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A scene from the 1998 Japanese horror flick “Ringu” (right) was the inspiration for i

Photo

A scene from the 1998 Japanese horror flick “Ringu” (right) was the inspiration for i

Some say imitation is the best form of flattery. If this is the case, then Americans have been paying foreign filmmakers the biggest compliment to date.

While there has always been a bevy of foreign remakes – some unfortunate, like the Madonna flop “Swept Away” – it seems this trend has taken on a whole new fervor in recent years, particularly in the Japanese horror market.

“Hollywood is always looking for something that works elsewhere, and that they can adapt or remake using their stars, directors and marketing departments,” said critical studies Professor Chon Noriega.

The floodgates opened after the surprise success of DreamWorks’ 2002 remake of the Japanese cult hit “Ringu,” a story about a cursed videocassette that kills its viewers one week later. The Americanized version, “The Ring,” combined the rich visual imagery of Japanese filmmaking with a strong plot line and the high production values of the American tradition.

For the most part, this is a welcome change, considering the current American wave of trendy teen horror movies. Many critics praised the quiet moments, which suggested horror rather than blatantly displayed it. American horror films are known for their clichés and predictability, while Japanese films rely on understatement.

“‘The Ring’ was unlike anything we had seen before. The horror was subtle,” said Elizabeth Branham, a fourth-year English and history student. “It was scary because most of it was left up to your imagination.”

There must be a better reason why Hollywood is suddenly embracing the idea of foreign remakes than that Americans are just too lazy to read subtitles or the mass appeal of Japanese zombie schoolgirls. Once deemed too artsy or weird for American mainstream tastes, foreign films have been homogenized and packaged for an American audience. But not everyone agrees with this answer.

“There is a genuine interest in foreign countries; just look at the success of ‘Lost in Translation,’” said Branham. “Seeing modern Japan brought an awareness of just how beautiful a city it is.”

Despite its popularity, some people remain cautious of the crossover. Many foreign films are significant because of their cultural depth. But this feature is automatically brushed aside when movies are adjusted for an American audience.

“Films often respond in interesting ways to specific cultural and social phenomenon in their own societies,” said Michael Bourdaghs, an East Asian studies professor. “Much of that specificity gets lost, not surprisingly, in the Hollywood remakes.”

For example, according to Bourdaghs, the Japanese original “Ringu” drew upon modern Japanese anxieties over the children of single mothers and the behavior of high school girls. The underlying motives and the cultural contexts of these films are unfortunately lost on Western audiences.

Nevertheless, American movie studios will continue to churn out foreign remakes. Due to the success of previous Asian horror films, a number of American replicas are slated to come out soon, including “Dark Water,” “The Eye” and the most recent, “The Grudge.”

But American studios do not view the task of remakes as an artistic license to do whatever they wish. Rather, foreign films are treated as a foundation in which studios believe they can make better, by adding special effects and big name actors.

“The appeal has to do with having a ready-made, proven product. But it would seem that most films lose a lot in translation,” said Noriega.