Latest update January 1st, 2016 3:17 PM
How About Remaking Japanese Films In China?
Director John Woo announced his new film project was to remake Seijun Suzuki’s YOUTH OF THE BEAST during the 65th Cannes Film Festival. Woo expressed that it was to pay his tribute to Nikkatsu Corporation’s filmmakers and cinema in the past one hundred years.
Woo is not alone.
The Chinese version of CRYING OUT LOVE IN THE CENTER OF THE WORLD (Isao Yukisada, 2004) has started shooting in Tsingtao this September. Featuring Ou Oho (THE LEFT EAR) and Zhang Huiwen (COMING HOME), this remake is directed by Korean director Kwak Jae-young. Production company C2M Media and Enlight Media believe that such a pure romance film shall appeal to the local audience. It is said to be a film project that Kwak has prepared for ten years already.
If the Chinese-Japanese co-production is not easy to make, maybe to remake a Japanese movie is a practical alternative.
Not just films, the variety of Japanese TV series are also great remake material. Just recently, it was announced that MIDNIGHT DINNER would be remade into a Chinese TV series by Tsai Yueh-Hsun (BLACK & WHITE). A topnotch young star has been cast as the main actor. And the stories and food will be adapted into a Chinese flavor. The director also mentioned that for each episode, there would be different cameo with stars from the Greater China region.
If a good script and the cast are ready, it is more likely to produce good contents.
Nevertheless, some professionals actually criticize such an act. They claim that the more we remake, the less creative we shall be. Their concerns are that the Chinese TV and film business has already been poor at creating good stories; if such acts continue, local filmmakers shall be even more reluctant to create original scripts. They are afraid that this is only an act to pursue quicker returns in the show biz.
There are agreeable voices though. Quite different from the harsh criticism, these professionals believe it is like calligraphy: at first, if you don’t know how to use the brush, you can imitate some established masters’ works and practice – by and by, you will learn how to portray the strokes and lines on your own. To remake a film is a natural act of creation beyond borders as well as a reasonable act of business.
In fact, Hollywood remakes a Nordic film or Japan remakes a Korean film is not unusual. Big studios even remake lots of their own previous works with a new generation of stars. Good stories are good stories, regardless its cultural background and period of time. There is even a saying that “After Shakespeare, who dare say that he or she can create yet another new story?”
Well, maybe the best example of remakes is THE DEPARTED, a remake from a classic Hong Kong trilogy. It was then Martin Scorsese’s highest grossing film at the box office. Not to mention it continued to won four Academy Awards including the Best Motion Picture and the Best Director.
It at least shows that a remake can be both profitable and fun to watch.
The Chinese Film Market thus invited veteran film critic Mu Wei Er to propose several Japanese films to remake in China.
The first one is THE SILK ROAD, a film shot in the 1980s with good reviews. The film was quite well made and the cast was all from Japan. It looks a Chinese epic and can be made for the China market.
The second one is SHALL WE ダンス, which was remade and acted by Richard Gere before. There is a growing number of middle class people in China, but there are not enough films depicting their lives and confusion. The remade can be packaged into a fashionable one or encouraging urban story, as it has a fine script.
The third one he proposed is LOVE LETTER, a film that is wildly liked by the arty youth in China. Also, because the film was released in the 1990s, when no audience could watch it at the Chinese cinemas, a remake would be natural and embraced.
THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME is yet another workable remake. The story is apolitical and quite interesting. In the near future, those (large number of) single people might find such films quite relevant and lovable.
In this way, The Chinese Film Market also comes up with a few ideas for remakes – whether these can be realized then largely depends on whether the original production company is interested in authorizing a remake.
A whole generation of Chinese youth has found TOKYO LOVE STORY a touching story. Once upon a time, in a national writing competition, a squad of writers wrote about the TV series’ influence on them. The story is also a borderless romance that reflects human nature, regardless the location or the period. What about making a BEIJING ROMANCE with similar characters and relationship? It can be a TV series, or a film.
Since there is now a trend to make sports-related films in China, a number more titles can be included.
The recent Chinese world champion in swimming Ning Zetao has attracted so much public attention due to his youthful energy and handsome looks, besides his cool championship. How about then make a remake of WATER BOYS? The Chinese is not unfamiliar with swimming, and there are many swimming teams all over the nation. Also, the film is about teamwork, courage and fun. The production company can even cast the nation’s most popular boy band TFBOYS, though this would cost a fortune.
Likewise, HULA GIRLS is not a bad idea. Ailing coalmines are not hard to find in China. And there are people who are seeking new job opportunities in any city or town. Also, dancing is a national pastime if you stop by any community. With a China remake of HULA GIRLS, a series of new songs and dance steps can be created, and a group of new actresses can be nurtured. As you might have noticed, China is now in a severe need of young actresses who can act (not just those who are obsessed with plastic surgery).
Swimming, dance – what else?
A China version of SWING GIRLS can even be a family movie: many Chinese parents now send kids to learn instruments after school, to build their character and to have a lifelong hobby to enjoy. But so far, there is no film in sight addressing this social convention. When film echoes life and life inspires film, it is not just to translate a script into Chinese any more. But a recent successful remake of a Korean film into China MISS GRANNY is a local proof that given time, things can be done.
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