MovieChat Forums > The Longest Week (2014) Discussion > Steals from other movies

Steals from other movies

posted 10 years ago by dougals_999
6 replies | jump to latest

Watched this movie the other night; other than seeming to be a pretty shameless mash-up of Wes Anderson and Woody Allen's style, this movie shocked me when it stole a line of dialogue pretty much verbatim from another movie.

The dialogue is between Billy Crudup and Jason Bateman's characters and it's pretty early in the film. Crudup is trying to convince Bateman that he doesn't need a girlfriend, so says something along the lines of 'we should read, and write, and practise deviant, fetishistic sex with prostitues'. I know that isn't the quote exactly, but it's really close, and the last part is word for word.

This caused me to stop in amazement, because I had heard, rather read, this same line of dialogue in another film. Joachim Trier's 2006 film Reprise (which is fantastic), has a character engaged in dialogue with another about why they don't need girlfriends, and he says exactly the same thing, down to "practise deviant, fetishistic sex with prostitutes". The film is Norwegian, so the film was subtitled, which is why I read rather than heard.

Now either this is a really famous line from something else that I don't know about (I tried googling the line, which was quite awkward), or the writer completely stole this line and used it in his movie.

Is this cool for writers to do, especially when stealing from a film most people probably wouldn't have seen? When it's done word for word for a small joke, I don't really think so, and hence really soured my opinion on this film.

[–] boydigital 10 years ago

That particular line struck me at the time as a quote--it sounded like Dylan was reciting a passage from some undisclosed literary text. That it should potentially be lifted from another film, if not from some even earlier source, doesn't strike me as surprising nor does it strike me as theft. It sounds like something an F Scott Fitzgerald character would say. There are several subtle references to literature, music, cinema, etc., in this film that each go without citation... that's not atypical in art (and especially not the work of Woody Allen, to which this film evidently nods).

Many aspects of the film are intentional homages to various texts and art that came before... many of which I recognize as homages despite not, personally, being familiar with all of the source material (like the quote you've referenced, which, as I've said already, sounded to me like a purposeful recitation from some other material... that was my impression without knowing for certain). I enjoyed that aspect of the film.

[–] dougals_999 10 years ago

I understand your point and agree with it to a certain extent, but I only think that style of film-making works when the film itself transcends its influences, which I don't think this film does.

[–] steve_n88 10 years ago

There are very few movies that are utterly unique. All movies are inspired by other movies and may use similar styles or themes from other films, they're not exactly "stealing" from them, they're more or less paying homage (like the other user said) to other great filmakers.

Do you think remakes "steal" from their original source material? Or if a movie is based on a book is that "stealing" from the author? Of course not.

Contrary to how this film has been critiqued, I did enjoy this film, and did feel it was somewhat simliar to a Woody Allen film. But he makes a new movie every year, which he's been doing for a very long time, so its hard not to have some similarities...

[–] dougals_999 9 years ago

I don't quite feel your analogy of remakes "stealing" from their original source material or movies based on a book "stealing" from the author really works in this case. When I went to see 'Inherent Vice' I knew that it was based on the book 'Inherent Vice'. Similarly if I go to see a remake, I already know that this is a remake.

I do agree that few movies are unique, and that artistic creation is as much emulation as innovation; however the line of dialogue that this film uses is identical to the one used in 'Reprise', and to me this goes over the line of emulation to stealing. If the film had made the effort to let the viewer know that this line was taken from somewhere else then I think that's OK - however it doesn't and 'Reprise' is nowhere near well known enough itself to justify this film ripping it off.

In a film when a character says "are you talking to me?", we know that the film is referencing Taxi Driver. I really don't think many people would say the same thing about the line used in this film. So to me this just seems like stealing.

[–] IronZombie 10 years ago

Anybody else notice that scene right after Bateman and the chick hook up where you see shots of the girl lying down and laughing and the voice over is talking about how he loved her smile and the way she laughed and blah blah. It was straight out of 500 Days of Summer.

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[fight7] Idiots

[–] justana9 7 years ago

The movie is streaming TV on the and it started annoying me for I felt a Woody Allen atmosphere... story, psychoanalysis - I did it but Woody abused it in his egomaniac way of telling stories, in short, I'm not a huge fan of Woody especially when he is acting.

I came to see if I was overacting but... yes, numerous people say the same.
I don't feel like keep watching it.
The "black and white" decor in numerous movies lately is also kind of sterile and it is funny that the man has to lay on the floor because the living room is not for living, it is a scenery in black and white with a cough which is not to be used. Ugly pictures on the wall, bad taste in everything but it is black and white.
When I watched "The Intern" - poor de Niro - I asked myself why it was not filmed in black and white since these are the colors of everything. Terrible.
I'll take a walk because I don't like this piano... sorry, I didn't like anything.
I have the feeling that everything is artificial.

Thank you for these observations. I agree with you. Dialogues are very poor lately.
I watched "The Lade in the Van" and I found that the screenplay is very well written.
Maggie Smith is incredible in this movie.
I also loved "The Danish Girls". Everything about these two movies is awesome for me.