It really goes against the grain to say this but in my opinion the 1993 US remake (The Vanishing) is in my opinion the better film.
Far too much is revealed in "Spoorloos" too soon and the background of the antagonist is retold in a messy fashion.
That said the positive ending of the remake could be considered a little fanciful
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Defer not unto the evening, that which the morning may accomplish.
I don't think too much was revealed. This was not a whodunnit. The question was not who comitted the crime, but what the crime was.
shareAppreciate what you're saying - but the remake in my opinion left more questions unanswered until the end - which I guess is a personal preference for me :o)
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Defer not unto the evening, that which the morning may accomplish.
Yr entitled to that opinion but the remake is everything that is wrong with most American movies - everything is overexplained and of course, in one of the most implausibly ridiculous butchered endings, the bad guy HAS TO LOSE. So many films are ruined with tacked on or crow-barred "happy" endings - the original movie is so damn chilling because it is so real - there are psychos out there amongst us, teachers, doctors, neighbors and so many of them go on and never get caught - that's why the ending of the original chills one's blood. (And the usually reliable great Jeff Bridges is actually hammy and bad with his in and out Austrian accent as the professor - sheesh - what a lousy film the remake is).
sharei absolutely agree with shark 93
sharewho ever found the remake better is undoubtedly a 2-brain celled yank *beep*
Uhm, English actually and know when a story is told well.
Only a dumb person would make an assumption like that.
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Defer not unto the evening, that which the morning may accomplish.
[deleted]
You can always spot a loser on IMDB, they're always making ignorant generalizations and calling others names.
"whoever"
"who ever found the remake better is undoubtedly a 2-brain celled yank *beep* "
As opposed to someone who thinks, just because they watch a movie that has sub-titles makes them intelligent.
how can anyone think that the remake is better than the original? this is the perfect example of why NOT too remake a film. even when its handed to the same director it can still turn out terrible.
shareSometimes remakes are better. Just because it is original does not automatically make it better.
The Fly, The Thing, The Hills Have Eyes, The Blob.
Horror films that are IMO way better than the originals.
EvilCensor is correct.
Only a dumb person would make that kind of statement.
And this s coming from someone who preferred the original too.
who's shark 93?
shareI like the original better but i don't dislike the remake.
"Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything."
Stalin
Agree with shark. I've never seen the remake but changing the ending would kill the film for me. This film is haunting.. and that's what's great about it. It gets under your skin. I would imagine the remake is just an entertaining flick, not nearly as profound as this.
Voting Hist.http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=26598711
I don't agree. The only thing memorable about the original movie is the ending which is only scary because it taps into one of our most primal fears. You want to see a real bonechilling modern American classic? Check out Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Talk about true psychos walking in our midst.
share(And the usually reliable great Jeff Bridges is actually hammy and bad with his in and out Austrian accent as the professor - sheesh - what a lousy film the remake is).Totally agree.
Couldn't have said that better myself. That the remake was made by the director as the original adds injury to the insult. The ending of 'Spoorloos' will haunt me forever. The ending of the remake is a cynical joke.
"I don't want no Commies in my car. No Christians either". - Bud, 'Repo Man' (1984)
I must disagree.
American remake devolves into preposterous Hollywood ending as opposed to the original's ironic bitter ending.
Let me explain how it can be. Some people like Pet Shop Boy's "Always on My Mind" better than Elvis version because they heard it first and they have more memories of it. When they later hear the Elvis version or Brenda Lee they compare it to Pet Shop Boys and they get dissapointed because it sounds very different.
A hint: Watch originals first....
And still others prefer the Willie Nelson version of "Always on My Mind." I much prefer the original version of "Spoorloos," and I think Willie and the Pet Shop Boys (now that's a collaboration I would love to hear) are pretty much neck and neck with their improvement of the Elvis song. But I tolerate different views, and I think it's sad that others in this thread don't.
shareIt is hard to be objective about originals vs remakes....
1) If you saw the remake first, you are biased. Of course you look different on a movie when you already know the plot. You are not watching the original with the same eyes. The first viewing includes curiosity about what is going to happen, the second viewing the focus is on other things. So they don't really compare.
2) If you saw the original first, you are also biased for the same reasons!
So the question is why was it really better? Was because it was in colour, better picture quality, better sound? Or was it because it starred your favourite actor/actress? Personally I don't care for such things. I'd rather see a new face in between and black/white can create a nice feeling.
In the case of Spoorloos the TV-series style was perfect, it made the ending even more surprising.
I don't think objectivity has anything to do with it, because expressing an opinion about a film is by its very nature subjective. And I'm not sure it matters whether you saw an original or a remake first.
Some people like foreign films with actors they've never heard of and a less mainstream approach, while others might prefer big-name stars and a more conventional treatment. Still others would like read a novel and form their own images. And a few movies ("The Godfather," "The Notebook") are better than the novels they're based on, at least in some people's mind.
So I guess the bottom line is: Different strokes for different folks.
It doesn't matter if you saw the original or remake first. But it does matter if you have seen another version or read the novel before. You already have ideas of how it should be. If you have no ideas about it you are more open-minded. I think this is also the reason why people who has read the novels often are critical to movie adaptions.
shareHonestly, I don't have those preconceptions, but I acknowledge that some others do.
shareThey were both very good in their own ways IMO.
I preferred the loneliness of Rex in the original, as there was no woman who was added in to save him, so it seemed more tragic in that respect.
In the remake, however, I thought that he was more emotional about it all, and it made me think that he cared more about it and was scarred more.
In the original, the ending was so much better. It had such a dark, hopeless feel to it, but also a realistic one. I thought the ending was pretty much perfect in this, and the remake seemed like they weren't allowed to have a bad ending, so they created the feale character to get him out.
in the remake, I preferred the revenge scene, where he threw him down the stairs and kicked the hell out of him. It was a lot more epic and Hollywood, but it was a lot more satisfying than giving him some dead arms on a car :P
I think both were amazing, and if I could use the remake, take out the love interest, leaving him lonely like the original, and have the ending shot for shot as the original, it would be one of my favourite movies!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTcGBGO6lps
I would say I am speechless, because I saw the original version first and found it to be electric, but on the other hand I preferred the remake of "The Ring" - and I think many people would disagree with me about that - so it must be about individual taste.
shareI agree with you that the American "Ring" is superior to the original, mainly because of the excellent direction and tension brought by Gore Verbinski.
With regard to "Vanishing", the original is better than the American remake. The American version is not bad. It has some great acting and suspense. But there are two things wrong with it.
First and foremost, the "Hollywood ending" where Nancy Travis saves the day, and then the laughs at the diner, totally ruins the mood of the movie. It's supposed to be about one man's obsession for the truth and that he is willing to exchange his life for learning the truth, which he does in the original.
Second, the villain character is more of an ordinary guy in the original, which makes him all the scarier. Although Jeff Bridges creates an interesting character in the remake, the guy comes across as loony the first time we hear him speak.
MOVIES BY THE MINUTE --> http://moviesbytheminute.blogspot.com
It's an interesting question. Is it possible to argue qualitatively about film. Can a person say "This movie is better than this one"? Or is it all a matter of opinion. I tend to think that, yes, you can say one film is better than the other (especially when talking about a remake vs the original) because there are certain criteria that can be measured in film as in all things. For example, a person would seem like an idiot saying "Well, you know the Four Seasons is pretty good, but I really think the steaks at Sizzler are better..." That person may have a personal preference, but they would qualitatively be wrong. The quality of the steaks, the cooking method, and the chef involved are measurably better at the Four Seasons. If you want to compare the original Vanishing vs the remake, you should be centering on the criteria that make a film good or not. Using the "revealing" structure of the film is a good way to analyze it. So, well said sir.
shareYeah, but you should also back your reasons up.
shareDumb. You are obviously victim of Hollywood cheese.
Antiparanoia is the eerie feeling that nothing is connected to anything else
no
shareI saw Spoorloos when I was living in Germany. I lived close enough to the Dutch border to receive some of the Dutch television networks so needless to say the transmission went out in Dutch a language I can’t really speak but with my knowledge of German I was able to get the general idea of what was being said. This is one of the best films I’ve ever seen & while it’s true everything is a matter of opinion I can’t see anyone preferring the remake. American remakes of European films just don’t work with the possible exception of Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) based on the 1974 French film Céline et Julie vont en bateau (Céline and Julie Go Boating).
"Suicidal twin kills sister by mistake"