Original vs. Remake: The Parent Trap

Original

Remake

         

 VS.

     Ah, yes, The Parent Trap, Haley Mills at the height of her popularity. They just couldn't get enough of her in those days, so they cast her twice! On the flip side, though, we have the remake starring Lindsay Lohan in her first role, and as it is with all remakes, we just can't help but wonder which one is better. Both have their strengths and weaknesses and while they share the same plot, they are very different from one another.The original scores points for screenplay and casting while the remake wins on the elaboration of the story. However, the fact that it is so elaborate, is what makes me hate it even more. They spent all that time dwelling on the characters without making us believe that the parents hated each other. By the time the movie was over, I stayed wondering just why it was their marriage didn't work out at first. It was really hard for me to believe that he would even let her leave his house and go back to England without putting up a fight. Whereas, in the original, two minutes after seeing each other they are already on each other's throats and ready to kill one another. Maureen O'Hara even punches Brian Keith in the eye in the middle of an argument. I guess that in the end, the original had passion and the remake did not. In fact, Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson don't even have one argument in the entire film!

     As I mentioned, the screenplay for the original was much better, and moves at a much faster pace. This is, after all, a movie about shenanigans and hi-jinks, and the pace and tone are appropriate for what they wanted to accomplish, and they were still able to maintain the romantic aspect of the film. The new one was turned into a bit of a drama and prolonged the movie excessively and unnecessarily, particularly the summer camp. The biggest problem with the screenplay, however is something that nearly all modern films, remake or otherwise, suffer from, and that is a lack of intelligent and witty writing. the comedy was more real and ironic in the original, and while the remake does a better job than most modern films, it still falls way short in comparison to the original.

     While the new Parent Trap does a surprisingly good job at casting, it too falls short of the original's. I already discussed the parents' casting choice as well as the twins' but I wanted to take a look at the supporting cast. The housekeeper on the original is beyond reproach as is the grandfather. In the remake, they greatly reduce the role the grandfather plays in the scheme to get the parents back together and they give the fancy twin a butler, for no apparent reason other than to create a romantic interest for the housekeeper, which, while cute, adds to the slowing of the pace as well as takes away the focus of the story. As for the grandfather, the original is played by Charles Ruggle, and is a great example of a true supporting actor, and this scene below proves that, as well as the superb quality of screenwriting back in the day.

     The butler, aside from slowing down the pace of the story with his relationship with the housekeeper, also deprives the grandfather of screen-time as well as contribute to reducing his role. I also didn't like the way they made the butler so central to their lives because it made it like Natasha Richardson's character was so dependent on him, as opposed to the strong-willed woman Maureen O'Hara played in the original. People always claim the older Walt Disney movies are anti-feminist but the new ones seem to be worst.

     It is hard to remake a classic, which is why it should be avoided. Yes, there are times when they supersede the original but when you come down to it, classic films almost always have two things that make it superior to modern movies: dialogue and actors. The original Parent Trap wins in both categories with ease. While the new version is one of the best remakes out there when looked at by itself, it simply falls short of what we know it can be: a funny, heartfelt, witty movie with one of the best casts ever assembled and screenplay that would leave the Oscar winners of the past twenty years to shame. Looking back, one could be forgiven for wondering why this movie wasn't nominated for best screenplay, but we must remember, in those days great writing was all in a day's work for Hollywood. Those were the days...