This page relates the influence of French cinema on its Hollywood counterpart for the past 60 years…
Some of you natural skeptics, are wondering what films? What influence? It will open the mind of the movie lovers to a motion picture’s perspective that explores the links and influences between Cannes and Hollywood that sparked the desire for remakes. Not all with equal success, though.

 You know Harrison Ford, right?

In 1964, Philippe de Broca directed That Man from Rio (l’Homme de Rio)
with one of my favorite French actors: Jean-Paul Belmondo.
15 years later, a young dynamic American director stunned by the movie, had
an idea for a motion picture. He called Mr. De Broca requesting a meeting to
discuss directing and story tips for his upcoming movie idea. The new director
was Steven Spielberg and the film inspired byThat Man from Rio was nothing less than
“The Raiders of The Lost Arks” with Harrison Ford.

FUN FACT: Did you know Harrison Ford wasn’t the first choice for the movie? 
That’s right. Imagine Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones for a second… A bit strange to picture Indiana Jones with a mustache; but he would have been special too. He turned down the role because of Magnum PI.

1983 – Breathless

Sex symbol wannabe Richard Gere could not compete with a spontaneous and natural Jean Paul Belmondo in Goddard’s A Bout de Souffle – a sordid story, yet a classic representation of the Nouvelle Vague genre that marked the 1960s with moving cameras, panning and ambiguous endings.
The interesting twist is the fact that in the original version, the supporting female was Jean Seberg – an American actress, whereas in the remake with Gere, they used a French actress – Valerie Kaprisky.

1986 – Down and out in Beverly Hills

Another adaptation of a great black and white classic from 1932 by Renoir which took 50 years to remake his Boudu Sauvé des Eaux with a memorable Michel Simon played by Nick Nolte in the American version.
The trio Nolte, Beth Midler, Dreyfuss creates a volcanic aura worth seeing in this dramatic comedy.

1987 – Three men and a baby

A cute movie with Tom Selleck that turned into a total flop after viewing the original impromptu Three Men and a Craddle (3 Hommes et un Couffin), winner of the 1985 Cannes festival and nominated for Best Foreign picture award. While neither are masterpieces, Three Men and a Baby was one of the top grossing movies of the 80s. A head scratcher probably helped by the popularity of Magnum PI and Cheers at the time.

1993 – Point of no return

Bridget Fonda’s limited performance in a movie in which most scenes were simply reproduced straight from the original, was no match for Anne Parrillaud in Luc Besson’s classic of 1990: La Femme Nikita. Jean Reno’s intensity in the French version completely erases the existence of his counterpart.

1993 – Sommersby

The original, Le Retour de Martin Guerre in 1982 was nominated at the Cannes festival and explores the harsh daily lives of simple folks and an impostor in the 16^th century with an amazing performance by Gerard Depardieu hardly comparable to Richard Gere’s pretty face personality in the 1993 version.

1994 – True lies

A remake of a 1991 film by Claude Zidi: La Totale. Schwarzenegger plays Thierry Lhermitte’s role. That one enters the list of the few exceptions where the remake inevitably outranks the soft original version. True lies is the true classic here.

1996 – The birdcage

Regardless of Robin Williams’ and Gene Hackman’s usual astonishing performance, the adaptation of the classic French film of 1978: “La Cage aux Folles” with Ugo Tognazi and Michel Serrault’s classic theatrical discharge remains unmatched 40 years later.

2002 – Unfaithful

No, I have nothing against Richard Gere, on the contrary! But he seems to have appeared in several remakes including this one is from 1969 – La Femme Infidele by Claude Chabrol. Stephane Audran and Michel Bouquet offer a great performance but the dark storyboards in some of the 60s drama could make the film scenes seem longer. This remake lingers the right amount of romantic suspense from Olivier Martines and an intense Diane Lane.

2010 – Dinner for Schmucks

Steve Carrell was, I admit, acceptable and funny in his role but if you liked it, you must see the French version from 1998:
Le Diner de Cons (The Dinner Game) with Jacques Villeret is a classic of the kind with Thierry Lhermitte.
Each remake is a pale imitation, in my opinion, of the original lacking the tension, tightness and je ne sais quoi. Both countries have borrowed styles from one another for nearly 100 years of cinema, confusing viewers where it actually originated. No matter.
It is obvious a clear and present fusion of different styles from both sides of the Atlantic is responsible for some of the best and most entertaining movies ever made. Whoever launched a new style, the other one borrowed it, added its thing and exported it back to the other side.

Film Noir – An expression created by the French critiques to define a  genre invented by the American filmmakers.

Nouvelle Vague – A term used by film critiques in the late 1950s to define the new wave of  film makers who rebelled against traditions of directing for a more expressionistic approach.;