The Hollywood remake of ‘The Debt’ (2011) is based on an Israeli film of the same name: in Hebrew, ‘Ha Hov’ (2007). From all the reviews I have read, the critical reception is greatly split down the middle - half prefer the remake, half the original. The ‘Hollywoodisation’ (Klein, 2004) - the globalising process by which foreign films are becoming more typical of American archetypal blockbusters - of ‘The Debt’ is evident in two main elements: love and action.
The synopsis of the story for those who don’t know it is succinctly expressed in the trailer.
Character bios and changes in names are important to this discussion.
The differences are small but stereotypically reminiscent of Hollywood films. The love triangle is given much greater attention and continuous personal relationships between the three Mossad agents are added in the remake where they are absent in the original. There are more action sequences (as a result of the higher budget) in the remake. Finally, and perhaps most pertinently, ‘Ha Hov’ focuses on national identity while ‘The Debt’ is more interested in the individual and the personal consequences of keeping a secret.
Another interesting change is in the Israeli version the character of both Rachel and Ehud (David) travel to Ukraine but Rachel must complete the mission alone after Ehud suffers from cowardice. In the remake, Rachel goes by herself because David (Ehud) has killed himself. Could this be perceived as a scapegoat for allowing a female lead in a Hollywood film?
True to Hollywood form, everything is accentuated in the American remake, including the scar on the character of Rachel. Some argue that this results in a film that is “altogether darker, more densely textured, more satisfyingly structured, more morally complex” (Robinson, “Refinancing Bernstein’s ‘The Debt’”, 2011). While others argue that the manipulations and changes alter the meaning of the film: “perhaps most importantly, the ending of the Israeli film is much stronger, really driving home the meaning behind the film’s title and the costs that making good on that debt incurs on the protagonists” (Ignizio, “The Debt”, 2011).
References:
Ignizio, B 2011, “The Debt”, The Cleveland Movie Blog, 2 November, accessed 20 September 2013, >http://www.clevelandmovieblog.com/2011/11/debt-original-2007-israeli-version.html<
Klein, C 2004, ‘Martial Arts and the Globalisation of the Asian Film Industries’, Comparative American Studies: An International Journal, Sage Publications, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 360-384
Robinson, G 2011, “Refinancing Bernstein’s ‘The Debt’”, The Jewish Week, 31 August, accessed 20 September 2013, >http://www.thejewishweek.com/arts/film/refinancing_bernsteins_debt<
TrailersAnyClip 2012, 'The Debt (2010) Trailer', YouTube, 30 April, accessed 20 September >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9fagr0ny08<
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