Hollywood Remakes Korean Movies, Looks Overseas for Fresh Ideas

Korean movies have become popular internationally. Naturally, Hollywood has bought the rights to remake some of them. This is not a new concept; Hollywood has borrowed from cinema all around the world. Korea is one of the current hot sources of inspiration.

Since foreign-language films rarely get wide release in U.S. theaters, this is one way that these stories can be exposed to the general American audience. Of course, the plots are tweaked, and sometimes something is lost in translation. Occasionally the Hollywood remakes bridge the gap and bring a new perspective and something exciting to eager movie fans.

Lake House
The Lake House (2006) is the first in the trend of American remakes of Korean movies. It stars Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. The original is Siworae (2000), also known by its international English title, Il Mare. The story is a fantasy romance. Two people mystically communicate across time through a shared mailbox. They live in the same house, but two years apart. Will love be enough to bring them together in the present? The remake stays close to the original plot, but there are some differences in the ending. The American remake does not change it completely, but as expected Hollywood chooses a less ambiguous final scene.

My Sassy Girl
Yeopgijeogin geunyeo (2001) is a Korean romantic comedy based on a real relationship. The international English title is My Sassy Girl. Kim Ho-sik wrote about his ex-girlfriend in an Internet journal to help himself put things in perspective. A studio read his chronicle of their awkward romance and approached him to write the screenplay. The hilarious movie delighted of millions of fans. The wacky story also caught the eye of Hollywood. My Sassy Girl (2008) stars up-and-coming actors Elisha Cuthbert and Jesse Bradford. It hasn't been released yet, so it remains to be seen how well the humor will translate through Hollywood's lens.

Possession/Addicted
A spooky romantic thriller, Jungdok (2002) deals with loss and sorrow. The international English title is Addicted. Two brothers are in a tragic accident and only one survives. But which one? The surviving brother claims that the dead brother's soul lives in his body. The grieving widow is not sure what to believe when her brother-in-law tries to convince her that he is really her husband. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Lee Pace are cast in the remake. Possession (2008) is slated to be released this year.

The Uninvited
Janghwa, Hongryeon (2003) is a popular Korean horror movie. The international English title is A Tale of Two Sisters. The literal translation is "Rose Flower, Red Lotus". It is a psychological horror film loosely based on a Korean legend with the same title. It contains the universal fairytale tropes of the evil stepmother and distant father with tragic consequences for the poor stepchildren. For the remake Arielle Kebbel and Emily Browning are cast as the sisters and David Strathairn will play their father. Maya Massar takes the role of the stepmother. The Uninvited is still in production and planned for a 2009 release. A Tale of Two Sisters uses non-linear narrative style that intentionally misleads and keeps the audience guessing. This heightens the mystery and mirrors the confusion of the characters. Will Hollywood be able to capture the psychological terror without over-explaining and losing the sense of tension and ambiguity?

Does Hollywood do a favor or a disservice to these foreign films by remaking them? Ideally the originals and the Hollywood versions should be judged on their own merits. Hopefully people will make the effort to search out the originals and get interested in Korean movies. Korea has produced a lot of unique, high quality films that are available on DVD. Why not enjoy both?