- Title: USA: GUS VAN SANT UNVEILS HIS REMAKE OF THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK THRILLER "PSYCHO"
- Date: 4th December 1998
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 1) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (SOUNDBITE) (English) JANET LEIGH SAYING OF HER REACTION TO HEARING OF THE "PSYCHO" RE-MAKE "Well, I was surprised but I guess they say that, what, imitation is the best form of flattery."
- Embargoed: 19th December 1998 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: USA
- Topics: Communications,Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA5J3P8UBHUZKF2F1OXVO0TCD7J
- Story Text: Courting controversy and cries of heresy from film critics and cinema students alike, Oscar nominated director Gus Van Sant has done the unthinkable: re-make Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller "Psycho" using an almost identical shooting script as the 1960 original.
Van Sant, producer Brian Grazer and Universal Pictures shocked Hollywood less than a year ago when they announced their intentions to re-make Hitchcock's classic.Critics and film students were outraged that anyone would attempt to re-make a masterpiece by one of the movie industry's most respected and revered filmmakers.
None-the-less, the crew went full-speed ahead using the same shooting script that Hitchcock used, which was written by Joseph Stefano.They also emulated Hitchcock's blocking and even his 37-day shooting schedule.To complete the re-make, Van Sant employed composer Danny Elfman to update and incorporate Bernard Herrmann's dissonant and discordant all-strings score.
Universal Studios is also following Hitchcock's lead by refusing to hold any premiere or advance press screenings of the film, just as the master did back in 1960.Of course, in modern-day Hollywood, such a move sometimes is seen as a strategy to hide a poor film.
There are some changes in the new version, though.For one, the 1998 version is shot in colour, while the 1960 original was filmed in black and white.A few concessions have been made in the script to account for modern-day references, and, of course, the cast has been updated.
For the lead roles, Anne Heche has taken on the part of Marion Crane, originally played by Janet Leigh, and up-and-coming young star Vince Vaughn assumes the role made famous by the late Anthony Perkins, Norman Bates.
Also in the 1998 cast are recent Oscar nominees Julianne Moore, William H.Macy and Robert Forster, as well as Viggo Mortensen.
As in 1960, the story centres around the restless character of Marion Crane, a woman on the run from the law after she embezzles money from her company.But her luck comes to an end when she pulls into the Bates Motel on a fateful rainy night and comes face to face with its proprietor, Norman Bates.
Universal Studios has a lot riding on the success of this film because of its very dismal year at the box office to date.The stakes raised even more just recently when two of its films that were expected to do well, "Meet Joe Black" with Brad Pitt and the "Babe" sequel, both bombed on their opening weekends.As a result, Universal Pictures' chairman Casey Silver was fired on Monday, November 30.
The new "Psycho" will be released in theatres throughout the United States on Friday, December 4. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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