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Re-shoot old movie flashforwards with aged actors

The make-up 30 years ago left a little to be desired
  (+28)(+28)(+28)
(+28)
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against]

I was watching Once Upon A Time In America the other day, or at least the first 2 hours, and it dawned on me that De Niro looks old now because he is old, whereas then, he was made up to look old, only badly. It might be interesting to re-shoot the 1980s scenes of the movie with a bona fide old De Niro reprising the role of Noodles.

That's a tough example because there is so much that happens to the "old" De Niro in that movie that there is a great risk of ruining the film's flow. Similarly, I'm not saying re-shoot all of The Godfather Part III with an old Al.

But, there are so many moments in film history where they have flashed forward in the last 10 minutes to show the outcome. If the actors involved haven't undergone massive plastic surgery that makes them look like they're rotting from the inside, I say re-shoot them, if only as an artistic experiment.

theleopard, Oct 16 2008

Forward thinking http://en.wikipedia...wiki/Boyhood_(film)
//Film that will follow a boy from the age of six through to eighteen being shot in real time over twelve years.//

I was going to suggest this, but it's in production already apparently. I would have gone for a 60-year version, but that's a little ambitious. [theleopard, Oct 17 2008]

7 Up http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_series
According to Roger Ebert, it "penetrates to the central mystery of life."

So it must be true. [theleopard, Oct 17 2008]

[link]






       //a bonified old De Niro //
Made more bonny?
coprocephalous, Oct 16 2008
  

       Oops, bona fide. I've only ever heard it used in Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? and not seen it written before.
theleopard, Oct 16 2008
  

       [+] anyway, but also because it might discourage them from getting fixated on cosmetic surgery and make looking mature an investment rather than forever young.
nineteenthly, Oct 16 2008
  

       Could make prequels highly surreal ...
8th of 7, Oct 16 2008
  

       I was thinking about this while watching Mary Poppins. They showed a preview first of Princess Diaries, with Julie Andrews now aged. I asked my girl if she thought Mary Poppins in the movie would ever got old and she said no. I asked if she thought Burt would ever get old and she said yes. But I wondered if maybe Mary had other Burts scattered about London, older ones and ones long gone. The story of love between mortal and immortal is as old as greek myth. A remake of Mary Poppins would need a new actress for Mary (no small task) but Dick van Dyke is certainly up for reprising an ancient Burt. I hope old Burt would not be too jealous of the new one.   

       I also wondered if Mary took a swipe at any of the German bombers during the blitz, since her cloud position would seem optimal for that. This verges on "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" stuff.
bungston, Oct 17 2008
  

       It's a fine idea, so [+] but part of the joy of many such films is the ability of an actor to portray themselves convincingly in a older/thinner/fatter guise.
xenzag, Oct 17 2008
  

       True, but I think the passage of time and its effect on us is more intriguing and powerful than just an actor's talent. Look at the 7 Up series; it's tremendously thought-provoking but is simply a collection of case-studies' lives, revisited every 7 years to see how they have developed.   

       I would think that the retrospective take on this filming concept (the same aging participants used throughout) could be just as interesting - if not as emotionally charged. Bonjour for the bun though!
theleopard, Oct 17 2008
  

       Very clever. +   

       As far as re-shooting Godfather III, I'd be for doing that no matter what the new twist was. Couldn't be any worse. Add a talking dog or a genie with magical powers to spruce up the plot maybe. How about the whole Godfather crew solving mysteries driving around in a garishly painted van? Michael and his wife argue about who has the tougher job, homemaker or mob boss and decide to switch for a week?   

       G.F. 3 was the biggest letdown in movie history.   

       It broke my heart Fredo. It broke my heart.
doctorremulac3, Oct 17 2008
  

       //G.F. 3 was the biggest letdown in movie history.// No, I'd vote for "Highlander II". First Connery isn't dead anymore, now you all come from the planet Xeno and there shall be only two but the other one was in a cave. Wait, WHAT?!?!   

       In any case, this is an intreguing idea. Maybe re-release it as a DVD feature, so you could see both ways. I worry about screwing with the classics, but as an add-on it would be cool. I think you'd sell a lot of DVDs and give some old out-of-work actors a chance to reprieve the high points of their careers.
MisterQED, Oct 17 2008
  

       Fair. However, my only worry is that this idea may lead to a rerelease of Titanic in the year 2062, with Winslet reprising her role of Rose at the ripe old age of 87.   

       Who knows what technology they'll have by then to advertise this to the masses. We can only hope that Celine Dion is dead by then.
theleopard, Oct 20 2008
  

       As far as I am concerned, Celine Dion is dead to me now.
Jinbish, Oct 20 2008
  

       This would be brilliant. And remake Back To The Future trilogy 1&2. That would be cool.
Bad Jim, Oct 20 2008
  

       [Bad Jim] I was going to suggest that, but for Fox's unfortunate condition. Would have been cool though, you're right.
theleopard, Oct 20 2008
  

       Baked in British lOng running TV series Coronation Street. I sometimes watched it on B&W TV 40 years ago and do not watch it anymore. It is running still on TVNZ here in New Zealand with dedicated following.
Pellepeloton, Oct 20 2008
  

       //This would be brilliant. And remake Back To The Future trilogy 1&2. That would be cool//   

       I dunno, that's kind of a shaky proposition.   

       [+] to the idea. Sorta kinda somewhat a little baked in a way by the most recent Indiana Jones movie. Heated up I guess, not baked.
Noexit, Oct 21 2008
  

       Reshooting scenes won't work with Burt Reynolds or Joan Rivers and many entertainers that have gone under the knife to preserve their "beauty". They're in their 80's and now look like they're wearing their motorcycle helmet on backwards.
theGem, Oct 21 2008
  

       Watched Cloud Atlas last night (a most unfilmable of attempted book adaptations), in which there's more than a little oldification prosthetics and they STILL look rubbish. There doesn't seem to have been any improvements in the makeup in the last 30 years.   

       The fact that this omni-shambles of a movie needlessly used the same actors to play wildly different roles necessitating the application or removal of epicanthic folds cannot be addressed by this idea. I can't fix everything. Sorry.
theleopard, Jan 23 2013
  

       .... If in thirty years the Halfbakery is still around, let me pre-emptively plead that this be done for "Looper".   

       Seriously. It had a couple of fine leading actors who don't really look anything alike. If Sam Rockwell in "Moon" can play opposite himself so well, I don't see why Joseph Gordon-Levitt couldn't give it a go.
gisho, Jan 23 2013
  

       I believe we're approaching something akin with CGI. Analyze some of the characteristics of an older actor's works from 3 or 4 decades previous to create the "young" CGI version, have the mature version play the older parts and provide the voice for the younger version.   

       That raises the possibility of having parts played by deceased actors: imagine a young Cary Grant playing the romantic lead opposite a present-day leading lady.
whlanteigne, Jan 24 2013
  
      
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