political implications of the original they will be able to keep. I wonder if and how they are adapting the level of urgency and threat of the Stasi era. But the core of the story is a tale about humanity and that is as universal as it gets, so the movie should work at least on this level.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Well, obviously no matter how bad the situation in the US is today, they're still a democracy, not a dictatorship, and so for example such scenes as Wiesler intimidating the neighbour into silence by the mere hint about her daughter's place at the university would not work in just that way. However, change the neighbour to an illegal immigrant or even a legal one waiting for her green card, and you can have a different method of intimidation...

Still, basically an American actress could emigrate and still be able to film, an American writer could go to Canada and still publish in the US, etc., so yes, the level of what's at stake would be different. I'm curious how they'll pull it off but at least I am curious, whereas before like you, I was dreading the remake.

F.H. v. D: no, not at all. Aside from the remake question, which was my own, we didn't talk about himself in any context but about a lot of other subjects. Well, about his children a bit. But then, you know, the press likes clichés. If you're a director and successful, you're an egomaniac.

[the-grynne.livejournal.com]

"No, they're going to set it in the US of today, just a touch more paranoid than it already is. Which, you know, could result in an interesting movie in its own right."

Thank you for writing about this. Friends and I have been wondering about just that question re. the remake - taking it out of the context of the GDR - and I agree with him, it should definitely be interesting.

Is it okay to quote you on this? I will link back, of course.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Yes, you can quote. (Linking back isn't necessary.) The change of context might induce me to watch the remake, which I don't think I'd have done otherwise, the original movie being so excellent. But now I'm curious as to how they'll pull it off...

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

I share your love of that director! And much as I usually dread the thought of American remakes, that sounds so very right. If they could ever duplicate the acting, which I doubt.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Well, there are great American actors around, but that's not to say they will be cast, or that they will click the same way, etc. In any case, I feel a bit better about the remake prospect in general, because at least they won't just try to replicate the film with a different cast and language, which was what we probably all dreaded.

[counteragent.livejournal.com]

I'm happy for you! I remember you've mentioned loving that film before. Still trying to get my husband to see it.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Hypnotize your husband, if necessary. It's so worth seeing.