request We’ve been disheartened by the number of film critics who are putting Abbas Kiarostami’s Ten on their Best of 2003 lists. Kiarostami’s remake pales in comparison to Blake Edwards‘ 1979 original. Recasting the Dudley Moore character as a child and making him the son of the leading lady drastically alters the plot of the movie, and while we understand Kiarostami’s need to deal with his nation’s censors, shifting the location from the beaches of Acapulco to the automobile interiors of Iran gives the movie an entirely different tone. The only thing the remake manages to do that the original did not is provide a snapshot of contemporary Iranian life, which is irrelevant. As a sexy romantic comedy, it fails nearly every metric. We therefore would like to encourage film critics to review the source material before once again heaping unjust praise on an unfocused film from Iran.
* aus: Errata: Archive of Regret (siehe auch das lesenswerte weblog: errata: commentary track)