I'm going to broach this subject tomorrow night at the Smithsonian when I show Hitch's original teaser trailer (which ran 8 minutes!!) and I thought this was a good way to kind of lead into that. I have to admit that I've been very concerned about the issues this fella raises, but I find the fact that it's coming from a 15 year old to be a bit on the alarming side. Is there a part of me that gets all geeky when I see that new trailer? Ya damned straight there is, but at the same time I get this burning urge to cry out, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!" There is always the adage that, "Well, we'll always have the original!" And that is, of course, very true. But think about the original Star Wars Trilogy, the originals are going away, and the "Special Editions" are replacing them. The historian in me screams, "Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhgggg!!!" I mean, I don't know about you, but I'd really love a copy of the original BLADE RUNNER or CLOSE ENCOUNTERS. The film I saw originally. Yet the DVD's and Laserdiscs have only the 'new and improved'. Well, we'll see. Personally I can not believe that PSYCHO will be replaced by a color one, simply because... well the original is a masterpiece, a moment in history preserved. As for Van Sant... perhaps it's an exercise in love. Danny Elfman is adapting and working with Herrmann's masterpiece, but at the same time I've read that Elfman reveres Herrmann's score above all others. This could very well be a heartfelt dedication from people that love the original, just as Shakespeare productions get remade and remade and remade. Or how songs are rerecorded year after year after year. But who's to say till the holiday season. And ultimately this is just an opinion piece from a 15 year old kid, and in the great scope of things he might be overlooked, but on this day and this moment I liked what this 15 year old has to say, seems a bit brighter than what some studio types say.
I do not have any col movie news to share with you in this post. But I do have something I'd like to speak about an issue that I feel should be addressed, and as immediatly as possible. It has to do with Gus Van Sant's heinous notion that it would be a good idea to remake shot-for-shot Psycho. First of all, I am fifteen years old and I'm a new native to the great state of Texas. Our house we will be livingin has not been built yet, so right now my family and I are living in a temporary apartment. So, having nothing better to do his summer, and with school still weeks away, I've delved into the classics. Among them, Citizen Kane ("WOW" all I can say is, "WOW!) and Psycho. The idea of remaking a classic, any classic, has never sit well with me. Especially if you were to do it shot for shot. It just seems like a waste of time to me. Where's the creativity in just basically xeroxing a movie. Seeing the Psycho preview before Armaggedon and Zorro was the last straw. You see, I feel that I fall into the category of the that Gus Van Sant and Brian Grazer are inviting to "witness the recreation." I just think this whole idea is stupid, and I know that the other young'uns my age don't give a rat's ass about the original Psycho (sad, but true) so I don't think they are going to be racing to the theaters to see a cheap carbon copy. I also think that wether the film is succesful or not, either way Mr. Van Sant is still screwed. Let's say Psycho is a complete failure. (God. wouldn't that be great? Teach him a lesson) I bet he's going to feel like a complete ass for thinking that he could get anywhere close to The Master. But let's say, for the sake of arguement, that the new Psycho is a rousing success. The new audiences lovie it. Wouldn't the original masterpiece disappear. Think about it. After seeing the new Psycho, a shot-for-shot pooch screw on an original classic, who my age would want to see the original? Where it's black and white, and the effects are cheap? It sounds depressing, and I really don't mean to put down my generation, but hell. If it's in the seventies- even early eighties- it sucks. One kid told me that Kubrick's version of The Shining sucks simply because it is too old. It was nineteen-friggin-eighty for crissakes. Psycho is old, Gone With The Wind is old, Shining ain't.
Which brings up another topic ( I know that this is getting quite long, but I feel this needs to be said from somebody of the "New Audience") Most, if not all, the magic from Psycho will be gone if it is filmed in color. That's the word from E! News. But something else gets me. I pretty sure that most peoples favorited scene from Psycho is the shower scene. I agree it is the best scene, but it's not my favorite. That honor goes to the scene where the Detective investigates Norman Bates. Anthony Perkins is so damn cool in this scene, no serial killer I've seen before measures up to his performance. It is flawless. So he killed a bunch of people so what people make mistakes. Mr. Van Sant is making a big one. But the whole time through this scene I'm thinking: Vince Vaughn? VINCE FUCKING VAUGHN!!! No! NO!! Hey look, don't get me wrong I like Vince and all, but this guy has got a fity-fifty track record with me. Rocked the house, and stole the show in Swingers. Sucked in Lost World. I really don't like Lost World as a whole it is not entirely his fault. I just can't see the late great Tony Perkins's memory being raveged by Vince. No matter how hard he tries not to be like Mr. Perkins the more the performance will probably resemble it. There's not many different ways you can play Norman Bates without the whole point of the character being lost. I knew all the plot twists of Psycho before going in but I still could not bring myself (until the climax of course) to believe that he was the killer. Anyway, I understand that this is getting lengthy and everything, but why can't Universal just take a cue from Gone With The Wind and George Lucas and simply re-release the original?
I can't imagine this being posted so I just want to thank you Harry for taking the time ,because I know you're busy as hell, and humored me by reading this letter. Thank you and keep up the good work.
Sincerly,
Little Norman
