If you already have low expectations for Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, you might not be interested in seeing the first film by Norwegian director Tommy Wirkola. It won’t exactly do much for your interest in the new action-infused fairy tale. But if you’re like me and are fascinated by the calling card short films of Hollywood moviemakers, you’ll want to check out Remake. Anyway, it’s under seven minutes, so you’re not wasting too much time.
The short was produced in Australia in 2006, and Wirkola shares helming duties on the film with Kit McDee (who has his own action feature with the word “hunters” in it out this year called The Hunters Club Movie). They both also co-star as hotel desk clerks (or owners?) who offer guests homemade Betamax videos featuring cheap remakes of popular movies (Titanic, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Scream and Deep Throat are among the titles we see). Basically these movies have been “sweded,” although Remake was made before Be Kind Rewind, which coined that term and popularized the concept.
While Remake is the first film on Wirkola’s IMDb page, according to his biographical info he directed some other shorts prior to this while in school at Bond University in Australia (where he met McDee). Interestingly enough, one of those early student films (which included the titles Stealing Candy and Little Red Riding Hood in the Hood) was called Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (aka Hansel and Grethel), so that’s an idea he’s had for a while. I wish I could see and showcase that, in fact, since it probably looks like a sweded version of the new movie.
For now, here’s Remake:
Remake from Kit McDee on Vimeo.
Related Topics: Remakes
