I watched both the 1956 and 1978 versions recently and while both were good, am I the only one who prefers the original over the remake. The remake did have good special effects, but I just liked the small town atmosphere of the original plus it seemed kind of like a Hitchcock film. I also generally just liked how it wrapped up the story in less time
shareI prefer the '78 version, which makes the original look practically homemade. The original version is pretty amateurish in some ways, while the seventies version is stylish, wonderfully atmospheric, subtle and suspenseful, and has some terrific performances. It really holds up.
Plus, I like the San Francisco setting, it's almost enough make my forgive Donald Sutherland's perm!
I agree with Otter here.
(love) in the original is cookie cutter, staid & inert. Nothing lost there. The Jones/Donovan love moves the needle, but, the production can't stay there (rushing & budget won't permit it), so the needle falls left & locks.
'78 is different. It's almost unbearable to stand witness end-to-end Sutherland's deep love and affection for this woman, not his wife. How could this be? It's takes their destruction for the declaration to see the light of day.
Equal to this is the love twixt the Cartwright girl & Goldblum (Bellicec's). She leads the marriage. He exists in her light and she lovingly provides it with words, deeds, a mere glance. He is everything to her. She is fiery in her defense of him and near maniacal in her fight to preserve their lives, their love. He is able to exist in the world because she took him in, set him free to ply his strong, sometimes supercilious pose(s) in San Francisco. She will massage the customers (no shilly shally), she'll clean the towels, muddy, ash tubs, with a joy that makes the heart soar. Watch her! She has found her place in the world. & placed him where he [wanted] to be, but, without her could not be still.
All of it is taken,,,in the space of a running time. You sit there and watch this woman, after the fight has raged...he is gone. Sutherland shapes into view. She's still fighting. For love.
I also agree with Otter wholeheartedly. One of the many off-putting things about the original, for me, was the heavy-handed incidental music.
shareLove both but prefer 56
shareThe '78 version was too kitsch.
shareI FIND BOTH TO BE FAIRLY BORING.
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