8. Jane Eyre (1996) vs. Wide Sargasso Sea (1993)
Technically not a remake, but if it was good enough as a companion to Jane Eyre for my English Lit professor, it's good enough for this list. Wide Sargasso Sea, based on the novel of the same name, is a prequel to Jane Eyre, and tells the story of the madwoman in the attic, Mr. Rochester's wife from the Bronte novel. But this ain't no Disney-designed, teenage-Tarzan-style prequel. The novel Wide Sargasso Sea was a lush, violent bit of feminist revisionist history, and the film follows suit: Mr. Rochester's wife is insane because her husband royally
fucked her over. The film, however, focuses mainly on the literal fucking, set against a sweaty tropical plantation backdrop. The vengeance-sex brings to mind the gleeful chaos of Wild Orchid, minus Mickey Rourke and the '80s couture. — N.A.
Winner by a good ten inches: Remake
9. Solyaris (1972) vs. Solaris (2002)
I'm not discounting the brilliance of Andrei Tarkovsky's 1972 optical masterpiece. I'm just saying that Steven Soderbergh's remake features three things the original did not: Natascha McElhone, George Clooney, and George Clooney's naked ass. — N.A.
Winner: Remake
©2007 Nicole Ankowski & Nerve.com