Twin films

Twin films are films with the same, or very similar, plot produced or released at the same time in two different studios.[1] The phenomenon can result from two or more[2] production companies investing in similar scripts around the same time, resulting in a race to distribute the films to audiences.[3] Some attribute twin films to industrial espionage, the fact of film makers moving between studios, or that the same screenplays are sent to several film studios. Another explanation is that films often deal with topical issues, such as comets, volcano eruptions, reality TV, terrorist attacks or significant anniversaries, resulting in some sort of multiple discovery but in film.[3]

Producer Bingham Ray recalls a conversation where the screenwriter of the 2006 Truman Capote biopic Infamous phoned to announce that his script had been finished. Ray said "I know, I've got it on my desk!" before realising that he actually had the screenplay to Capote, a biopic by a different writer.[4]

Examples

Noted examples of twin films are included in this list:[4][5][6][7]

First film Release date Second film Release date Further info
Jezebel 1938 Gone with the Wind 1939 William Wyler's Jezebel (1938) was reportedly created for Bette Davis when she failed to win the highly coveted role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939). Both films were about feisty, independent Southern belles during the American Civil War.
Young Mr. Lincoln 1939 Abe Lincoln in Illinois 1940 [8][9]
Oscar Wilde 1960 The Trials of Oscar Wilde 1960
Dr. Strangelove 1964 Fail-Safe 1964 Both deal with the concept of accidental nuclear war, although Dr. Strangelove is satire, while Fail-Safe is a drama.
Harlow 1965 Harlow 1965 Both were based on the life story of Jean Harlow.
You're a Big Boy Now 1966 The Graduate 1967 [10]
Leo the Last 1970 The Landlord 1970 Both deal with issues of class and race and feature an upper-class white man who moves into a lower-class black neighborhood and gets involved with the residents.[11]
The Strawberry Statement 1970 Getting Straight 1970 Also The Revolutionary and R. P. M. (1970), are all dramas about campus revolt.[12]
Bloody Mama 1970 The Grissom Gang 1971 Both based on the life story of Ma Barker.[13]
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song 1971 Shaft 1971 Both are frequently credited as the earliest examples of the blaxploitation genre.
Godspell 1973 Jesus Christ Superstar 1973 Both adaptations of Broadway musicals based on the life of Jesus Christ.[14][15]
The Gambler 1974 California Split 1974 Both portray Jewish protagonists, addicted to gambling on a downward spiral.
The Conversation 1974 The Parallax View 1974 Both are paranoid thrillers about an assassination.
Cannonball 1976 The Gumball Rally 1976 Both about the same illegal cross-country race.
Go Tell the Spartans 1978 Coming Home 1978 Also The Deer Hunter (1978) and Apocalypse Now (1979) are all about American involvement in the Vietnam War.
The Warriors 1979 The Wanderers 1979 Both are about gang wars between New York teenage street gangs of various ethnicities.
Border Cop 1979 Borderline 1980 Also The Border (1982)
Nosferatu the Vampyre 1979 Dracula 1979 Also Love At First Bite (1979), all based on Bram Stoker's novel Dracula.
The Howling 1981 Wolfen 1981 Also An American Werewolf In London (1981)
Porky's 1981 The Last American Virgin 1982 Also Screwballs and Losin' It (1983); all are sex comedies depicting a group of young male friends trying to lose their respective virginities or perform another sexually related mission.
Some Kind of Hero 1982 First Blood 1982 Both feature a Vietnam War vet who returns home who then has trouble adjusting to civilian life.
Carmen 1983 Carmen 1984 Both are adaptations of Georges Bizet's opera Carmen.
Country 1984 The River 1984 Also Places in the Heart (1984)
Dreamscape 1984 A Nightmare On Elm Street 1984 Both are about people entering the dreams of others and being able to kill them in real-life by killing them in their dreams.
Gremlins 1984 Ghoulies 1985 Also Critters (1986), all involve small destructive, evil creatures.
The Return of the Living Dead 1985 Day of the Dead 1985 Zombie movies, released almost simultaneously.
Weird Science 1985 Real Genius 1985 Also My Science Project (1985), all feature teens dabbling in mad science and winding up in over their heads.
Back to the Future 1985 Peggy Sue Got Married 1986 Both feature protagonists who go back in time and meet high school versions of their family members, played by the same actors.
Fright Night 1985 Vamp 1986 Also The Lost Boys and Near Dark (1987); all are vampire films involving teenage characters.
Top Gun 1986 Iron Eagle 1986 Both films about fighter pilots.
An American Tail 1986 The Great Mouse Detective 1986 Both are animated feature films starring mice.
GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords 1986 The Transformers: The Movie 1986 Both are animated feature films derived from TV cartoons based on toy lines.
The Vindicator 1986 RoboCop 1987 Both are about an innocent man who is left mutilated and near-dead by villains, is reconstructed into a cyborg by a special-weapons company, and seeks revenge on the people responsible for his fate.
The Secret of My Succe$s 1987 Working Girl 1988 Both about people starting new lower-level jobs in New York City, pretending to be executives, coming up with great ideas regarding takeovers, and getting the girl/guy that was "out of their league".
Like Father, Like Son 1987 Big 1988 Also Vice Versa and 18 Again! (1988); all portray youngsters as, or who reverse roles with, older men.
Dangerous Liaisons 1988 Valmont 1989 Both versions of the novel Les liaisons dangereuses
Turner & Hooch 1989 K-9 1989 Both are where a police officer gets a dog for a partner.
DeepStar Six 1989 Leviathan 1989 Also The Abyss, The Evil Below, Lords of the Deep and The Rift (1989); all are underwater thrillers involving explorers discovering strange new (and in most of the movies hostile) creatures in the ocean.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 1991 Robin Hood 1991
1492: Conquest of Paradise 1992 Christopher Columbus: The Discovery 1992
Jurassic Park 1993 Carnosaur 1993 Both are science fiction films that involve cloned Dinosaur rampaging. Jurassic Park is based on a novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. Carnosaur is based on a novel of the same name by John Brosnan.
Tombstone 1993 Wyatt Earp 1994
Rookie of the Year 1993 Little Big League 1994
Terminal Velocity 1994 Drop Zone 1994 Both are action films that involve skydiving.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert 1994 To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar 1995 Both have the plot of drag queens going on a road trip across their continent (in one case Australia, in the other, the United States), in a journey of self-discovery.
Braveheart 1995 Rob Roy 1995 [5]
Babe 1995 Gordy 1995 [5]
Showgirls 1995 Striptease 1996 [16]
Powder 1995 Phenomenon 1996 Both deal with outcasts that develop telepathic powers.
Dante's Peak 1997 Volcano 1997 [4][5]
Kundun 1997 Seven Years in Tibet 1997 [5]
Prefontaine 1997 Without Limits 1998 Both are biographical sports films about distance runner Steve Prefontaine.
Antz 1998 A Bug's Life 1998 [5]
Deep Impact 1998 Armageddon 1998 [4][5]
Saving Private Ryan 1998 The Thin Red Line 1998 [5]
The Truman Show 1998 Ed TV 1999 [5]
Tale of the Mummy 1998 The Mummy 1999
Dark City 1998 The Matrix 1999 Also The Thirteenth Floor and eXistenZ (1999);[5] all are science fiction films involving the theme of whether the world is real or an illusion. All except for Dark City involve virtual reality in a computer system.
Entrapment 1999 The Thomas Crown Affair 1999 [5]
End of Days 1999 Stigmata 1999 [5] Also Lost Souls (2000); all are supernatural religious horror films involving the Catholic Church. Both End of Days and Stigmata star Gabriel Byrne as a main character. Both End of Days and Lost Souls involve the theme of Satan taking possession of a man's body.
The Legend of the Titanic 1999 Titanic: The Legend Goes On 2000 Both are Italian animated films involving the maiden voyage and sinking of the Titanic. Both these films involve a romantic relationship between a young man and woman of different social backgrounds, and both feature anthropomorphic talking mice who are emigrating to America, as well as other talking animals.
The Road to El Dorado 2000 The Emperor's New Groove 2000 Both are Central American animated comedies released by rival animated studios.
Scary Movie 2000 Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth 2000 [5]
Mission to Mars 2000 Red Planet 2000 [5]
Wonder Boys 2000 Finding Forrester 2000 [5]
Gone in 60 Seconds 2000 The Fast and the Furious 2001
Heist 2001 The Score 2001 [5]
Joe Dirt 2001 Run Ronnie Run! 2002 Both are crude humor stories about lovable-ish rednecks. There are jokes that are nearly identical in each movie. However, Run Ronnie Run! is based on a Mr. Show with Bob and David character that first appeared in 1995.
Stealing Harvard 2002 Orange County 2002
Liberty Stands Still 2002 Phone Booth 2002 Both movies revolve around people who answer a ringing phone in a public place and are held hostage there by a sniper who has an agenda.
Finding Nemo 2003 Shark Tale 2004 Both are computer animated films that take place in the ocean and involve fish characters.
Freddy vs. Jason 2003 Alien vs. Predator 2004 Both feature horror icons from the 80's fighting against each other, while the humans end up in the crossfire
Chasing Liberty 2004 First Daughter 2004 [6]
The Cave 2005 The Descent 2005 [5]
Flightplan 2005 Red Eye 2005 [5]
Madagascar 2005 The Wild 2006 Both are computer animated films involving similar animal characters from New York's Central Park Zoo being introduced to the wild. See The Wild#Madagascar similarities.
Capote 2005 Infamous 2006 [4][5]
United 93 2006 Flight 93 2006 [5]
The Prestige 2006 The Illusionist 2006 [5]
The Zodiac 2006 Zodiac 2007 Also Curse of the Zodiac (2007)[17]
Coco Chanel 2008 Coco Before Chanel 2009 Also Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky (2009). All related to French fashion designer Coco Chanel.
Observe and Report 2009 Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2009 Both are comedy films about a obese mall cop.[2]
Gamer 2009 Surrogates 2009 Also Avatar (2009); all are science fiction films in which people control physical remotely-operated bodies.[2][18][19]
The Road 2009 The Book of Eli 2010 Both films are set in a post-apocalyptic world, where the main characters try and survive by travelling.
Despicable Me 2010 Megamind 2010 Both are computer animated films about super-villains who turned evil because of bad upbringings, finding themselves seduced to the good side to defeat an even badder guy.[20]
Skyline 2010 Battle: Los Angeles 2011 Both are alien invasion movies that primarily take place in Los Angeles; Sony Pictures, the studio of Battle: Los Angeles, later sued the producers of Skyline because their company was hired to develop the visual effects of Battle: Los Angeles and allegedly stole the idea of the movie during this process.
No Strings Attached 2011 Friends with Benefits 2011 Both are romantic comedies about a pair of friends who have a casual, non-romantic sexual relationship and eventually fall in love. The films draw their titles from references to this kind of relationship.
The Raid 2011 Dredd 2012 [21]
Extraterrestrial 2011 Seeking a Friend for the End of the World 2012 [22]
The Other Son 2012 Like Father, Like Son 2013 Both films revolve around two young men who were switched at birth and raised by families of different social statuses.[23]
Mirror Mirror 2012 Snow White and the Huntsman 2012 Both Snow White films.
Battleship 2012 Pacific Rim 2013 Both involve the invasion of Earth by extraterrestrials that are fought at sea. The protagonist also loses his brother in combat during both movies.
Upside Down 2012 Patema Inverted 2013 [24]
Quartet 2012 A Late Quartet 2012 [25]
A Hijacking 2012 Captain Phillips 2013 [26]
The Girl 2012 Hitchcock 2012 Alfred Hitchcock biopics.
Jobs 2013 Steve Jobs 2015 [27]
Olympus Has Fallen 2013 White House Down 2013 [28]
Oblivion 2013 After Earth 2013
The Machine 2013 Automata 2014 Also Ex Machina (2015)[2]
This Is the End 2013 The World's End 2013 [29] Also Rapture-Palooza (2013); all are apocalyptic comedy films.
The Double 2013 Enemy 2013 Both are about a man who finds his physical doppelgänger in a seemingly totalitarian state.[30]
Pacific Rim 2013 Godzilla 2014 Both are giant monster movies that primarily take place in the Pacific region.
Yves Saint Laurent 2014 Saint Laurent 2014 [28]
Hercules 2014 The Legend of Hercules 2014 Also Hercules Reborn (2014)[2]
The Equalizer 2014 John Wick 2014 [31]
Life After Beth 2014 Burying the Ex 2014 [32]
Unfriended 2014 Friend Request 2016 Both are horror films with social media plots.
Beauty and the Beast 2014 Beauty and the Beast 2017 Both are live-action romantic fantasy films based on the fairy tale. The 2014 film is in French and the 2017 film is in English.
Freaks of Nature 2015 Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse 2015 [33]
Marguerite 2015 Florence Foster Jenkins 2016 Both films are based on Florence Foster Jenkins' life.[34]
Christine 2016 Kate Plays Christine 2016 [35]
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 2016 Captain America: Civil War 2016 Both are films dealing with superheroes coming into conflict with each other. Both films involve a debate as to whether there should be oversight of the activities of superheroes in the aftermath of deadly incidents involving superheroes in African countries. Both films also include a villain who schemes to pit superheroes against each other, and both films involve a bombing of a gathering of officials trying to resolve the debate.
The Jungle Book 2016 Jungle Book 2018 Jungle Book is a British adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling book, while The Jungle Book is a live-action adaptation of the Disney version.[36]

Other meanings

The term "twin films" has also been used for films produced by the same production company with the purpose of telling the same story from two different points of view:

It has also been used for films produced with the purpose of making the same film in two different languages:[39]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Jasper Rees. "Hooray for Bollywood", Evening Standard, 12 October 2001. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Fredrik Strage. "Tvillingfilmer resultatet av ängsliga filmbolag", Dagens Nyheter, 28 September 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2011. (In Swedish)
  3. 1 2 Henrik Arvidsson. "Först till kvarn i Drömfabriken" Dagens Nyheter, 11 July 2008. Retrieved 22 June 2011. (In Swedish)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 John Seabrook. "Tru, Two", The New Yorker, 25 September 2006. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Henrik Arvidsson. "Tvillingfilmer vi minns", Dagens Nyheter'', 11 July 2008. Retrieved 22 June 2011. (In Swedish)
  6. 1 2 "11 Damn Near Identical Movies That Were Released at the Same Time", 11points.com, 13 March 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
  7. ↑ "Double Headers", mutantreviewers.com. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
  8. ↑ "Cinema: New Picture: Jun. 12, 1939". TIME. 12 June 1939. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  9. ↑ "Cinema: Popeye the Magnificent". TIME. 28 March 1938. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  10. ↑ Roger Ebert (17 July 1968). "You're a Big Boy Now". Rogerebert.suntimes.com. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  11. ↑ "Cinema: This Property Is Condemned". TIME. 1 June 1970. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  12. ↑ "Cinema: Andy Hardy Gets Busted". TIME. 6 July 1970. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  13. ↑ Roger Ebert (14 July 1971). "The Grissom Gang". Rogerebert.suntimes.com. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  14. ↑ Roger Ebert (15 August 1973). "Jesus Christ Superstar". Rogerebert.suntimes.com. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  15. ↑ Roger Ebert (21 March 1973). "Godspell". Rogerebert.suntimes.com. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  16. ↑ Gary Dudak. "Twin Movies: A History of Two Similar Films Coming Out at the Same Time" Mandatory, 14 April 2014
  17. ↑ "Crime Profiles: The Zodiac Killer - The Aftermath". Citv.com.au. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  18. ↑ Hesse, Monica (August 30, 2009). "'Gamer,' 'Surrogates' and 'Avatar': Upcoming Films on Humans Abandoning Reality". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  19. ↑ Boucher, Geoff (September 3, 2009). "'Gamer,' 'Surrogates,' 'Avatar' and the meaning of (second) life". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  20. ↑ http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20101103/articles/101109832
  21. ↑ Hewitt, Chris (July 13, 2012). "Dredd Review". Empire. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  22. ↑ Symonds, Alexandria (February 16, 2012). "Trailer Face-Off! Seeking a Friend for the End of the World vs. Extraterrestrial". Interview. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Like Father Like Son". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. April 24, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  24. ↑ Scheck, Frank (August 27, 2014). "'Patema Inverted': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  25. ↑ Cieply, Michael (October 27, 2012). "Two Films in Which Classical Music Is Much More Than a Score". The New York Times. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  26. ↑ Guy Lodge (12 October 2013). "On Captain Phillips, A Hijacking and the year of movie twins". HitFix. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  27. ↑ http://filmschoolrejects.com/features/the-critical-distinction-of-steve-jobs.php
  28. 1 2 Roger Wilson. "Tvillingfilmer", Godmorgon, världen!, Sveriges Radio P1, 18 May 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2014. (In Swedish)
  29. ↑ Vineyard, Jennifer (August 23, 2013). "Simon Pegg and Nick Frost on The World's End, Pub Crawls, and Destruction Porn". Vulture. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  30. ↑ Stevens, Dana (May 9, 2014). "Enemy and The Double". Slate. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  31. ↑ Geoffrey Crété. "film reviews - John Wick - Cineman". Cineman.ch. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  32. ↑ Sara Stewart. "Zombie rom-com 'Burying the Ex' is D.O.A.". New York Post. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  33. ↑ MrDisgusting (20 October 2015). "Sony's Alien, Zombie, Vampire Horror Movie 'Freaks of Nature' Gets a Red Band Trailer!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  34. ↑ "Marguerite vs Florence Foster Jenkins". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. April 22, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  35. ↑ Halperin, Moze (October 25, 2016). "The Writers of 'Christine' and 'Kate Plays Christine' on One of the Strangest Cinematic Coincidences in Recent Memory". Flavorwire. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  36. ↑ Chaka Phillips (23 August 2014). "Race to Make the 'Jungle Book' Movie: Disney Versus Warner Bros.". Latin Post. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  37. ↑ Bosley Crowther. "My Days with Jean Marc Screen: Participants Testily to a Broken Marriage:Twin Films by Cayatte at Two Theaters Charrier and Miss Nat Star as Couple", New York Times, 27 October 1964. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  38. ↑ "With twin films, Japan and US let go of Iwo Jima scars", breitbart.com, 21 October (2005?). Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  39. ↑ Associated Press. "Rai calls twin films tough challenge", LJWorld.com, 9 October 2009. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  40. ↑ Rolf Potts. "The New B Movie" The New York Times Magazine, 7 October 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/5/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.