People Believe They’ve Noticed Art References In Popular Movies, Share 30 Side-By-Side Pics On Twitter
You get some popcorn and press "play." As the film is rolling, you suddenly realize that particular shot… you’ve seen it somewhere before. Call it déjà vu or a glitch in the matrix, but what if sometimes, it’s actually true?
This Twitter thread initiated by @THECOCODIARY compiled some of the most interesting examples of artistic references spotted in movies—from cult films that bear a striking resemblance to the surreal paintings of Rene Magritte, to Lars von Trier’s scene from Melancholia looking as if was taken from the iconic painting by John Everett Millais, Ophelia.
The thread has since gone viral with 133.9k likes and 36.8k retweets, and Bored Panda reached out to its author Coco, who said it started with a post she saw last year about The Lighthouse and its art references. “I started doing research to see if other movies had references too. And I found a lot, a lot of movies and references. I didn’t want to keep this little discovery for myself, so I created this thread.”
Read the full interview below, and don’t forget to upvote your favorite references shared in the thread.
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The author of the viral thread, Coco, said that she couldn’t believe the thread would blow up as much and as fast as it did. “The thread even appeared on my dearest friend’s timeline. I guess it’s the power of Twitter to make everything viral!”
When asked whether Coco thinks the references were coincidental or deliberate, she said that the ones inspired by René Magritte's and Vincent Van Gogh's paintings were probably done on purpose. “Throughout my research, I realized how much René Magritte inspired the cinema industry. I think also that some of them are simply coincidental, and aren’t they fascinating?”
Coco’s favorite references are the ones from The Truman Show and The Fifth Element. “It's just genius to choose Architecture au clair de lune by René Magritte for this scene with Jim Carrey going up the stairs.” Moreover, “Jean-Paul Gaultier for his spring/summer 1998 collection was fully inspired by Frida Kahlo’s unique style. And I’m convinced that he was inspired by her for Leeloo’s (Milla Jovovich’s character) costume.”
This appears so regularly, in The End of Violence e.g. And Simpsons have it at least once.
Imagine on right is one of the best "trick of the eye" you'll ever encounter, IMHO.
Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange is one of the most memorable villains in movie history.
Most of these scenes are influenced by art. This one is a flat out recreation.
Only difference is I don’t think anyone in Inherent Vice is Jesus or a saint
Or just a classic scene in a Shakespearean play... I really don't see the movie as a reference to the painting specifically...
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I don’t understand what you’re trying to say here.
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And in this case it was not only intentional it was meant as an ironic echo, considering the Japanese are about to invade...
Note: this post originally had 46 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Some of these were an amazing insight into filmmaking. Others, that's just how people look when they stare at the sea?
Agree it was like “ah this movie has water in it, referencing this painting that also has water in it...wow the subtle nod to the artist-“
Yeah like a high school English teacher. “Write an essay analysing what Agatha Christie was foreshadowing in her book ‘And then there were none’ by saying ‘The sky was blue’”. Like dude, not every word in a book has an essay of meaning behind it. Some are just, gasp, words.
I kinda feel like some of these were stretches.
Some of these are spot on, and some were definitely a stretch, and some were just...no.
Who'd have thought it, art imitating art... ;)
You're going to lose it when you see Loving Vincent!
Cathy Scriven-Williams +
Cartoon rooster Foghorn Leghorn comes from the movie "It's a Joke, Son" 1947.
I think there were scenes in "Amelie" inspired by Henry Matisse works? Like the red backgrounds contrasting with bright blue objects etc
Lauren Caswell easy
jkevinga lol
weaamb1 lol
Some of these were an amazing insight into filmmaking. Others, that's just how people look when they stare at the sea?
Agree it was like “ah this movie has water in it, referencing this painting that also has water in it...wow the subtle nod to the artist-“
Yeah like a high school English teacher. “Write an essay analysing what Agatha Christie was foreshadowing in her book ‘And then there were none’ by saying ‘The sky was blue’”. Like dude, not every word in a book has an essay of meaning behind it. Some are just, gasp, words.
I kinda feel like some of these were stretches.
Some of these are spot on, and some were definitely a stretch, and some were just...no.
Who'd have thought it, art imitating art... ;)
You're going to lose it when you see Loving Vincent!
Cathy Scriven-Williams +
Cartoon rooster Foghorn Leghorn comes from the movie "It's a Joke, Son" 1947.
I think there were scenes in "Amelie" inspired by Henry Matisse works? Like the red backgrounds contrasting with bright blue objects etc
Lauren Caswell easy
jkevinga lol
weaamb1 lol