This is my top news today, and I’m angry as hell. I can’t believe that the classic movie The Dam Busters could be getting a remake after Sir David Frost secured the rights to the movie.
Guardian Unlimited bring the news that it may not be so bad. Frost is a huge fan of the theme music and chose that recently on Desert Island Discs.
The situation was quite complicated but we have, just a couple of weeks ago, signed an option agreement with the Brickhill family [relation of the author, Paul]. Now we begin to see if we can make it [a remake] happen.
“With all the digital technology there is now, a new version could be even more exciting. But we can’t change the music – it’s so fantastically stirring.”…
…Sir David said he and Mr [Steve] Anderson will be executive producers on the film…
…”The new film won’t be cheap. But it really did feel worth having a go. We will consult with the family on it. We have one or two people in mind to play the leading characters but haven’t approached them yet. It’s a great project and I’m looking forward to seeing it take off.”
I have to say although at first I was incensed about the possiblity of remaking this classic (as will my Dad) I think it sounds like it’s going to be in decent hands. Consultations with the family, adherence to the original, keeping the original music. The only thing that won’t be kept is the innocently named dog, which nowadays has a much darker significance.
I’m actually thinking this could be good, and I know my Dad will kill me for saying that. Anyone else out there original fans? I just love these old war movies, especially with such beautiful planes in them.
Hi.
I’m growing up in the area where the movie The Dam Busters is playing. So I was moore or less involved in the horrible edersee bombing. Any how I’m a surviver. After so many years ago I’m lucking back to it and I really like to have a copy of the dam busters here.
The problem is I live in the philippines. Fare away from the area where I can buy this movie. I have 24/7 internet access here. Did someome of this group know where I can download a copy of this for me so importand movie?
1000 thanks in advance.
Erwin J
Mr todd isn’t terribly happy about a remake!I’m a member of the support group for the Battle of Britain Memorial flight and their in-house journal did an article about the film earlier this year. I love this movie and so does my son – it was one of the reasons he joined the RAF – who the hell would play Gibson as well as Richard Todd, lovely man? My fear is they would load it with love interest and personality baggage etc.
The original is a film of its time and focuses on what counted in that particular series of events – leave it alone!!!
It made the local papers down here in Herne Bay this week, that the Dambusters could have a remake. We have one of the dummy test bombs and a small display in our local museum as this is where there tested the bouncing bombs for the final assault.
As for not being able to say “Nigger”…. why not?…. the late great Richard Prior said it all the time and no-one locked him up!!…. That was the dogs name and you can’t change history!
Just don’t let the USA get their rotten hands on it….. we saw what they did to U571…. they didn’t even know what an Enigma machine was!!!
There’s no need to remake “The Battle of Britain” as an excuse for CGI air battles. The original still holds up very well. (The Spanish Airforce were still using Heinkel Bombers and loaned them to the movie makers.)
I have nothing against CGI planes if they look 100% convincing and not like that mock WW1 air battle we glimpsed in “The Aviator”.
Youre right about Memphis Belle Rich.
Remake Battle of Britain…what, and have the US win the air war against Germany? No thanks!!
Actually the thing I don’t want is CGI planes, that wasn’t done in Memphis Belle for most of the shots (sure with “crowd” scenes) but they had some real planes to fly for that.
I think they have to stick with real planes, and a good deed for the filmmakers would be to lower salaries and invest the money in renovating a couple of Lancasters to fly specially for the film, leaving them for shows afterwards. That would be superb.
Another remake? well, this one might have some merits, if they don’t get greedy with special effects and turn it into CGI hell. transporter 2 anyone?
This is one of my favorite war movies, and I’m not particularly a war movie buff – well, maybe more than I realized now that I think about it. I love The Damn Busters b/c it showed so much about the thinking, the process, the teamwork, and the geekiness involved in this project and in war. I truly felt like I was part of it, each step of the way. And I absorbed a little physics, too.
I love old war movies too, especially ones with planes. With CGI, it would be easier to make these movies then it would have 10 years ago since they used the real thing back then. I was just watching Memphis Belle yesterday, and I was thinking they could do a much better job today. They should also do another movie on the Battle of Britain (but without Ben Afleck).
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
So true, so true!
I starred the word out as I have observed on other forums how many people are offended if the “N” word is stated even if it is clearly not with any offensive intent. Actually I had to look up the dogs name. My faulty memory was that it was called B*gg*r which of course would offend a whole different bunch of people today! :-)
Yeah, where did they got that racist from eh???
I wasn’t going to say Morbius, if I did I would be branded a racist again!
Of course Morbius would know this, youre a war buff arent you buddy? *wink*
This could be good. The original was a good movie, but was let down a bit by some poor special effects.
Incidently in case anyone is wondering, the dog’s name in the original film was N*gg*r.