Edward, Edward, Edward

Edward Jay Epstein wrote this column on the failure of Hollywood to market original films. While I'm sure they fail at it spectacularly, Epstein picked a very poor example with Michael Bay's The Island:

Consider, for example, DreamWorks' 2005 science-fiction film The Island, an original story about clones who don't know they are intended to be used for organ transplants for rich "sponsors," including movie stars, athletes, and presidents.

Mr. Epstein, The Island is a remake. Well, actually, everyone, including the friendly folks at IMDB, thought it was a remake; but according to the producers of 1979's Parts: The Clonus Horror, Bay and company plagiarized their story:

The producers of the 1979 sci-fi indie flick are suing DreamWorks and WB, stating that "The Island" is more than just a little similar to their low-budget film. "Clonus," produced by Myrl A. Schreibman and Robert S. Fiveson, who also helmed, tells the story of a secret colony of clones who are told they will one day go to a utopian place called "America." They're actually being raised in case their human counterparts need spare organs. One of the clones escapes into Southern California and is chased as he tries to expose the facility.

Now Epstein's main point, that the studios don't know how to market original material, still stands. Sidney Lumet complained in his book on moviemaking that the people who handle marketing for studios are the people who couldn't get jobs marketing other products. Still, Epstein should have done a little checking before he used Bay's ripoff as a case in point.