I just read that Televisa USA is planning an English language adaptation of Gran Hotel set in 1950s Havana.
Isn't it too soon? Also, I love the actors playing the main characters. I couldn't possibly see anyone other than Yon Gonzalez as Julio.
Thoughts?
Well, after having kind of worn out Gran Hotel by watching it all the way through a dozen times, I can't imagine another version of it with different actors doing the same stuff. Maybe if it's a different story, that would be good, with different actors playing different roles but with similar themes, not a bad idea, but a direct copy? I don't think so.
shareNot much information is available but the premise is the same. "In the new version, following his sister's disappearance, Julio is led on a dangerous journey that takes him to the opulent Gran Hotel, a frequent getaway for the rich, powerful, famous and infamous and into the arms of the sexy daughter of the hotel's wealthy owner". It is set in a different time period, so some changes are inevitable.
shareHmm. Well, I might give it a watch to see if it's anything like the original if it ever shows up. But the things about the original that made it so attractive to me were the costumes and the palace where it was filmed, plus the time of the early 1900s was a great time for innovation, which made for a lot of fun with electricity, phonographs, movies, and telephones coming into usage. If it's in the 50s, that's hardly going to be similar. Oh well, I guess the show must have been pretty successful or they wouldn't be trying to copy it. That's nice, but what I wouldn't give for a DVD set with English subtitles (and Spanish subtitles—some of us are trying to learn this freaking language!). LOL
shareThe DVD box set does have Spanish subtitles. In fact, you can find most of the English ones at http://www.opensubtitles.org/en/ssearch/sublanguageid-all/idmovie-119207 and you now have all the Spanish ones on there too (you're welcome!)
shareWhat good is it to have the English subtitles when they're not actually on the screen? Don't tell me they have a way of inserting them. When I watch GH on Netflix, it has both, and I often switch back and forth to make sure about how someone says something. If they ever put it out on DVD set with both, I will be the first in line to buy it.
shareWhat on earth are you talking about? Of course you can 'insert' subtitles, how do you think everyone else uses them?
shareWhat on earth are YOU talking about? How is one supposed to insert subtitles onto a DVD with a program already professionally recorded on it? Seems to me they'd have to do that in the editor's studio before we buy it unless there's some way of doing it with one's home computer I am unaware of.
shareNow I understand what you're trying to do. Just do what everyone else does after buying a DVD. Rip it to your computer so you have them all on one drive instead of millions of discs lying about and then use whatever subs you want. DVD Decryptor is fine. Convert to avi with Auto GK.
shareI dunno. This all sounds terrible confusing and beyond my abilities without someone to show me what to do. As long as Gran Hotel is on Netflix, I don't really need to go to all that trouble or the expense, for that matter. But thanks.
shareI think its supposed to be in Cuba during the revolution.. I wonder how that will turn out..
shareHow can it be in English if the setting is a Spanish-language country? Maybe they should set it in a place where Latinos speak English, like Puerto Rico or Texas.
shareWell, it wouldn't be the first time something set in another country was filmed in English...
shareHow can it be in English if the setting is a Spanish-language country?
Maybe they should set it in a place where Latinos speak English, like Puerto Rico or Texas.Why does it have to be so-called Latino? What's wrong with it being done in England, with English people and in English? They had hotels exactly like that. There is no reason a Spanish speaking background is needed.
Doesn't look like this ever came to fruition, does it?
My guess is that it is too similar to Downton Abbey (2010) in nature. There have been a lot of upstairs/downstairs shows in recent years. I think the industry found that the only one to really survive was Downton.
I know your post is old, but that's just my 2¢.
Random Thoughts: http://goo.gl/eXk3O
Gran Hotel survived and did very well in Europe. It's still doing well on Netflix. There have been some other shows like Downton Abbey. Upstairs/Downstairs comes to mind, and it was very successful years ago. I watched the entire series on PBS. I'm not sure which shows you're talking about that are similar other than these. BTW, Poldark, my most recent favorite show, also has a theme of the different classes mixing, marrying, struggling, fighting, etc. It's just terrific, too!
share