When Gus Van Sant directed a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's classic "Psycho", line for line, edit for edit, it was widely panned, and achieved an IMDb rating of 4.6 versus the original's 8.5. How could that be, given that they were nearly identical? Clearly, Van Sant saw his remake as a tribute to Hitchcock's mastery and an exercise in painstaking recreation that would focus attention on Hitch's artistic choices. Still, many viewers thought it was insulting; others saw it as a waste of time.
The recreations of episodes from "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" do contain some artistic choices, but they are few. The scripts are word for word exactly the same as when broadcast so many years before. Some of the lead actors have tried to recreate exact copies of the voices, the gestures, and the delivery of the lines. Yet, the IMDb score for this live television special is 7.9---exactly the average of the scores given to the two original television series. Why is that?
For one thing, live performances are a different animal. The recent spate of live television recreations of hit films and plays has been entertaining and interesting. Part of the interest comes from the immediacy of live television. But this is a tribute to producer Norman Lear, so some viewers might be registering their admiration for the man. And others might be signaling approval of the scripts.
If these recreations were actual series in today's markets, they would fail miserably. Though some have maintained they are just as relevant today as when they first aired, they are dated. And the artful recreation of Archie Bunker still lacks the authenticity of Carrol O'Connor's performance.
One of the best things about these series was that they showed equally the racial and class biases of both Archie Bunker and George Jefferson. But they featured hamfisted humor lacking nuance. Their simplified versions of complex issues served to dumb down topics of conversation that could have been more useful. As such, they perpetuated stereotypes as much as they sought to abolish them.
The highlight of this special was Jennifer Hudson's performance of the theme song from "The Jeffersons". The uncanny performances of Jamie Foxx, Woody Harrelson, and especially Marisa Tomei are also worthy of mention.
The recreations of episodes from "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" do contain some artistic choices, but they are few. The scripts are word for word exactly the same as when broadcast so many years before. Some of the lead actors have tried to recreate exact copies of the voices, the gestures, and the delivery of the lines. Yet, the IMDb score for this live television special is 7.9---exactly the average of the scores given to the two original television series. Why is that?
For one thing, live performances are a different animal. The recent spate of live television recreations of hit films and plays has been entertaining and interesting. Part of the interest comes from the immediacy of live television. But this is a tribute to producer Norman Lear, so some viewers might be registering their admiration for the man. And others might be signaling approval of the scripts.
If these recreations were actual series in today's markets, they would fail miserably. Though some have maintained they are just as relevant today as when they first aired, they are dated. And the artful recreation of Archie Bunker still lacks the authenticity of Carrol O'Connor's performance.
One of the best things about these series was that they showed equally the racial and class biases of both Archie Bunker and George Jefferson. But they featured hamfisted humor lacking nuance. Their simplified versions of complex issues served to dumb down topics of conversation that could have been more useful. As such, they perpetuated stereotypes as much as they sought to abolish them.
The highlight of this special was Jennifer Hudson's performance of the theme song from "The Jeffersons". The uncanny performances of Jamie Foxx, Woody Harrelson, and especially Marisa Tomei are also worthy of mention.