When the new Sherlock Holmes movies with Robert Downey Jr. came out, I was one of the people questioning whether it was really true to the original stories. That's even though I haven't read the originals, nor do I particularly dislike the idea of remakes and resetting - I saw nothing wrong with the BBC's modern-day Sherlock - it just seemed to me like Downey and company were making a steampunk action movie with a main character named Sherlock Holmes.
But here's another way of looking at it. Imagine that Bollywood decided to take on Sherlock Holmes. I'll just stop and let you come to terms with that picture: Holmes noticing minute details in the middle of ornate dance numbers, a bejewelled Watson following on elephant-back. Of course, the Indian film makers wouldn't be literally saying that people are breaking into spontaneous choreography in the middle of crime-solving. Just like the dancing street gangs in West Side Story or opera characters that take ten minutes to die, it's merely their style of storytelling, a flourish of style not to be taken as a direct copy of reality.
And I'm starting to think that's how we should look at Hollywood movies. Explosions and fights are just their show-stopping song-and-dance. Freed from an assumption of literalism, you can see today's blockbusters in a new light. Transformers was a commentary on imperialism, Battleship really was true to the game.
And just imagine how they would take on other timeless stories: the aforementioned West Side Story or its inspiration Romeo and Juliet could be retold as a romance between post-apocalyptic genetically-engineered supersoldiers. But: they're loyal to rival warlords. The final scene where they fake their demise by fighting to the death before being resurrected as cyborgs will be a classic tear-jerker.
But here's another way of looking at it. Imagine that Bollywood decided to take on Sherlock Holmes. I'll just stop and let you come to terms with that picture: Holmes noticing minute details in the middle of ornate dance numbers, a bejewelled Watson following on elephant-back. Of course, the Indian film makers wouldn't be literally saying that people are breaking into spontaneous choreography in the middle of crime-solving. Just like the dancing street gangs in West Side Story or opera characters that take ten minutes to die, it's merely their style of storytelling, a flourish of style not to be taken as a direct copy of reality.
And I'm starting to think that's how we should look at Hollywood movies. Explosions and fights are just their show-stopping song-and-dance. Freed from an assumption of literalism, you can see today's blockbusters in a new light. Transformers was a commentary on imperialism, Battleship really was true to the game.
And just imagine how they would take on other timeless stories: the aforementioned West Side Story or its inspiration Romeo and Juliet could be retold as a romance between post-apocalyptic genetically-engineered supersoldiers. But: they're loyal to rival warlords. The final scene where they fake their demise by fighting to the death before being resurrected as cyborgs will be a classic tear-jerker.
No comments:
Post a Comment