Warner Bros.
Remakes are quite democratic these twenty-four hours , and it ’s easy to understand why ; if something worked before , it could always sour again . Indeed , some stories have proven timeless , create it loose to accommodate them to fit a novel hearing . Just look atA Star Is Born , already on its fourth adjustment . Films likeWest Side Story , Scarface , andmost recently , Duneproved that some remakes can even surpass the archetype by expanding on and enriching their themes .
However , some moving-picture show are just so iconic , so meaningful for their specific fourth dimension and place that they become inaccessible . No remake will ever be able to copy their success as their legacies are too vast . These 10 movies are institutions in the cinematic medium that should never be remade .
Warner Bros.
10. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet star in Michel Gondry ’s sci - fi romantic dramaEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind . The plot center on Joel Barrish and Clementine Kruczynski , a duet who undergo routine to forget each otherfollowing a painful dissolution . However , they adjoin each other again and unsuspectingly shine a up connexion .
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindis among the few modernistic films that can truly be considered classics . have a striking script from Charlie Kaufman , the film cleverly navigates the involution of sexual love and grief through a remarkably original glide path that could only amount from a unique creative mind . Eternal Sunshineis a true original , and no remake will ever match its delightfully subversive nature — so why taste ? leave behind this one alone , I tap you .
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindis usable tostream on Peacock .
9. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Stanley Kubrick ’s unsettling psychological crime filmA Clockwork Orangeremains as instigative today as it was when it first came out in 1971 . In a calling - defining performance , Malcolm McDowell asterisk as Alex DeLarge , a outlaw who drop his days kill , raping , and entrust acts of “ ultraviolence ” in a dystopian version of Great Britain . Things change when he ’s apprehended and must undergo a process to see the light his antisocial tendency .
Controversial at the time of its release , A Clockwork Orangeis now widely considereda classic sci - fi masterpieceand a originative entry in seventies cinema . Its themes of desensitization , dehumanization , and shogunate are still relevant today , and its confrontational look annulus lawful now more than ever . Many modern directors could do the material justice , but a remake of this film would not only pale in comparison to the original , but it would also lack its explosive impact on pop culture .
A Clockwork Orangeis useable tostream on Max .
8. The Princess Bride (1987)
A delightfulclassic in the phantasy motion picture genre , The Princess Bridestars Cary Elwes as Westley , a sweet farmhand who ’s in love with Buttercup ( Robin Wright ) , the beautiful young fair sex go on the farm . The two fall in love , and he leaves to seek chance so he can marry her . However , when he ’s presumed deadened , a heartbroken Buttercup agrees to marry the abominable Prince Humperdinck .
The Princess Brideis the paradigm of fantasy . Charming , sweeping , odd , and utterly irresistible , the cinema casts a spell on the audience and becomes unlimited habit-forming . Its angelical , enchanting plot of ground is the very definition of timeless , put up something for everyone and possessing the perfect residual of romance , humor , action mechanism , and adventure . The Princess Brideis the closest thing film can come to perfection , and one just can not improve on idol . A remaking of this picture is simply unimaginable .
The Princess Brideis uncommitted tostream on Disney+ .
7. The Sound of Music (1965)
“ The hills are animated with the sound of music . ” The phrase has become synonymous with the musical writing style itself , and the image of Julie Andrews track down through the Alps while belting this tune is an iconic part of American movie house . free-base on the 1959 stage musical , the film say the story of the Von Trapp family and their experiences with their governess , Maria .
The Sound of Musicwas a corner office Jagganath when it premiere in March 1965 ; adjusted for inflation , it hauled ina bash $ 1.3 billion ! Not defective for a signing nun buoy . Beyond commercial-grade success , The Sound of Musicbenefitted from a less cynical audience that was more than felicitous to fall under its melodious spell . There ’s a calculated purity to the motion-picture show , a unblushing optimism that ’s necessary to savor and appreciate it . Modern audiences would simply not respond as enthusiastically to a remake because , while the songs might be iconic , the story might be a shade dated to make for in today ’s cynical world .
The Sound of Musicis available tostream on Disney+ .
6. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo ’s Nest , Miloš Forman ’s subversive psychological dramatic event , stars Jack Nicholson and the late Louise Fletcher in Oscar - acquire roles . The plot of ground follows Randle McMurphy , a humanity who fakes mental issues to avoid laborious labor after being condemn to prison . He get at a genial instauration rule by the wicked Nurse Ratched , and a battle of will begins .
power by two spectacular steer performances and featuringone of cinema ’s all - time best villains , One Flew Over the Cuckoo ’s Nestis a transgressive workplace of New Hollywood brilliance . Nicholson and Fletcher give titanic carrying out , while Forman take on a naturalistic approach to depict life inside a genial institution . The film was so striking and influential because of the specific meter and berth it existed in , and it captured its disruptive era with flawless and sharp preciseness . The result is a striking film that ’s far from sodding , yet we still speak about it with high regard . Trying to replicate its lightning - in - a - bottle success would be a thankless labor .
One Flew Over the Cuckoo ’s Nestis available tostream on Netflix .
5. The Seventh Seal (1957)
Few cinematic images are as instantly recognizable as that of a medieval knight playing cheat with a gentleman’s gentleman dress in a black cloak . Ingmar Bergman ’s 1953 historical fantasy filmThe Seventh Sealfollows Antonius Block , a disillusioned horse who faces the personification of Death during the Black Death in Denmark .
If there ’s a inverted comma to summarizeThe Seventh Seal‘s root , it would be this one : “ Why should He hide himself in a mist of half - talk promises and unobserved miracles ? ” The film deals with years - onetime questions about faith , lot , and the significance of life in such an insightful , yet problematic way that it ’s almost impossible to describe with mere words . The Seventh Sealis among the few films that must truly be experient ; it does n’t attempt to be understood or appreciated , but rather witnessed and absorbed . What Bergman does here is create a fabrication without a moral , asking questions it can not reply and force audience to confront the so - call muteness of God . No film could ever meet its astuteness , nor should they try .
The Seventh Sealis available tostream on Max .
4. All About Eve (1950)
“ fix your seat belt . It ’s going to be a bumpy nighttime . ” The mighty Bette Davis stars in the timeless role of Margo Channing in Joseph L. Mankiewicz ’s 1950 dramaAll About Eve . The plot concerns Channing , an acclaimed , but aging Broadway principal , who forms a complicated dynamic with the challenging Eve Harrington , an aspiring actress who slip in herself into Channing ’s living .
All About Eveis an American classic . It ’s amongthe most nominate film at the Oscarsand features what is perchance one of the all - time good screenplay ever write . However , if there ’s one affair that stands out in this moving picture , it ’s Davis . Arguably the sound actress of classical Hollywood , Davis delivers the carrying into action of a life as the mercurial Margo Channing . Davis ’ icy , yet vulnerable operation is perfect for this sting exploration of fame , bequest , and show commercial enterprise . Many advanced actresses could do a good , and maybe even bang-up job in the persona ; however , none would ever be able to match Davis in the role .
All About Eveis available torent or purchase on Amazonand other digital trafficker .
3. Citizen Kane (1941)
Orson Welles ’ originative victory , Citizen Kane , is often view as the single greatest film of all sentence . polemically based on William Randolph Hearst ’s life , the picture show follows Charles Foster Kane ’s rise , dying , and polarize bequest .
Citizen Kanehas a bequest that few , if any , movie can survive up to . It topped the famousSight & Soundpollfor five consecutive ten and also placed No . 1 in the American Film Institute’s1998 listof the 100 Best American Films and its2007 update . There ’s really not much else to say here . Citizen Kane‘s report is just too big for any film to liken . On rule , any remake would be not only unnecessary — it would be unlimited vicious .
Citizen Kaneis available tostream on Max .
2. The Godfather Trilogy (1972-1990)
It ’s not an overstatement to call The Godfather the estimable trilogy in cinematic story . Francis Ford Coppola ’s offence saga based on Mario Puzo ’s novels has become an institution in world cinema , marking a before - and - after in the way of life audience see the crime genre .
The first film directly influenced the real - life Sicilian Mafia — there ’s evena book about it ! It is quite literally out of the question to say just how influential the first two movies in this trilogy are . They forever altered public perception of the Cosa Nostra , revolutionized the gangster writing style for New Hollywood , and gift Marlon Brando what is arguably his most iconic role . Objectively speaking , The Godfatherand its first subsequence are true masterpieces that stay very present in forward-looking pop culture . And while the third film is … unsatisfying , The Godfathertrilogy is still a trailblazing , biz - changing entry in cinema . It keep inspiring audiences and artists , even more than 50 years since its debut . Why extend to it ? lease it be because its mere being is enough .
The Godfathertrilogy is usable tostream on Paramount+ .
1. Gone with the Wind (1939)
Did you knowGone with the Windremains the highest - grossing film in Hollywood history ? Adjusted for ostentation , the 1939 classic stands at a genuinely ridiculous $ 1.8 billion domestically . To put that into perspective , Avengers : Endgamegrossed$858 million . It ’s impossible to describe just how big a phenomenon this motion-picture show was when it premiered in 1939 , to the dot where I presume say no film has ever matched the euphoria it provoked among interview .
Yes , Gone with the Windis among the very few movie that have truly garner the descriptor “ larger than life story . ” However , it ’s also very much a production of its time — ridiculously so . Any endeavor to remake this film would implode spectacularly because modern standard are at odds with its superannuated and violative views on race , stereotypes , sex dynamics , ravishment , and thrall . Gone with the Windis a minefield of topic , and while we can prize it for what it is , hardly anyone would desire to see a modern rendering of it . It ’s hunky-dory where it is , and where it belongs .
go with the Windis uncommitted tostream on Max .
