Of course there is a powerful sense of irony about these acts of theft; a reversal of fortune that could scarcely have been predicted in the first couple of decades of the cathode-ray tube era. Back then it was TV which fed off the bloated carcass of the movies - either by plundering its basic themes and ideas or by spawning spin-off series from specific films. And for a while the whole future of the movies seemed threatened by the ever-increasing popularity of its bastard offspring. Forty years on though the tables appear to have turned. The relentless growth in the number of channels coupled with the inevitable dilution of the quality of programming and the advent of technology which enables viewers to watch pretty much whatever they like when they like have served to reduce the status of television. Such changes have reduced TV's ability to set the cultural agenda by commanding huge simultaneously-viewing audiences for its primetime shows. In the 21st century we have reverted to cinema to provide the shared viewing experience and the ripples on the cultural pond. And so it is perhaps with malicious relish that moviedom consumes and regurgitates its erstwhile rival's greatest hits.
So what
new liberties can we expect to be taken with TV's golden past. Well, the
biggie this year (2002) will undoubtedly be the live-action version of
'Scooby-Doo' (with Sarah Michelle Gellar filling the role of babelicious
Daphne). But also in the pipeline are updates of sixties spy spoof 'Get
Smart' and cult classic 'The Prisoner'. Each of which would continue the
three main categories of big-screen remake over the last ten years. 
1) The
tongue-in-cheek action series (The Saint/Mission Impossible/Charlies Angels)
2} The cheesy sixties sitcom (My Favourite Martian/The Brady Bunch) 3)
And the brought to life cartoon (Casper/Inspector Gadget).
With very few exceptions there is one thing that all these films have in common. They are all based on US shows ! So here at Futuretro we reckon its time that some of the classics of British television got a big-screen makeover - with big Hollywood stars and budgets to match the GDP of a former Soviet republic.
So from
the suggestion box and in no particular order:-
The Good Life with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan as Tom and Barbara and Meryl Streep and Robert Redford as Margo and Jerry.
On the Buses with Vince Vaughan and Matt Dillon as Stan and Jack, Jack Nicholson as Blakey and Elisabeth Hurley as Olive.
The Clangers with Dustin Hoffman as Tiny Clanger and Marlon Brando as the Soup Dragon.
The Magic Roundabout with Winona Ryder as Florence, Keanu Reeves as Dylan and Will Smith as Zebedee.
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em with Russell Crowe as Frank Spencer and Cameron Diaz as Betty.
Blue Peter the Movie with Catherine Zeta-Jones as Valerie Singleton, Kevin Spacey as Peter Purves, Jim Carrey as both John Noakes and Shep and John Malkovich as Freda the Tortoise.
Crossroads with Elizabeth Taylor as Meg Richardson, Brad Pitt as Benny and Madonna as Amy Turtle.
Love Thy Neighbour with Bruce Willis
and Denzel Washington
Back to Home Page