Classic Movies That Should Never Be Remade

07 FEB 2024

Credit: Google Images

Credit: Google Images

Taxi Driver (1976)

Taxi Driver was not only highly controversial upon its initial release, but years later, it received renewed backlash after John Hinckley Jr. cited the film as an inspiration for his attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan.

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The Godfather (1972)

The Godfather excels at examining the dark side of the American Dream through the lens of an immigrant family. The film also elevated the gangster genre to blockbuster status.

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A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Based on Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel of the same name, A Clockwork Orange brought unprecedented violence and sexual depravity to the world of cinema.

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2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

A Space Odyssey is a visual tour de force that follows a group of astronauts and scientists as they investigate an alien monolith.

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Singin' in the Rain (1952)

While once one of Hollywood's premier genres, the musical struggled for decades to return to its former glory. This finally changed in the 2010s, with a multitude of highly successful musicals released, such as La La Land, A Star is Born, and The Greatest Showman.

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A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Hollywood has a love affair with constantly remaking adaptations of classic literary works. There have been an endless number of remakes of literature to film adaptations, such as Little Women, Pride and Prejudice, and A Christmas Carol.

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It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

For now, It's a Wonderful Life has narrowly escaped feature film remakes and sequels. The same does not apply to television, where It's a Wonderful Life has been remade several times.

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Casablanca (1942)

Casablanca, cinema's greatest love story, focuses on a love triangle between a café owner, a resistance leader, and a woman during World War II. The performances of the cast, memorable dialogue, expressionist cinematography, theme song, and score have all contributed to Casablanca becoming a legendary cinematic work.

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Citizen Kane (1941)

Citizen Kane is to film what The Beatles are to music. Before Citizen Kane, movie production was executed in a certain way versus after, just as music production was accomplished in a certain way before The Beatles versus after.

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Gone With the Wind (1939)

A record that is most likely to stand the test of time, Gone with the Wind remains, to this day, the highest-grossing film of all time when adjusting for inflation. An epic vision of monumental producer David O. Selznick, Gone with the Wind is a love story set in the American South during the Civil War and Reconstruction Era.