[lbo-talk] why movies suck

[Joanna]

One could argue that sequels bespeak a certain amount of cultural 
impoverishment; but adaptations are examples of imitation, which are a 
classic aesthetic mode.

Sometimes, remakes are far better than the originals: Silk Stockings vs 
Ninotchka comes to mind. (Whatever Garbo was, a comic actress she was 
not.); Sometimes an adaptation can illuminate its source: I'm thinking 
of the Russian film version of "Lady and the Dog."

And sometimes an adaptation means a zillion people will be exposed to 
"Great Expectations" (David Lean) who would otherwise never have read 
the book.

It's not all bad.

Joanna