Fawlty Towers Reboot? Nah, I Don't Think So.

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warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
12,228
18,036
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
They're even messing with Roald Dahl's classic stories.....un-bloody-believable
Dahl's family, the owners of Dahl's books, are working with the publisher. So, it's the owners who are leading the charge, I suppose. The author is dead, his family inherits the titles and want to appeal to a different audience.

I'm guessing the family doesn't care much about Dahl's legacy or, they're hoping for a windfall from the controversy.
 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,572
7,869
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
Dahl's family, the owners of Dahl's books, are working with the publisher. So, it's the owners who are leading the charge, I suppose. The author is dead, his family inherits the titles and want to appeal to a different audience.

I'm guessing the family doesn't care much about Dahl's legacy or, they're hoping for a windfall from the controversy.
Actually Warren, Netflix have owned the rights to Roald Dahl's stories since last year, not his family.

Granted, the review into rewriting his stories started in 2020, but it's the current owners, NOT his family, that are instituting the changes.

Regards,

Jay.
 

autumnfog

Lifer
Jul 22, 2018
1,207
2,638
Sweden
The idea of re-writing history is equally absurd and ridiculous.
Re-writing books of yesterday is re-writing pieces of history.
Of course - everything wasn't nice and well-rounded yesterday,
just as the present isn't and the future never will be.

A total disneyfication of everything cultural is not something to wish for.
I'd rather learn from history than try to forget about it.
Woke-planned culture is dead culture. Pointing fingers more than art.
Be it books, movies, tv shows, songs, museums or whatever.

Creators should be allowed to excel in their OWN creativity rather than following
guidelines of what is PC at this very moment, which is gonna change anyway.
 

warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
12,228
18,036
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
Well, two European publishers said they're not gonna participate in the rewriting.

Interesting, "The Ronald Dahl Story Company" was indeed sold to Netflex. So Netflix is rewriting with the aid of the British publisher. It would be interesting to know what "rights" Netflix purchased. And, what "rights" the other publishers purchased years ago. Maybe some attorneys will be buying new yachts in the reasonable future.
 

mingc

Lifer
Jun 20, 2019
4,176
12,393
The Big Rock Candy Mountains
The idea of re-writing history is equally absurd and ridiculous.
Re-writing books of yesterday is re-writing pieces of history.
Of course - everything wasn't nice and well-rounded yesterday,
just as the present isn't and the future never will be.

A total disneyfication of everything cultural is not something to wish for.
I'd rather learn from history than try to forget about it.
Woke-planned culture is dead culture. Pointing fingers more than art.
Be it books, movies, tv shows, songs, museums or whatever.

Creators should be allowed to excel in their OWN creativity rather than following
guidelines of what is PC at this very moment, which is gonna change anyway.
Remember the story of the man who asked the woman if she'll sleep with him for $1 million and she says that she might? When he asks if she'll do the same $10, she says indignantly, "Of course not, do you take me for a whore?", he says, "We've already established that; right now, we're just haggling."

Netflix apprently paid $1 billion for Dahl's literary estate. $1 billion! That's some legacy from Papa Dahl! For that kind of money, I'd say the haggling is over and Netflix has the right to rewrite the story anyway it likes. Even Charlie and the Fentanyl Factory!
 
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mingc

Lifer
Jun 20, 2019
4,176
12,393
The Big Rock Candy Mountains
I see the British publishers has decided to go for everyone's money and publish both the original and the "PC" versions. Must have strong feelings on both side of the issue. rotf
That's rather clever.

For those who actually read, Roald Dahl also wrote for adults. His two volume autobiography Boy  and Going Solo are quite excellent. I think they are targeted at what are called these days, "Young Adults." He also wrote short stories for full fledged adults that border on horror and the macabre. I find them thoroughly entertaining. I particularly like the one about the guy who got his back tattooed by an unknown artist who later became very famous. I won't give away the ending here.
 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,572
7,869
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
A victory for common sense....the books are to be kept as they are due to huge outcry....wahey!

"Penguin said their latest decision to keep producing the original versions was because "we recognise the importance of keeping Dahl's classic texts in print".


And regards the supposed Fawlty Towers reboot, I saw Cleese on TV being interviewed and he says he and his daughter are already writing it up....apparently it will be set on a Caribbean island :rolleyes:

Regards,

Jay.
 

Merton

Lifer
Jul 8, 2020
1,021
2,707
Boston, Massachusetts
I bought the DVD version about 5 years ago and there are no cuts in there at all, everything is exactly as broadcast back in the day.

Streaming is all well and good but it leaves one at the mercy of some idiot in the cutting room who decides what you do and what you don't get to see/hear.

Regards,

Jay.
Not to mention that, like All In The Family, the episode The Germans holds up a mirror to prejudice through satire....Prawn cocktail
 

Merton

Lifer
Jul 8, 2020
1,021
2,707
Boston, Massachusetts
A victory for common sense....the books are to be kept as they are due to huge outcry....wahey!

"Penguin said their latest decision to keep producing the original versions was because "we recognise the importance of keeping Dahl's classic texts in print".


And regards the supposed Fawlty Towers reboot, I saw Cleese on TV being interviewed and he says he and his daughter are already writing it up....apparently it will be set on a Caribbean island :rolleyes:

Regards,

Jay.
I would imagine that the daughter in question is his child with Connie Booth who played Polly on the series and also wrote a number of the episodes.