Hey All! It’s March
into Literacy Month
So here we
are, on the cusp of Springtime; one of the most exciting times of the year when
we feel refreshed, engaged and ready to sprinkle the literary world with the
magic of our newest best-seller and we (okay, me. I noticed,) notice the oddest trend.
Certainly
nobody minds reprints. That’s a term that strikes joy into every writer’s
heart; your books have flown right off the shelves and demand necessitates the reprinting
of more! A writer’s dream! However, when
the operative word is Remake it’s a
bit of heart-stopper. Wait a minute, what’s
wrong with the way it was?
Suddenly the
glorious warmth of having your book made into a movie is an ice cube stuck in
your throat. Do you quickly sip a cup of
hot coffee while frantically searching your documents and memory banks for
exactly which rights you retained and desperately hope that this new version of your work doesn’t shoot up
and fizzle like a defective Roman candle at a beach party bonfire?
Or do you
consider that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery?
Sure, there
are exceptions. For instance both adaptations of the movie “Tombstone”; based
on historical facts and fiction,
leave it wide open in terms of perception.
(I was crazy about Val Kilmer as Doc Holladay, though not everyone cares
for the character in general) But
between the two vastly different versions of “Willy Wonka and The Chocolate
Factory” which do you suppose better depicts the writer’s intent? And how in the world can they improve on “Jungle
Book”?
Do other
examples come to mind? And in the long
run, as long as you (or your heirs) are still making money, does it matter?
Love to hear
your thoughts…
I certainly wouldn't want someone to remake my book, but I do see the benefits of remaking those movies into newer versions.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Chrys. For the purpose of enhancement; adding color to black and white, etc., classics are almost reborn. :-)
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