ju-on : the grudge and its american remake

I had a look at remakes/sequels, comparing The Ring and Ringu, comparing differences and similarities, even using stills from both movies.

I can't say that I prefer one over the other. However the lack of time jumping back and forth (droping the Izumi character's story completely), you could say that the American remake is much more easily accessible.

Though one could also use this as just another example of Hollywood studios getting lazy. Especially with extreme shot-by-shot comparisons and using the same director.

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well, like someone else said, american remakes are done to bring japanese cinema to new audiences, they are (more often than not) percieved to be worse than originals, but i also think that they help the popularity of Japanese cinema. i personally saw the american version of the grudge before i saw the japenese one, but it was because i saw the american one i wanted to see the original. i am in no way a japenese film fan, though i love battle royale (i have the second one too, but i really didnt like it), but the original version of the grudge scared the hell out of me, i had to stop the DVD and get a drink as it scared me so much! I did enjoy both versions though.

Dont quote me on it, but i'm sure the budgets of the japanese movies are quite a bit lower, and that also will add realism to a film, i think the absence of mainstream actors (in hollywood terms anyway) has the same effect.

Bringing Japenese cinema to Hollywood i think requires a bit of "dumbing down" as well, plot lines are quite twisted and complex in Japanese cinema, whereas Hollywood tend to lean towards the straightforward narrative. (barthes/levi-strauss?)

Anyway, hope that in some way helps, i did my A2 Media work on the portrayal of Hannibal Hecter throughout the "Silence of the Lambs" trilogy, i got a "C" which i was quite pleased with because despite what all my mates said , it is not a "Mickey Mouse" subject!!

Good Luck!

I think it might be worth your while to examine the subtexts in the remakes - it's pretty obvious to anyone to attempts even the most glancing analysis of recent japanese horror that the core concerns of the films tend to reflect a fear/paranoia regarding western cutural, political and industrial imperialism.

For the sake of contextualisation - Films such tetsuo deal with the dehumanising effects of industry on the japanese psyche, the ring cycle with the danger inherent in modern technology clashing with traditional values and practices (this theme can be found in ju-on too, as well as numerous other japanese horrors) and Ju-on concerntates on the disintigration of the japanese family in the face of the changing social, cultural and moral values of the youger generations given their exposure to the cutural pratices and values of the west. there is a lot of anthropological writing on these changes in Japanese society - a simple search will pull up a lot of starting points -

but i digress, sorry, my point was to look a how these core values of japanese horror are reassimilated into a western perspective through our remakes. if the originals feed of a fear of western cultural imperialism, is this why the remakes are so weak? do these sub-texts survive in them? are they dumped in favour of simple 'creak-creak-bang-boo' horror tactics? let me know what you think - i'm working on a similar project myself.

>>OK, for my A2 level media studies critical research study, I have decided to look into japanese cinema and I am comparing it to American cinema and remakes etc etc.
Anyway, for this critical research study I need to gather primary research on other peoples views of the films. So i have decided to ask the nice people of imdb.com to put forwards their views and opinions on Ju-on : The Grudge and its american remake, The Grudge.

if you could just tell me which you prefered, why and things you don't like about the specific movies, that would rewally help. Anything you have to say really. <<

Are you doing it specifically on horror cinema? Because if you're not then the great classics by Kurosawa and their remaked would offer much more to study, and a lot more research material.
Nadine :)

I like both...

I like the original as it is more complex, and has some really good stories in it.

I like the remake as it mostly in English, and has a higher budget. I dislike that the several chapters were dropped, but on the other hand, the remaining story was expanded on...

It's a tough call on which is better as depending on mood, one can be better then the other...

I like how the original director was used. This ensured that it was just an updated story for American audiences, and that the Ju-On series was not adulterated into some gore fest. I think if Hollywood went cheap and didn't use the original director, the Grudge would have not been as good.

Well I have to say the American version had the superior atmosphere and effects. The ghost and its family are better represented in the American version and tend to be creepier. I consider the acting talent about equal in both.

Now I find some people are giving Ju-on: The Grudge a pass refering to it as a complex film that had to be dumbed down for the American version. After watching the Japanese version recently and listening to some of the directors commentary, it becomes obvious that the director kind of just left some things unexplained because he didn't really have an answer for it at the time. The film lacks a strong core narrative that he improved greatly in the American version. It was not a dumbing down it was a polishing of a rough draft if you will.

You will also see from this film that American version of the Grudge 2 kind of comes more from this film then from Ju-on: The Grudge 2. Though those two sequels are comparable in that neither are very good.

If you are looking for a film that chills you more that is the American version with its dark atmosphere, superior effects and stronger representation of the ghosts.

If you are curious and like to kind of fill in the blanks yourself then the interesting though not as scary Japanese version is best.