Perhaps I'm in the process of becoming an old fart, but when I hear the word "remake," more often than not my reaction is, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Recent remakes just don't seem to hold a candle to the originals - or so popular opinion seems to indicate. Remakes of "The Three Musketeers," "The Day the Earth Stood Still," etc., just make me ask, "Why?" Are there no original thoughts or ideas left in Hollywood (and other places)? I see there's also a remake of "Evil Dead" arriving shortly...

I remember watching the original "Shogun" mini-series when it first aired. So did almost everyone else I knew. I just don't think it can be improved on, particularly since everyone now seems to have an attention span of only a couple of hours, maximum. And, I don't think any new actors could erase my memories of Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune. Sound like I'm prejudiced? Yeah, I guess I am, a bit. But, I must agree that "Shogun" was one of the best mini-series there ever was.

I can't say for certain if I think any one mini-series could be called "the best." I mean, it's all subjective, isn't it? But, as a group, my short list would include:

Shogun
I, Claudius
Roots (I & II)
Elizabeth R
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
The Adams Chronicles
Danger UXB

Those are the ones I remember best from my younger days. Some of the ones mentioned in earlier posts I haven't seen, sorry to say.


Signor V.