Alan Parker Feels 'Mugged' by Fame Remake, Says It Dishonors Memory of Its AIDS-Victim Creators

Fans of the original Fame -- and Christina Hendricks counts herself as one -- probably would have hated MGM's critically eviscerated remake, had they bothered to see it. But any disappointment or discomfort audiences might have felt watching the fondly drawn characters of the original de-legwarmered and glossified beyond recognition pales in comparison to what Sir Alan Parker, director of the 1980 version, experiences every time a spot for the remake flashes across his telly screen. The London Telegraph quotes Parker as comparing the film -- which is #1 in Britain this week -- to the time he was followed home by muggers and robbed in his own home:

"It's a bit like being mugged. Such are the realities of Hollywood manners and American copyright law," Sir Alan said. "I have never had a single phone call from anyone - the studio, the producers - about this remake. No-one spoke to me about it. To say so is absolute nonsense.

"I feel very much that Fame is mine. I spent months with the kids at the school then spent a year making the movie. You do the work and make it as good as it can be, and you try to protect it.Then, because the copyright is owned by the studio, as with almost all American feature films, they can do a remake like this. It's extremely galling. There is no other area of the arts where you can do that."

"I came back from a screening and was the victim of what they call a 'follow-home' robbery. I had the garage door up and they demanded my money, my wallet and my watch. I didn't mind so much about what was in the wallet because you can cancel your credit cards, but I didn't want to let go of the beat-up old wallet I'd had for years, or hand over the watch I loved. That's exactly the feeling I have now."

Parker is considering taking legal action against MGM -- he doesn't have rights to the source material, but he does hold the rights to the Fame logo they made liberal use of. (Remember? Remember? Remember?) He claims the remake "insults the memory" of screenwriter Christopher Gore, Gene Anthony Ray (who played Leroy in the film and TV series), and two of its choreographers -- all of whom died of AIDS in the years following its release.

"I spent months with the kids at the school then spent a year making the movie," he lamented. By comparison, when we recently spoke to the director of the 2009 version -- music video director and choreographer Kevin Tancharoen -- we asked him if he'd visited either of the two new performing arts schools to open recently in Los Angeles. He hadn't.

· Sir Alan Parker says he feels 'mugged' by Hollywood over Fame remake [Telegraph]