# Movies about other movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 14, 2018, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320 "2018-09-14T02:37:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320/41 "2018-09-14T15:48:27Z")
If TV movies count, there’s _Overdrawn at the Memory Bank_, probably best remembered today for having appeared as an episode of _Mystery Science Theater 3000_. Raul Julia stars as a petty functionary in a future dystopia, who is obsessed with _Casablanca_. At one point, with his mind transferred into a computer, he even appears in a simulation of _Casablanca_, and thus we have Raul Julia dressed in Humphrey Bogart’s white dinner jacket, recreating Bogart’s dialogue from the earlier film. As the robots of MST3K said, “Never reference a good movie in the middle of your bad movie.” ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320/42 "2018-09-14T18:58:14Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > - > > Sunset Blvd.\* (1950) - 'Nuff said. What do you mean “Nuff said”? The OP says “movies that center around another (real) movie”. Which real movie is Sunset Boulevard centered around? ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320/43 "2018-09-14T19:40:44Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > What do you mean “Nuff said”? The OP says “movies that center around another (real) movie”. Which real movie is Sunset Boulevard centered around? There are two possible answers to that question: 1. _Salome_ - The movie Norma Desmond will never make was actually made IRL…several times. 2. _Queen Kelly_ - This is the movie being shown at the mansion when Norma sums up the movie (and so much else) in one line: “They had faces then.” ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320/44 "2018-09-14T20:02:16Z")
\*Last Action Hero. \* It’s not exactly central to the plot, but Arnie gets a visit from Death from _The Seventh Seal_, which is a real movie. Many other real movies referenced. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320/45 "2018-09-14T20:35:01Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > _Queen Kelly_ - This is the movie being shown at the mansion when Norma sums up the movie (and so much else) in one line: > “They had faces then.” That should be “We didn’t need dialogue. We had faces!” ---
**Author:** ![Clawdio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d07c76/32.png) [@Clawdio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clawdio)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320/46 "2018-09-14T20:50:17Z")
Another tangent-ish example: **The Beaver Trilogy Part IV**. It’s a documentary about an independent movie (1979) that was itself remade twice (Once staring a young Sean Penn in 1981, and again staring a young Crispin Glover in 1985). The original 1979 movie was itself a documentary of sorts about a regular guy obsessed with Olivia Newton-John. So its a documentary about a documentary (that was fictionalized in two remakes) about a guy obsessed with a celebrity… if that makes sense 😉 It’s not a great documentary, but I found it a pretty interesting story. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320/47 "2018-09-14T20:57:22Z")
Well I think this fits the OP pretty well: In The _Human Centipede 2_ the main character obsessively watches the film _Human Centipede_ and is inspired to create his own centipede creature. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320/48 "2018-09-14T21:00:51Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > There are two possible answers to that question: > > 1. _Salome_ - The movie Norma Desmond will never make was actually made IRL…several times. > > 2. _Queen Kelly_ - This is the movie being shown at the mansion when Norma sums up the movie (and so much else) in one line: > “They had faces then.” In a sense, we are warching the movie of Gloria Swanson’s return to acting though the fictionalized Norma Desmond. Swanson was a silent film star for many years amd then worked in ‘talkies’ before retiring in near seclusion for nearly a decade, and was directed by Erich von Stroheim in [_Queen Kelly_](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020298/), who plays her buttler and former director Max von Mayerling in _Sunset Blvd_. It doesn’t really meet the criterion of the o.p. but it is an interesting study in the intersection of fiction and reality, including featuring real entrrtainment personalities like Cecil B. DeMille, Hedda Hopper, H.B. Warner, Buster Keaton, et cetera. > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Well I think this fits the OP pretty well: In The _Human Centipede 2_ the main character obsessively watches the film _Human Centipede_ and is inspired to create his own centipede creature. For all that is good and holy, please never mention those films again. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320/49 "2018-09-14T21:03:14Z")
Fade To Black. 1980 weirdly interesting film about film obsession and violence. Sort of a modern day Dr. Phibes. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320/50 "2018-09-14T21:06:20Z")
I recorded _[Bombshell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombshell_(film))_ (1933) with Jean Harlow on TCM recently. She plays a Hollywood actress who is barely on set, but spends a surprising amount time in makeup. Jeez, Harlow knew what she was doing. These kinds of films were staples back then. Good Depression-era distraction. You too can become a star in Hollywood! ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320/51 "2018-09-14T21:14:46Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Another (pretty weak) example of what I’m thinking about is Raymond’s obsession with _The People’s Court_ in _Rainman_, which does slightly shape the plot. TV series and not movie, but same general idea I saw Judge Wapner on Larry King live and he mentioned he got paid for Rainman using his name. I don’t know if that is common practice since he was not shown in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320/52 "2018-09-14T22:41:24Z")
If I’m correct, the OP is asking for a movie in which 1) a character or characters actions are determined or influenced by an existing movie and 2) it is even more on target if the characters watch or imagine scenes from that movie. If that is right, then one movie not mentioned yet (or maybe I missed it in a long list) is _[Sleepless in Seattle](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108160/?ref_=nm_knf_t3)_, where both sides of the romance talk about (and one side watches) _An Affair to Remember_. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320/53 "2018-09-15T00:24:46Z")
It’s been a long time since I watched _Throw Momma From The Train_, but is _Strangers On A Train_ mentioned directly, or is it just a spiritual remake? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320/54 "2018-09-15T04:21:15Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > It’s been a long time since I watched _Throw Momma From The Train_, but is _Strangers On A Train_ mentioned directly, or is it just a spiritual remake? Billy Crystal’s character actually referes DeVito to watch _Strangers On A Train_, believing that DeVito is just interested in writing about murder, Instead, DeVito gets it in his head to kill Crystal’s estranged wife, expecting in exchange that Crystal will kill his overbearing mother. Other than that, the plot and resolution don’t have much to do with the inspiration. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320/55 "2018-09-15T04:38:11Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > If I’m correct, the OP is asking for a movie in which 1) a character or characters actions are determined or influenced by an existing movie and 2) it is even more on target if the characters watch or imagine scenes from that movie. > > If that is right, then one movie not mentioned yet (or maybe I missed it in a long list) is _[Sleepless in Seattle](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108160/?ref_=nm_knf_t3)_, where both sides of the romance talk about (and one side watches) _An Affair to Remember_. On a related note, not looking at a real movie, but at a recreation of many adventure-comedies of the 20-30s: _The Purple Rose of Cairo_. [QUOTE] The scene is a small town in the mid-1930s. Trapped in a dead-end job and an abusive marriage, Cecelia (Mia Farrow) regularly seeks refuge in the local movie house. She becomes so enraptured by the latest attraction, an RKO screwball comedy called The Purple Rose of Cairo, that she returns to the theatre day after day. During one of these visits, the film's main character Tom Baxter (Jeff Daniels), pauses in his dialogue, turns towards the audience, and says to Cecelia, "My God, how you must love this picture." Then he climbs out of the movie, much to the consternation of the rest of the audience and the other characters on screen. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320/56 "2018-09-15T04:47:53Z")
1979’s [A Little Romance](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Little_Romance) features as one of its youthful protagonists, a French boy who has (among other qualities), an obsession with the film _Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid_. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320/57 "2018-09-15T13:59:51Z")
**Gods and Monsters** was about the making of **Frankenstein.** **Lovelace** was about the making of **Deep Thrpat.** I could name a bunch of movies about the making of actual/renamed TV shows, like **Hollywoodland** and **My Favorite Year,** but that wasn’t really the question. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320/58 "2018-09-15T14:11:43Z")
There was a movie about a man obsessed with the films of Georges Méliès, but I can’t remember the details. It was maybe a decade ago. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320/59 "2018-09-15T14:19:18Z")
> [@](#): > > There was a movie about a man obsessed with the films of Georges Méliès, but I can’t remember the details. It was maybe a decade ago. Are you thinking of [_Hugo_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_(film))? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320/60 "2018-09-15T15:00:19Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Are you thinking of [_Hugo_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_(film))? Yes, that’s it! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-other-movies/821320.md?page=4)