Notan Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 As I was watching Remember the Night (1940) last night, I found myself thinking that the movie, with a few alterations, could be remade today, and still be a good movie. Here are some of the cast I’d pick and the rewrites I’d make. Recast John Sargent - George Clooney Lee Leander - Mira Sorvino Francis X. O'Leary (defense attorney) - Stephen Root or Nathan Lane “Rufus” (see rewrite) - Nathan Lane or Stephen Root Mrs. Sargent (John’s mother) - Dianne Wiest Fat Mike - John Goodman Rewrite Rewrite and expand the Rufus character (John’s butler) to be something more like the brilliant Jeeves (à la Stephen Fry), and change the character's name. Cut the Willie character. (Tough call, but I don’t see that the character adds much to the story.) Part of what makes the original movie work for me was the combination of comedy and drama. Therefore, I would keep both elements and not make it into a full comedy, as the cast selections may imply. Are there any “classics” that you would recast or rewrite? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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