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I know a lot of people have seen the Al Pacino/Robin Williams version of Insomnia that takes place in Alaska. I remember loving it when it came out, although for some reason, I wasn't crazy about the ending. I loved Pacino as the tormented cop.
Last night, I finally saw the original Norwegian version of Insomnia. Wow. Maybe I'm biased because I love Stellan Skarsgård, the actor who plays the cop, but I really did love this version, too. Here's an article about this version of the movie. Unfortunately, in the U.S., it seems that it's only available in a $30 Criterion Collection edition (without any extras to speak of), but you can get it for around ten bucks on Half.com, eBay, etc.
I'd be curious about your impressions if you saw both films or either one. Or for that matter if you saw neither film.
It's also a great way to compare remakes -- and explore that the changes tell us about the movie-making industry where they are made. The plots are very similar in most ways (except the end), and many of the scenes are the same. But the main character is different in the original -- a cold, unlikeable asshole. (Am I evil for liking the character anyway?
)
There are many major differences in the main character that say a lot about movies and what American movies can/can't get away with. And as I warned in the title line, there are major spoilers here. And I mean major spoilers. So don't read if you don't want to know too much.
-- In the remake, the MC is under hot water because he framed a child killer. In the original version, the detective got in trouble because he was caught having sex with a witness. In the original, the partner is about the only person he gets along with, so that makes it more tragic that he accidentally shoots him. (He covers it up anyway because he wasn't supposed to have a gun.)
-- In the remake, the MC and his partner have an adversarial relationship because the partner is going to be questioned by internal affairs. So when the MC accidentally shoots his partner, his partner dies thinking he did it on purpose. In the original, the partner dies saying something like "You said 'Go to the left.'"
-- In the remake, one way the MC covers up the facts is by shooting a bullet into the convenient corpse of a dead dog in an alley, then digging it out. In the Norwegian version, the dog is alive, and the MC lures the dog over and shoots it!
-- In the remake, an underaged friend of the victim comes on to the detective, and he is turned off by her. In the original, he gropes her.
-- In the remake, the MC has to try to prevent the killer from framing the victim's boyfriend. In the original, not only does he plant the gun himself, but when the boyfriend returns to his bedroom and starts to have sex with the victim's friend, the MC stays and watches.
-- In the remake, the MC is troubled but sympathetic. In the original, he is a conceited asshole who thinks that kittens are "disgusting."
-- In the remake, there's a scene where the MC talks with the friend hotel clerk, and later, she wakes up in his bed -- but still wearing her clothes. (Apparently on the commentary, the director says he doesn't think they had sex.) In the original, he started to make out with this character (after the kitten thing), and then got aggressive, and she had to push him away.
And, and of course, the ending is also completely different -- and I liked this one more. In the remake, the Pacino character gets all heroic -- and gets shot and dies. In the original, during the final confrontation with the killer, the killer falls into the water and hits his head. The MC stands there and watches as he goes under. (No one else is there.) Later, at his hotel room, the female detective gives him the bullet that proves he shot his partner, and after that, he drives out of town. Ooh.
Last night, I finally saw the original Norwegian version of Insomnia. Wow. Maybe I'm biased because I love Stellan Skarsgård, the actor who plays the cop, but I really did love this version, too. Here's an article about this version of the movie. Unfortunately, in the U.S., it seems that it's only available in a $30 Criterion Collection edition (without any extras to speak of), but you can get it for around ten bucks on Half.com, eBay, etc.
I'd be curious about your impressions if you saw both films or either one. Or for that matter if you saw neither film. It's also a great way to compare remakes -- and explore that the changes tell us about the movie-making industry where they are made. The plots are very similar in most ways (except the end), and many of the scenes are the same. But the main character is different in the original -- a cold, unlikeable asshole. (Am I evil for liking the character anyway?
)There are many major differences in the main character that say a lot about movies and what American movies can/can't get away with. And as I warned in the title line, there are major spoilers here. And I mean major spoilers. So don't read if you don't want to know too much.
-- In the remake, the MC is under hot water because he framed a child killer. In the original version, the detective got in trouble because he was caught having sex with a witness. In the original, the partner is about the only person he gets along with, so that makes it more tragic that he accidentally shoots him. (He covers it up anyway because he wasn't supposed to have a gun.)
-- In the remake, the MC and his partner have an adversarial relationship because the partner is going to be questioned by internal affairs. So when the MC accidentally shoots his partner, his partner dies thinking he did it on purpose. In the original, the partner dies saying something like "You said 'Go to the left.'"
-- In the remake, one way the MC covers up the facts is by shooting a bullet into the convenient corpse of a dead dog in an alley, then digging it out. In the Norwegian version, the dog is alive, and the MC lures the dog over and shoots it!
-- In the remake, an underaged friend of the victim comes on to the detective, and he is turned off by her. In the original, he gropes her.
-- In the remake, the MC has to try to prevent the killer from framing the victim's boyfriend. In the original, not only does he plant the gun himself, but when the boyfriend returns to his bedroom and starts to have sex with the victim's friend, the MC stays and watches.
-- In the remake, the MC is troubled but sympathetic. In the original, he is a conceited asshole who thinks that kittens are "disgusting."
-- In the remake, there's a scene where the MC talks with the friend hotel clerk, and later, she wakes up in his bed -- but still wearing her clothes. (Apparently on the commentary, the director says he doesn't think they had sex.) In the original, he started to make out with this character (after the kitten thing), and then got aggressive, and she had to push him away.
And, and of course, the ending is also completely different -- and I liked this one more.
In the remake, the Pacino character gets all heroic -- and gets shot and dies. In the original, during the final confrontation with the killer, the killer falls into the water and hits his head. The MC stands there and watches as he goes under. (No one else is there.) Later, at his hotel room, the female detective gives him the bullet that proves he shot his partner, and after that, he drives out of town. Ooh.
