ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the history of remakes before moving onto the theoretical aspects of remakes as a form of translation. It focuses on the early remakes and multiple-language versions made in the early sound period. The chapter analyzes the sorts of remake most people will be familiar with, that is, American remakes of productions from elsewhere in the world. This sort of remake is often at the root of negative approaches to remakes which see them as 'a less than respectable Hollywood commercial practice'. The chapter looks at local versions of American movies as well as remakes that do not travel via English, such as the Korean remake of Ringu, Ring/The Ring Virus. It discusses how remakes can be conceptualized as translations and also discusses theoretical issues such as audience recognition, legal acknowledgement and remaking as industrial process. The chapter also explores the difference between official and unofficial remakes.
