The Producers 01/02/06

There is a common belief that remakes, in terms of art, are subpar. That sequels can never be better than the original and back in the day we all lived in a cinematic utopia where story and art fused together to make the best stuff ever possible at all times forever.
How complete crap that idea is.
I've seen a good deal of movies this year. And some of the best of those movies were remakes. Here's a few "Pride and Prejudice" "King Kong" and now the "The Producers." To say that these are subpar because of the fact that they are remakes is, for lack of a better word, crap. I think these are perfect examples that old material can be resurrected and shown in as bright a way (sometimes better) as the original movie. This is not new. In regular theater, we constantly regurgitate Shakespeare. Is that a crime. Would tomorrow's Hamlet not be as good as yesterdays because of the different actors, directors, settings yada yada yada. In my opinion great stories are timeless and if people want to hear them again from different people than where's the harm in that. In fact it's probably a good thing. Different people give different takes on the story, giving it extra levels and more meaning. Sometimes it's bad, but in many other ways it can be good. A good example of that is "The Producers" a remake of the Broadway musical that was a remake of the 1968 movie. 
I saw both the 68' version and this version. They are both funny, they are both likable in all their own way.
What the 68' version lacked in any way was made up by this movie. The added musical numbers and choreagraphy was inspired. Instead of the low-budget sets the first gave us, now we have what unlimited budget can produce. There's new jokes, new great performances, and new storylines that tie up different points. Alot is taken out also. Which is more a testament to how much new material was put in. The show is a good hour longer, and contains great new scenes. (Genius Accounting scene with Jon Lovitz). If there's too much, than there's too much of a good thing. One final note: I loved especially, how happy this movie was. It was joyful singing and dancing the entire time. The makers knew that they were simply putting on a show and did nothing but that. This movie is pure entertainment. No stops for morals or lecturing. Classic Mel Brooks. All the stops are pulled out for a good time or else period.