Copied ideas and guaranteed success may sometimes lead filmmakers to remake foreign movies and series. This approach has obviously spread widely in Egypt in recent years, but it’s sad when it turns out to be a complete replica of the original work.
Indeed, there are several Egyptian series that have been taken from foreign ones; those that didn’t lack the Egyptian twist managed to achieve great success. Some examples include Grand Hotel, the 2016 Ramadan hit series was the Egyptian version of the Spanish series Gran Hotel; the 2015 series, Taree2y, taken from the Colombian series, La Ronca de Oro; and Heba Regl El Ghorab, was an Egyptian remake of the American Ugly Betty (this series also has Spanish and Mexican versions; so it’s not really an approach limited to our filmmakers).
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with borrowing ideas or even remakes, as long as copyrights are preserved and credits are given. However, it’s still important not to forget about cultural differences to make it more compelling and relatable to the local audience.
The latest remake that’s been the talk of the country recently is El Anesa Farah, which is taken from the American series, Jane the Virgin. And with the conclusion of season 1, we thought that it’s about time to talk about it.
Sadly, the makers of the series did not change much about it. Yes, we understand that it’s a remake of Jane the Virgin, but they didn’t need to duplicate every single detail. It’s not just the plotline; it’s the art direction, the outfits, the dialogue, and even scenes in terms of angles and actors’ facial reactions. This copy-paste technique is what’s upsetting us the most, especially that we have plenty of astonishing talents in the filmmaking industry, and we know they can come up with great material.
We know this is a remake, as we said, but wasn’t Jane the Virgin a remake itself? SURPRISE! The American series is actually a supposed telenovela, making fun of Latin telenovelas, in general. The original work is the 2002 Venezuelan telenovela, Juana la Virgen. And guess what? There are lots of main differences between the two works. Yet, when it comes to our Egyptian version, we couldn’t be bothered to change a thing; here are some references.
#1 The Wardrobe
All the characters’ styles were duplicated from the original series; even Farah’s uniform is almost the same as Jane’s. Jane wears dresses, so does Farah. This was ok until we came across the ultrasound scene, where the filmmakers felt like making a gigantic hole in Farah’s clothing so the doctor can do his job. Did they know Jane occasionally wore pants and t-shirts? So, it really would have been ok for Farah to make a change and wear trousers like Jane, and almost every single Egyptian woman out there!
#2 The Art Direction
You probably noticed the swing in the balcony; an exact replica from the one on Abuela’s porch. Even the colour palette, the hotel’s interiors, furnishings, you name it.
#3 Scenes
We can understand copying an idea or a style, but scenes? Why? Camera angles are almost the same, the dialogue was translated, and even the characters’ facial expressions were imitated!
Let’s take the flower scene as an example. In the first episode, Farah (Jane) appears carrying a white flower as her grandmother (Magda/Alba) explains to her how pure the flower is. She then tells her granddaughter to crumple the flower, and as she does, Magda (Alba) tells Farah (Jane) to try to make it look new again. Farah (Jane) desperately tries but fails. Magda then compares this situation to a girl’s chastity, saying that when a girl loses her virginity, she can never go back again.
If you watch both scenes, the translated Arabic one barely makes any sense. On the other hand, if an Egyptian twist was given to it, adding a few traditional proverbs, that Egyptian grandmothers actually use, the scene would’ve felt more authentic. In fact, if this were applied to the entire series, we would’ve probably enjoyed it more, even if it is a remake.
All that we're saying is that even though the Egyptian producers obtained the rights, change was still needed. If this was all a result of regulations that might have been imposed by Jane the Virgin's producers, then it's just sad. We're sure our Egyptian crew would have produced an even better outcome if they had some flexibility, especially that El Anesa Farah still had some pros we considered.
Here are the three top things we loved about the Egyptian remake.
#1 The production
It’s pretty evident that the producers behind El Anesa Farah have pumped in a decent budget for the series. You can easily tell from the quality of the picture, props, and art direction; which were all quite impressive, to be honest.
#2 Discovering Rising Talents
Tamer Farag, Mohamed El Kilany, Heba Abdelaziz, Mariam El Khosht, and Ahmed Khaled Saleh; we might have seen these rising talents before, but this time it’s different. They were all given a great opportunity to appear differently. And if we’d give someone an award for his killer performance that exceeded all expectations, then it’s *drum-roll* Tamer Farag!
#3 Novelty
It might not be unique in terms of originality, but this kind of series is definitely new to Egyptian viewers. We’re used to watching action series and soap operas, infused with melodrama, which makes us desperate for something different.
If you watched both series, don’t forget to drop a comment and tell us what you think!
