OK, I am pissed. We’ve been posting bits about the upcoming remake of Rashomon, and I just saw Musashi posted some news- the film’s producers are moving the story from Edo-era Japan to a modern American courtroom.

How is this stupid, let me count the ways.  Well, there’s one major one, but it’s BIG:

Edo-era Japan: All court cases are based on witness testimony. They have no forensic science. They don’t even know about fingerprints. That’s why the conflicting stories pose such a problem.

Modern America: Helloooooooo DNA! Fingerprints! Spatter patterns! All that CSI shit! Obviously forensic science is not infallible, but in a rape/murder case it would go a long way toward painting an accurate picture of what happened.

GYARRRGH! It’s a waste of time and money to remake this movie! >chokes on rage<

>sigh< Here’s a link to the original short story upon which Rashomon is based, “In the Grove” by Ryonosuke Akutagawa.

In the Grove

The good news: Akira Kurosawa’s final script, a film based on Poe’s short story “The Masque of the Red Death” but set in Russia, will be getting the anime treatment in 2010. Kurosawa was working on getting the script produced when he died in 1998, but it was shelved after he passed away.

The bad news: Hollywood is planning a remake of Rashomon. What the fuck? How do you remake perfection?

To wrap it up: Kurosawa goes anime, Hollywood screws up a great story AGAIN. Seriously, are you even surprised anymore?

Link