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From: briand@tekig1.UUCP (Brian Diehm)
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: Re: Buddy, buddy - WHAT A RIPOFF!
Message-ID: <1869@tekig1.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 18-Mar-85 14:09:57 EST
Article-I.D.: tekig1.1869
Posted: Mon Mar 18 14:09:57 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 21-Mar-85 03:04:41 EST
References: <168@ihlpm.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Tektronix, Beaverton OR
Lines: 43

> That made me wonder about copyright regulations.
> If the French crew, indeed, was the first to use the story -
> does the author of the script get paid?
> 
> Also on the sad note: it is a pity that instead of
> release of an excellent foreign film the American
> public received a second-hand remake. Thus another
> question is about lack of wide foreign releases.
> What makes things like making Buddy profitable? Is it just public's
> need to see a momentous familiar name (like Lemmon)?
> Hard to believe.

A few years ago there was a French release, "The Toy", starring the guy who was
"The Tall Blond Man."  It was funny, sad, sensitive, and had redeeming social
value.  It was a pretty good film.  So what did Hollywood do?  THEY made an
exact copy starring (of all classical miscasts) Jackie Gleason!!!  The remake
was long on maudlin sentimentality and short on everything that makes a film
warm, lovable, and meaningful.  It was melodramatic treacle.  And what did they
name the plagaristic travesty?  "The Toy!"

Actually, Hollywood is quite insensitive and immoral in this regard.  The
"author" of "Blame It On Rio", Larry Gelbart (who has done original plays in
the past) quite candidly admitted in an interview that the "inspiration" for
this piece of tripe came from watching a French film with a friend.  At the
end he and his friend looked at each other and said "Let's do it!", as if it
hadn't just been "done" before their very eyes!  It didn't even sound as if
Gelbart found anything to be ashamed of, he was just explaining his source
of "artistic inspiration" for "his" movie.

The sheer chutzpah of this attitude is so appalling that I hesitate to give
money to any American production.  This sort of attitude has in history led to
racism, slavery, Detroit gas guzzlers, and the White Man's burden.  The
Japanese imitate to learn and improve, these guys imitate because they can't
honestly understand that the WOGs are people too!  And their patronizing makes
the product worse, because they can't see any room for improvement on their
miserable product.

And besides, I'll always wonder, was the French version of "Blame It On Rio"
perhaps a reasonably decent film?  Naaah. . .

-Brian Diehm
Tektronix, Inc. (who cares about movies only if they include Tek 'scopes)
slavery