ALFIE (1966 vs. 2004)

Caine is a legend, Jude is a decent actor but common, the reamek blew, horribly, the 1960s version had so much more depth.




"They say evil prevails when good men fail to act what they outta say is, evil prevails"Lord of War

I'm watching the 1966 version right now on TV for the first time, and I can't get into it or relate to it at all. I'm sure in the time it was filmed it was pretty groundbreaking or something, but not for me, not today. At times it almost felt like I was watching a play, the way some of the dialogue was delivered. It just didn't impact me like I thought it would after all the talk.

So I'm not sure why all the flack over the 2004 version. The theme may not have had the same edge, but then, we live in a different time. So...as for me, I prefer the lighter version of the movie...oh, and had it not been remade, I probably would not have paid any attention to the original at all. So if nothing else, remakes can serve to bring attention to earlier versions that would probably never have gotten renewed attention with newer audiences.



He's an illusionist...which is just a fancy word for magician.

The original was far, far superior to the 2004 version. Michael Caine was the perfect Alfie in every way.

Watched the original last night, and thought it was good. I watched the remake earlier this year, and thought it was OK but not as good as the original.

However if both versions were on the idiot box at the same time I would watch the '04 version as it is much more light hearted. I think I would have to be in a certain frame of mind to watch the original again, as it is very bleak with Cain's 'Alfie' being much more unlikeable and at times detestable(sp).

This is a rare occasion where I would re-watch the safe middle of the road movie over one that is much darker.

On a side note I wouldn't buy either on DVD.

I only saw the last 20 minutes of the remake but it struck me that it spelled out what the 66 version left implicit. Michael Caine played a female stereotype, the tart without a heart; Jude Law advertised it.

Marlon, Claudia & Dimby the cats 1989-2010. Clio the cat, July 1997 - 1 May 2016.

odshooter22:

There's nothing "drivel" about feminism. I've seen both versions of ALFIE, and both are simply products of their time. Also,there's a difference between freely expressing oneself,and being a disrespectful a**hole. Some people don't even know that there's a difference between the two. I liked both pictures, but,yeah, in the original Alfie was a sexist d***, especially to the young lady he picked up at the bar. I mean, he basically treated her like his servant when they lived together, talked down to her like a dog, and then had the nerve to act all surprised when she finally packed up and left his a**. I like the remake because I wanted to see Law (whom I like, and he's also a really good actor who does interesting films(and yeah, it dosen't hurt that he's also a hottie,too) in a leading role where he could just coast on his charm, good looks, and charisma for a change,lol.

I liked the fact that in the remake Alfie had a little more respect for the women he hooked up with, was much less of a d***, and didn't treat them like s*** just because he was sleeping with them. (I'm thinking that's also because the script for the remake was co-written by a woman, who was also one of the main producers of the film, which is probably why all the female characters came off as strong, separate, and unique characters in their own right.) Plus the remake was really lighthearted to some extent,and I liked the European feel to it (it was shot partly in England,so that makes sense.) I also liked the diversity of the case,too--that was really refreshing, and it was funny,too. So,yeah, I liked it---and it was also nice to see a sexy interracial love scene for once (I wish it could have happened in another context,though) because what Alfie did---going after his best friend's girlfriend--that was a low blow,for real. He deserved to get the cut from his friend after that. Other than that, the remake was pretty good. I get the feeling it wasn't a box office hit,though, which is too bad, since it's really good--I liked the soundtrack,too.