Hollywood Hitchcock's

The last decade (give or take) has seen a veritable explosion of questionable reboots and remakes of celebrated cult films, which often have the effect of leaving filmgoers scratching their heads, begging the question: “Did (insert film here) really need to be remade?” Films such as the recently released Robocop reboot, as well as the upcoming remake of Point Break come to mind.

"Yawwwwwwn" (Photo courtesy IMDB)

Given this increasingly apparent trend, it is often easy to neglect the fact that the commercial revitalization of dormant films/franchises is not limited solely to cult or niche films. Arguably one of the most notable ‘classic’ film remakes of the past two decades (if not ever), Gus Van Sant’s 1998 remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) was an unmitigated disaster in every sense.

              Despite the remake updating the story to contemporary times and being filmed in color, it bears a startling resemblance to Hitchcock’s original film that pushes the boundary between homage and sheer exploitation. Van Sant’s reverence to Hitchcock is almost palpable, as he often replicates Hitchcock’s original camera movements and editing techniques, while utilizing Joseph Stefano’s original script nearly verbatim. The film even makes use of Bernard Herrmann’s iconic musical score (albeit re-arranged, with some additions by Danny Elfman). These factors led critics to universally pan/disregard the Psycho remake as nothing more than a big-budget film school project—a shot-for-shot remake that failed to add anything compelling to the original film (and arguably tarnished its legend in the mind of viewers).

You are not my Norman Bates. (Photo courtesy vvaughn.com)

 Even with the disastrous outcome of Hollywood’s last attempt to cash in on the modernization of a Hitchcock film, it doesn’t appear that they have learned their lesson. It was reported in 2007 that Universal Studios had given the green light to begin production on a remake of another Hitchcock classic, The Birds (1963).

                The original report attached Naomi Watts to the role of Melanie, with rumors that Martin Campbell—hot off the success of Casino Royale—would be helming the project. As one might expect, this announcement was not only met with a distinct lack of excitement/interest, but vehement criticism. Tippi Hedren—who played Melanie in Hitchcock’s original—voiced her displeasure at the announcement, saying: “Why would you do that? Why? I mean, can’t we find new stories, new things to do?” That sentiment seems to be echoed by a large portion of today’s audiences, but as long as these questionable remakes/reboots remain commercially viable, we can continue to expect uninspired remakes of both classic and cult films alike.

               Whether or not this remake of The Birds ever reaches fruition, I cannot help but wonder what steps might be taken by the production team to insure a superior end result than the calamitous Psycho remake. It is safe to assume that Universal would distance itself from the idea of a shot-for-shot remake that Van Sant utilized, which raises the challenge of presenting a potential remake in a new and compelling way that makes it a worthy companion piece to the original.

               Personally, I see one of the biggest challenges in remaking The Birds is recreating Hitchcock’s evocative, macabre cinematography in a unique fashion, without simply recreating the shots (as Psycho did in 1998). Certain shots from original are still clearly etched into my mind—Lydia standing up into a fixed frame, while the camera slowly tracks backward to reveal four characters standing in perfect composition, or a close-up of a hand addressing a letter, before slowly tracking backward to reveal Melanie in a medium shot—and a successful remake would require an auteur with the ability to create memorable, evocative shot compositions without lifting shots directly from the original film. It is certainly possible, but to me, the few directors with the acumen to pull of such a feat, are also the directors smart enough steer clear of remaking a Hitchcock film in the first place.