20th Century Fox
According to author Christopher Booker, there are 7 basic plots: rags to riches, overcoming the monster, the quest, voyage and return, comedy, tragedy and rebirth.
If you look down the list of the Top 50 all-time blockbusters, you’ll find each plot represented several times. Jaws and The Exorcist provided a monster to overcome, The Lord Of The Rings gave us an epic quest while Titanic provided the tragedy.
In other words, not only are there only a handful of basic stories, but they have all been told, over and over again, to each new generation of viewers.
It’s become fashionable to knock Hollywood for its lack of originality, but churning out sequels and remakes is something they’ve always done. The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935) was a sequel, while The Maltese Falcon (1941) and The Magnificent Seven (1960) were both remakes. A remake of the latter is due from director...
According to author Christopher Booker, there are 7 basic plots: rags to riches, overcoming the monster, the quest, voyage and return, comedy, tragedy and rebirth.
If you look down the list of the Top 50 all-time blockbusters, you’ll find each plot represented several times. Jaws and The Exorcist provided a monster to overcome, The Lord Of The Rings gave us an epic quest while Titanic provided the tragedy.
In other words, not only are there only a handful of basic stories, but they have all been told, over and over again, to each new generation of viewers.
It’s become fashionable to knock Hollywood for its lack of originality, but churning out sequels and remakes is something they’ve always done. The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935) was a sequel, while The Maltese Falcon (1941) and The Magnificent Seven (1960) were both remakes. A remake of the latter is due from director...
- 4/1/2016
- by Ian Watson
- Obsessed with Film
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