I've only seen the new one, and wow, it was amazing! I can't believe the movie was so critically panned. Definitely a strong performance by Madonna...why do people say she can't act? She should have been recognized for her efforts, at least with a Golden Globe for comedic actress if not an Oscar nod. I can't imagine the original version could have anything better to say than the remake.
I love Lina (saw her at the SF Film Festival, just after Ritchie's version came out), but that was a precanned answer: when asked, she actually said "I haven't seen it yet... nor, I understand, have many others..." (the 2002 version run about 2 weeks in movies).
After, when asked how did she feel about the whole operation, she said (approx.): "well, when Madonna and Guy came over offering to buy the rights to the story [she could have refused selling them], we thought 'what harm could that be?'".
LOL! Our point exactly! Lina cashed the money, won the comparison hands down, and got the original movie re-promoted again...
This (original) goes in the "classic" category. The other goes in the "crap" category. I have never understood why they continue to "remake" great classic movies. No reason to. Remaking bad movies to make good ones should be the thing to do.
I just wanted to ask the opposite question... I saw the Madonna version by pure chance and I thought the premise was actually quite intriguing and the male protagonist was acted quite well, too - but other than that, the movie was awful and somehow went all over the place like they couldn't decide whether it was supposed to be comedy, romance or drama. Madonna wasn't really good, either.
So, I take it this movie is better than the Madonna version?
The original is directed by a woman who worked as an assistant to Federico Fellini for years. Lina Wertmuller is a brilliant writer and director. For a woman to crack the glass ceiling and solicit investors and acquire funds to direct a film herself in that era where there were zero female directors speaks volumes about her talent and her entrepreneurial skills.
The actors are absolutely brilliant in the original. Sorry -- Madonna is a terrible actress which is pretty much universally acknowledged. The male lead in the Guy Richie version is Giancarlo Giannini's son who looks a great deal like him but whose prior professional movie experience was as a cameraman. Obviously Richie thought it was a "cool" connection to the original, but the man is only a slightly better actor than Madonna who is absolutely obnoxious playing obnoxious.
The movie earned $5000 the weekend it was released. Because the Richies did not want to lose all the money they'd invested, Guy cut in shots of Madonna in bikinis and semi-naked in the "extras" for DVD release in hopes to boost sales. Pitiful.
If anyone is interested, I heard Lina Wertmuller speak in L.A. on the 25th anniversary of "Swept Away". She told a story that Mariangela Melato in her hotel room cut her foot very badly when during the night she stepped on a glass bottle of Evian [come' una bisteccha ~ trans~ a piece of her foot as big as a beefsteak". Producers considered replacing her with Glenda Jackson {!!!]. Melato insisted she could do the movie. There are lines in the movie where she complains that she hurt her foot. However she runs up and down those sand dunes like a pro. Cannot imagine anyone but her in that role.