Movie Remakes - Infernal and The Departed - Report Example

Insert of Movie remakes: Infernal and The Departed Movie remaking is not a fairlyrecent phenomenon but has been in existence for quite sometime now. Various movies have been remade by different companies bringing in a complete difference in the nature in which the events stated therein are brought out in totality. This process has the capability of changing the complete appearance of the movies in such a way that they seem to be completely different from their original productions. Several techniques are often considered when remaking the movies in order to keep the thrilling nature of these movies while at the some time keeping the accuracy of the information relayed by the films. Even though the original information borne here is often kept intact, the remakes are often associated with additional elements which make them at least more interesting than their original counterparts. The art of movie remaking originated from the process of book rewriting which involved reviewing of the books formally written by certain individuals and rewriting them using a totally different language with an improved aesthetic capability. In comparing the original movies and their equivalent remakes, (Chung and David) asserts that the remade moves are often more thrilling as compared to their original ones. The movie industry has been experiencing a lot of revolutionary changes and the process of movies remaking is just but one of the very important changes which are taking place to revolutionize the movie industry. The most prominent movie industry in the world, Hollywood company has been involved in remaking a number of movies a new bringing in the art of creativity in the ,movies industry (Desser). A number of people have been fascinated by the events that are modified in the remade movies with respect to their original counterparts. In this paper, I will look at the various aspects of the two original movies acted by the Korean movie industry “The Infernal” and its Hollywood remake “The Departed”. In reference to this fact, I will look at the various artistic changes which have occurred in the remake which were not in the original movie and the artistic nature associated with the remade. The two movies ‘Infernal’ a Korean movie showing a terror case in the Korean military and that of the rebels is remade by Hollywood ‘The departed’ to showcase the same thematic focus in the American context (Friend). The controversial penetration of spy policemen ‘moles’ in the regions is not a matter of recent occurrence but has been in existence for quite sometime now. This not only happening in the Korean context but has happened and is still happening in many governments around the globe. The penetration of the Korean rebels’ mole into the government military agency was a matter of an unknown occurrence causing a lot of harm and havoc to the peace keeping mission in the nation. Living their undercover lives in their government and gangs’ military camps, these moles undertake their hideous means informing on their spies while at the same time pretending loyalty to the military placemen. As any person would argue, the penetration of a mole into the state security department and even assuming very powerful positions in the military sector one does not owe full allegiance to is an extremely risky and dangerous event that no person would want to be associated with. The daring mission is however adequately accomplished by the moles in both camps, a fact which leaves the viewers with awe as they view the moles penetrate the foreign security walls into their set positions within the government missions gaining accurate and well calculated access to the government’s top security issues. Like the biblical saying, one cannot serve two master at one go (Andrew, Alan and Andy), it becomes very difficult for some of these moles as in the case of The Departed to accomplish their missions in the foreign systems. The stylistic attribute of the two movies is like a showcase of competition in the military tactics of the moles involved in each case. Such penetrative events need very accurate and sincere training to uphold the top requirements and one being smart in clicking the right button at the right time. The making of the original form of the movie, ‘The Infernal’ took place in the Korean context using the Korean military tactics (Shin). The various moves made by the moles in the Korean contexts are seen to be totally different from those used in the Hollywood context in the remake ‘The Departed’. The make up is just a direct opposite of its counterpart keeping the viewer alerted at the fascinated at the turn of events in each case making it unpredictable at the various changes in styles and tactics employed in each case. Even though the moles fail to gain full access in the two movies, the events surrounding the difficulties traced on the way of failure and the accuracy in the calculation of the service properties seem to differ a great deal. The changes in military tactics in the original movie and its respective remake are of prime concern to the viewer. By watching the two sets alongside each other, one is bale to make a clear distinction in terms of military techniques employed by the characters involved in each case. Moreover, the Korean atmosphere and that created by the American Hollywood studio are quite different making it more of original rather than mere remakes. In fact, the remakes appear to be originally fresh created movies independent in ideas and actions considering the atmosphere over which the events are performed. The serene but war some atmosphere created by Hollywood under which the events of the two movies encapsulates is a clear indication of the changes in military organisms in the Korean and the American contexts. Atmospheric changes are among the most important factor which often surround the differences in the delivery systems between the original and the remade movies. The atmospheric changes in the two cases present the differences involved in creativity. While the Hollywood system presents a more/rather serious military environments under which the events take place, the Korean system is more of localized and portrays the Korean military culture in tackling military quagmires as seen in the original movie ‘Infernal’ (Chung and David). A more professional and military apt environments is however created in the Hollywood system making a great advancements in performances and the application of varied array of military techniques in the remake ‘The Departed’. Through these changes, one is able to delineate the differences in military attendance and responses with regard to such sensitive issues as military penetrations. Moreover, the two movies have not as well remained under the same names; the events are as well totally portraying grievous differences making them totally different. It is common that the original movies to not have similar titles for the remakes. Most directors have often chosen to change the names through closely linked as seen in the case of ‘Infernal’ for the Korean case and ‘The Departed’ adopted by the Hollywood. The change in names is a mere creative characteristic but bear significant differences as far as the thematic concerns are to be analyzed. Discerning the differences in the make ups is quite a matter of concern as the tiles presents ultimately different opinions to the prospective viewers. The changes in the titles have the artistic capability of changing the perceptions of the viewers so that totally independent feelings are worn by them from the beginning to the end only to realize that the themes and foci of the two are the same. Based on the analysis of the remakes and the original movies, we can deduce that the thematic foci in the two cases have yet remained the same regardless of the atmospheric and scenic changes recorded. The penetration of the moles in each case is the major thematic concern in both the original and the remade forms. The major theme as focused in the two sets remains military based regardless of the mere changes recorded therein. In the infernal, the penetration is successful just as in the remake where the mole, Lau Kin-Ming and Chen Wing-Yan (Shin), manage to penetrate the police camp and the gang’s camp and gain accurate access to the required information The scenic properties in the two showcases are very different considering the making characteristics in each case. The lighting systems to begin with are very different when we compare the original form of the movie; Infernal Affairs and its Hollywood remake The Departed. While the Korean Infernal Affairs has rather dark lighting properties, the Hollywood remake assumes a rather lighter scenic characteristic which makes most of the events and scenes clearer than in their original scenes in the Korean context. The changes in the lighting system are one of the artistic changes which Hollywood has employed to bring out the situational differences entailed in the movie remake. This makes a tremendous difference between the original Infernal Affairs and its remake The Departed. Another different aspect adopted by the remake with regard to the setting of the two films is the clothing systems which differ a great deal between the Hong Kong Infernal Affairs and the Boston based The Departed. While the Hong Kong characters are mainly dressed in suites, for both the state military as well as the gangs, the Boston state Military officials are mostly dressed I their official duty uniforms. The Boston gangs however are dressed in their casual clothing, a factor which brings in the cultural differences in the two independent regions. The dressing modes in Hong Kong are a true reflection of what is expected of the cultural setting in the Hong Kong society. This differs a great deal with the Boston setting where casual dressing is often the most preferred among many people, the Boston lifestyle. The two movies therefore, even though portraying similar thematic concerns, the environments in which they are acted are rather very different each reflecting the cultural backgrounds in their scenic characteristics. From the beginning to the end of the original movie, Infernal Affairs, one can see the cultural artifacts included in the movie reflecting the real Korean context and cultural setting. Lifestyles and mannerisms are reflected in the movie making it more of Korean military organization than a normal and serious military attention given to the same movie in The Departed. Moreover, there is a significant difference in the movies in terms of their lengths which as well bring out the scenic differences. While the Infernal Affairs go for 101 minutes, the Departed play for 150 minutes bringing in additional scenes into the game which are not in the original movie. The extension in the length of the game is often a reflection of the added scenes in the movie. This helps in elaborating the original movie to bringing the viewer to the internal matters which may have not been showcased in the original movie (Friend). While the Infernal jumps to ten years in the second scene right from the first scene, the Departed follows these scenes step after step to unveil the various factors not covered in the original movie. The suspense created in the original movie is therefore done away with making the turn of events in the remake quite discernable as compared to the past movie. It is however hard to relate the scenes added in the remake to the jumped scenes in the original movie. In the Infernal Affairs, the movie jumps ten years to where Chan is already a grounded member in the camp without actually expressing the step by step events which unveiled to accord Chan the chance of full absorption into the police camp. The viewer is left here questioning a .lot of events which might have prompted the quick movements Chan was able to make while climbing the ladder so fast and how easy he was able to maneuver his ways into the military ranks as a number of things are left unexplained. In the contrary, the remake The Departed seem to highlight these events one after the other by making additional scenes showcasing how Costigan managed to work his way into Costello’s mob. This aspect was a creative move which sometimes confuses the viewers with each person left asking if one is actually a remake of the other. The scenic differences make the two movies quite different creative pieces of art at every level. The aspect of jumping the long duration to take the viewer to a distant future is a true reflection of what the artistic characteristic to which Hong Kong tries to introduce the viewer. Leaving a lot of stories untold keeps the viewer’s mind alerted and the want to continue knowing what facts unveil after the first even is kept alive. This aspect is done away with in the remake where the concealed concerns in the original movie are predicted and unveiled so that the viewer has all the necessary information required for better discernment. The viewer in this case has very little to think about just as it is in the case of all Hollywood movies. The cultural Hollywood trend is preserved in this case while the Korean systems also try to preserve and conserve their systems of production, full of suspense and unveiled demands. The durational extension gives additional aspects revealing much of the American styles as compared to the original ones. The additional time is often and elaborative approach to the definition of more events taking place at every instance. The opening of the two movies is as well another important remark to the differences entitled in each case. The Infernal Affairs opens into what is sometimes predicted as an indigenous Hong Kong sculptures depicting the Korean sceneries in the movie, a local style of the Korean traditional atmosphere. The title is them flashed shortly afterwards, just after showing the terrain systems in the regions where the movie is captured. The Hollywood style is however presenting a rather remarkable difference in terms of the sceneries and the physical landscape which depicts the Boston locality and the environmental characteristics in totality. For about 17 minutes of screen play showcasing the different terrain characteristics and the environmental appearances, the director chooses not to give the title of the movie yet, still flashing the names and different scenes for the various characters to who would later appear in the movie. After this, then the director decides the flash the title of the movie allowing the viewer enough time to digest what is expected of the events which would unfold shortly after this showcasing. The thrilling connection between the unexplained and somehow sterile showcase at the beginning of the move The Departed brings in the compensation for the suspense created in the Infernal at the beginning in very tactical manner. Moreover, there is a remarkable difference concerning the manner in which the sound tracks are played and recorded in each case. The musicality in the Hong Kong instrumentals is a clear reflection of the traditional Korean music systems. The sound tracks in the Infernal are a true reflection of the events to be shown later in the film. This creates the mood for the viewing session as the musicality reflects the expected events which are to later unfold before the viewer resembling the native Korean music and instrumental procedures. The instrumentals associated with the events taking place in the remake, The Departed is quite different and is a close connection between the Boston actions and the associated cultural music reflecting the Boston musical landscape. I both cases, the musicality in each case is a true reflection of the cultural music played during the related times. The Boston remake includes the Rolling Stone’s music ‘Gimme Shelter’ acutely intertwined with ‘I am Shipping Up to Boston’ by Dropkick Murphys give the mo vies its Boston background. The Boston based songs added in the movie remake makes the entire film More of Boston than of Korean origin (Shin). Even though the scenes and the events are almost similar as those in the Infernal, the musicality differences give them totally different backgrounds. In conclusion, I would like to note here that the art of movies remake is a rather current affair where various movie companies have come up with various techniques to help them create and recreate the movies each time anew. This makes the performances in each case totally different as the similar events are unfolded in a more tactical manner as compared to their original formats. The two movies the Infernal and the Departed are one and the same movie but seem very different and difficult to denote. The viewers watching the two movies alongside one another often come out with an impression which is different in each case almost feeling that the two are totally different from the others. The musicality of the two movies for instance presents a different cast all together bringing the viewer closer to Boston while the infernal takes the same viewer back to Korea. This turn of events trips the viewers bringing in the thrilling aspects of the remakes. Other factors bringing the differences are the terrain characteristics as well as the character actions used in the two varieties. Works Cited Andrew, Lau,, et al. Infernal Affairs. DVD. Media Asia, 2002. Chung, Hye Seung, and Scott, David. "Diffrient. "Interethnic Romance and Political Reconciliation in Asako." Chi-Yun, Shin, and Stringer, Julian. Ruby Shoes." New Korean Cinema. York: New York : UP, 2005. 193-209. Desser, David,. ""Consuming Asia: Chinese and Japanese Popular Culture and the American Imaginary." Lau, Jenny Kwok Wah. Philadelphia, PA: Temple UP, , 2003. . 179-99. Friend, Tad,. "Remake Man." The New Yorker. 2 June 2003. 7 April 2011 . Shin, Jeeyoung,. Globalisation and New Korean Cinema. Ed. Chi-Yun, Shin and Stringer, Julian. New York: New Korean Cinema, 2005. Read More