This was never meant to be a good film, much less, serious filmmaking. To get Lewis Milestone to direct the Rat Pack was a hopeless task. We don't believe for a moment these characters are none other than Frank, Dean, Sammy, Peter, Joey doing their shtick. Having watched the other night this original version on TMC, I can state that it was more fun to see the Las Vegas of yore than the "bore" of the new remake with all the high tech and highly paid "so-called-stars". The new version uses actors that pale in comparison with their older predecessors.
The DVD that was shown on TV had very vivid colors and it looked more vibrant than Steven Soderbergh's own treatment. The new hotels might be more spectacular than the old ones shown here, but there was a certain glamour attached to them and a certain innocence, even though they all dealt in the same business they do nowadays. Perhaps because those hotels were for adults only, the old Las Vegas was much more fun than the present mess with theme hotels that perhaps were created for children who are allowed to bring their parents to gamble. The whole plot of the 1960 Oceans Eleven is absurd, but viewed right after the new remake, it made more sense, especially the end, which holds an ironic twist. Mr. Soderbergh's film implies a different outcome than Milestone's surprising end. Well, perhaps he knows better, or is he trying to tell us that crime, indeed does pay?
The DVD that was shown on TV had very vivid colors and it looked more vibrant than Steven Soderbergh's own treatment. The new hotels might be more spectacular than the old ones shown here, but there was a certain glamour attached to them and a certain innocence, even though they all dealt in the same business they do nowadays. Perhaps because those hotels were for adults only, the old Las Vegas was much more fun than the present mess with theme hotels that perhaps were created for children who are allowed to bring their parents to gamble. The whole plot of the 1960 Oceans Eleven is absurd, but viewed right after the new remake, it made more sense, especially the end, which holds an ironic twist. Mr. Soderbergh's film implies a different outcome than Milestone's surprising end. Well, perhaps he knows better, or is he trying to tell us that crime, indeed does pay?