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Zhang Yimou’s remake of the Coen Brothers Neo-Noir classic Blood Simple may seem like a wacky idea. The difference between the brooding and dark early work of Hollywood’s approved ‘outsiders’ and Yimou’s fantastical martial arts epics is clearly marked but is it really that crazy an idea?
At their core, are stories not universal? Are there not SEVEN BASIC PLOTS?
Western cinema regularly exploits Asian film to create Hollywood remakes, stripping out cultural references to create universal, commercially viable product.
Star Wars is seen by some as a famous example of Asian cinema repurposed as Blockbuster. The Hidden Fortress, directed by legendary Japanese filmmaker AKIRA KUROSAWA would seem to provide many of the themes that made George Lucas’ space opera the classic that it is. This is by no means a critique, as stories of good and evil are universal, but it does strengthen the point that remaking noir as historical epic is no more unusual than relocating a tale of heroism in feudal Japan to a galaxy far, far away.
READ MORE ABOUT BLOOD SIMPLE
Hidden Fortress has a young hero, an evil empire, a princess to save, two everymen who represent the audience (R2D2 and C3PO in Star Wars), an epic journey and a Fortress that became a Death Star in 1977. A quest and a story of heroism triumphing over unbending evil is universal. It’s a story that works as a martial arts tale, a western plot or a Sci-Fi spectacular.
The Coen’s tale of cheating, lies and deceit, once stripped of it’s noir stylings is a human story that makes sense in any culture. This is what remaking movies is all about. Taking great stories and making them relevant, either to a different culture or a different time. Zhang Yimou’s Blood Simple is a curiousity simply because it seems so wildly removed from the context of the original, but once the movie rolls, the universal themes take over.
