For many years, the general American exposure to foreign films has been limited. If you were lucky, there was an art-house cinema in your town, and you kept a list of everything nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar. But Hollywood’s solution to that was to just remake the film in English, sure that Americans weren’t going to read subtitles.
With the advent of streaming services that have made international film and TV readily available, and the realization that, yes, we are perfectly capable of enjoying media with subtitles (hello,Parasite,Money Heist,Squid Game, etc.), a whole new world has opened up to American audiences. But there are quite a few American films you might not have even known were remakes of foreign films. So if you liked the American version (or even if you didn’t), the originals are definitely worth seeking out!
The Ladykillers (1955)
This 1955 black comedy has a superstar cast headlined by Alec Guinness, Herbert Lom, and Peter Sellers as a band of criminals who rent a flat from an unsuspecting landlady with the goal of pulling off a security van heist. The thieves pose as a string quartet and tell themselves that they’re embarking upon a victimless crime, but pretty soon the victims begin to pile up. The 2004 Coen Brothers-directed remake starred Tom Hanks, Marlon Wayans, and J.K. Simmons, but it couldn’t pull off the dark charm of the original, and is largely considered to be one of the Coens’ weaker efforts.
Goodnight Mommy (2014)
The Austrian original, from 2014, is an ice-cold psychological thriller about slightly creepy twin boys who start to suspect that their mother, heavily bandaged while recovering from facial surgery, might not actually be their mother. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg in this dread-infused shocker, which does not shy away from body horror. The 2022 remake starring Naomi Watts gained plaudits for her acting, but overall was deemed an unnecessary and weaker version of the Austrian film.
Related:Goodnight Mommy Review: Naomi Watts' Sleepy Horror Remake
Dark Water (2002)
The short story that the 2002 Japanese film was based on was written by Koji Suzuki, who also wrote the novelRingu, so a wild ride is already promised. The plot hinges on a single mother and her young daughter moving into an unsavory apartment with a mysterious leak in the ceiling that just might have a sinister supernatural explanation, and it makes for a sinister ghost story ramped up by the fear of losing a child. The 2005 remake starred Jennifer Connelly and John C. Reilly, but the final verdict? Not as scary as its inspiration.
L’appartement/Wicker Park (1996)
Flashbacks, missed connections, and aSingle White Femalevibe will keep you guessing in this romantic French thriller from 1996 starring Vincent Cassel, Monica Bellucci, and Romane Bohringer.A Midsummer Night’s Dreamis heavily referenced as Vincent Cassel’s Max struggles with his love for three women, dipping in between fantasy and reality with disastrous consequences, or maybe not? The 2004 remake,Wicker Park, starred Josh Hartnett, Diane Kruger, and Rose Byrne, but big names couldn’t save a film that went through years of production and cast changes, and the translation of the complex plot was garbled and unbelievable.
La Jetêe/12 Monkeys (1962)
Let’s talk now about a remake that really worked! French shortLa Jetéeclocks in at 28 minutes, but it packs a hell of a punch. It’s a time travel film mostly made of still black-and-white photos, and what starts off in the confusion of a post-nuclear Paris ends with a devastating clarity as the plot threads come together. Terry Gilliam’s 199612 Monkeysexpanded the idea to feature length, and brilliantly. Instead of nuclear war, the apocalyptic catalyst is a virus, and Bruce Willis portrays the main character struggling to make sense of dreams that increasingly seem like memories.Brad Pitt has a standout roleas a mental patient who might hold the key to the mystery. Short or feature length, both of these films are well worth your time.
Brothers (2004)
The emotional Danish drama of 2004 centers on the family of an army officer who goes missing in Afghanistan and is presumed dead. A moment of grief-tinged romance occurs between the officer’s wife and younger brother, but it turns out that the officer is still alive, and has been through a hellish experience as a captive, making his return to the family less than joyous. Jim Sheridan’s 2009 remake starred Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, and Natalie Portman and got solid reviews for the performances of the cast, but perhaps focused too much on the melodrama of the possible romance than the impact of post-traumatic stress and the ethics of war than the original.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)
The 2005 novel,The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson, was a global bestseller for the Swedish writer (who sadly did not live to see the success of his posthumously published trilogy). The Swedish film came out first, in 2009, starring the excellent Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist (who has also since passed away). In 2011, the American version of the first novel was released, directed by David Fincher and starring Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig. The remake, and Mara’s interpretation in particular, are self-consciously darker and more emotionally removed than the Swedish version, but both films were well-received by critics. But if you are a Noomi Rapace fan, you’re in luck, because she appears as Lisbeth Salander in the entire trilogy of films (rounded out byThe Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest).
Related:The Girl Who Played with Fire: Why Didn’t David Fincher Want to Direct the Dragon Tattoo Sequel?
Open Your Eyes (Abre los ojos)/Vanilla Sky (1997)
Eduardo Noriega and Penélope Cruz co-starred in this complex, genre-crossing Spanish film from 1997 that blended science fiction with psychological thriller. Dreams, reality, and cryonics merge and overlap for a movie that was really unlike anything else being released at the time. The Cameron Crowe-directed remake of 2001 was renamedVanilla Skyand starred Tom Cruise, with Penélope Cruz reprising the role she played in the original. Unfortunately, a lot was lost in the translation, and left viewers with too much to analyze and interpret on their own. Check out the original!
Spoorloos/The Vanishing (1988)
This 1988 Dutch thriller is based on a novella calledThe Golden Egg, and tells the story of a man whose girlfriend vanishes without a trace during a road trip. He never gets over the loss, but after years of fruitless searching, he meets a man who confesses to his role in her kidnapping, and says he will reveal what happened to the woman, with a few caveats. The film’s final scene is one of the most chilling endings you will ever see, and it was released to critical acclaim. The director, George Sluizer, did the 1993 American remake with Jeff Bridges and Keifer Sutherland, changing not only the ending but the feel of the entire film.Salon, in fact, named it the worst remake of all time. Definitely stick to the Dutch version; you won’t be sorry.
El secreto de sus ojos/Secret in Their Eyes (2009)
The always-excellent Ricardo Darín starred in the 2009 Argetinian crime filmEl secreto de sus ojos, playing Espósito, a judiciary agent investigating a rape and murder in the 1970s. A series of twists and turns result in the identification but also eventual escape and disappearance of the killer. Espósito’s life is derailed, and 20 years later he is still trying to find out the truth, leading to a shocking dénouement. The 2015 remake starred Chiwetel Ejiofor (and extra star-power from Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman), but ultimately fell far short.Writer Manuel Betancour called it"a textbook example of what often gets lost in translation when foreign films are translated for American audiences."
