The movie business has been accused, not without some justification, of being lacking in imagination. Sure, plenty of groundbreaking original films have been released over the years. Consider such cinematic game-changers as “Fantasia,” “Citizen Kane,” “Koyaanisqatsi,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and “Memento,” among many others.
But so much of what gets produced these days is blatantly derivative: Sometimes it seems as if no old TV show or comic book franchise is safe from movie-makers, and that there’s no hit film that doesn’t deserve a sequel or two or maybe quite a few more. There have been at least eight follow-ups to the 2004 horror classic “Saw,” for instance, with another one on the way. (These are the best movie sequels you can stream right now.)
Then there are remakes — either new versions of original films (like “A Star is Born”) or fresh adaptations of classic novels, like “The Great Gatsby,” “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” “Great Expectations,” or “Treasure Island.” Certain stories just seem to appeal so strongly to movie-makers of various generations that they get cloned (usually with considerable variation) again and again.
Click here to see 20 movies they just can’t stop remaking
24/7 Tempo has assembled a list of 20 of the most remade films of all time. It excludes foreign-language films, TV movies, sequels, and spin-offs that spiral off too far from the original. Musical adaptations and animated versions are included. In some cases, there’s little argument about which version would be considered definitive (the 1931 “Dracula,” starring Bela Lugosi, for instance). In other cases, the matter is open to debate, but the choices noted below have all gained considerable critical acclaim.
If your tastes don’t run to remakes, you won’t find any in this selection of the best classic movies that are now available for streaming.
A Christmas Carol
> Years released: 1902-2018 (about 28 live and animated versions)
> Alternate title(s) “Scrooge,” “The Muppet Christmas Carol,” etc.
> Definitive version: 1951 (“Scrooge”), starring Alistair Sim
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The Phantom of the Opera
> Years released: 1925, 1943, 1962, 1988 (animated), 1989, 1991, 2004 (musical adaptation)
> Alternate title(s) Phantom of the Opera
> Definitive version: 1943, starring Claude Rains
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
> Years released: 1917, 1930, 1938, 1973 (musical adaptation), 1995, 2014
> Alternate title(s) Tom Sawyer, Tom and Huck, tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn
> Definitive version: 1938, starring Tommy Kelly
Little Orphan Annie
> Years released: 1918, 1932, 1938, 1982, 1999, 2014 (musical adaptation)
> Alternate title(s) Little Orphant Annie, Annie
> Definitive version: 1982, starring Albert Finney and Carol Burnett
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Dracula
> Years released: 1921-2020 (at least 10 straightforward productions plus parodies, X-rated films, etc.)
> Alternate title(s) Nosferatu
> Definitive version: 1931, starring Bela Lugosi
The Great Gatsby
> Years released: 1913, 1926, 1949, 1974, 2013
> Alternate title(s) None
> Definitive version: 1974, starring Roberd Redford and Mia Farrow
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Brewster’s Millions
> Years released: 1914, 1921, 1926, 1935, 1945, 1961, 1985, plus six foreign-language adaptations
> Alternate title(s) Miss Brewster’s Millions, Three on a Spree
> Definitive version: 1985, starring Richard Pryor and John Candy
Robin Hood
> Years released: 1922-2018 (at least 13 versions)
> Alternate title(s) The Adventures of Robin Hood, Tales of Robin Hood, Robin and Marian, etc.
> Definitive version: 1938, starring Errol Flynn
Great Expectations
> Years released: 1917, 1934, 1946, 1998, 2012
> Alternate title(s) None
> Definitive version: 1946, starring John Mills, Alec Guinness, and Jean Simmons
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The Hound of the Baskervilles
> Years released: 1921, 1932, 1939, 1959, 1972
> Alternate title(s) None
> Definitive version: 1939, starring Basil Rathbone
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
> Years released: 1911, 1923, 1939, 1956, 1986, 1996 (animated)
> Alternate title(s) None
> Definitive version: 1939, starring Charles Laughton
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Jane Eyre
> Years released: 1910-2011 (12 versions)
> Alternate title(s) Woman and Wife
> Definitive version: 1943, starring Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
> Years released: 1931, 1939, 1960, 1974 (musical adaptation), 1993
> Alternate title(s) Huckleberry Finn
> Definitive version: 1931, starring Jackie Coogan
Oliver Twist
> Years released: 1909-2021 (14 versions, including 2 animated films and a musical)
> Alternate title(s) Oliver!, Twist
> Definitive version: 1948, starring Alec Guinness
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The Three Musketeers
> Years released: 1911-2011 ( at least 9 versions)
> Alternate title(s) None
> Definitive version: 1948, starring Gene Kelly
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
> Years released: 1956, 1978, 1993, 2007
> Alternate title(s) Body Snatchers, The Invasion
> Definitive version: 1956, starring Kevin McCarthy
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Treasure Island
> Years released: 1918, 1920, 1934, 1950, 1972, 1999
> Alternate title(s) None
> Definitive version: 1950, starring Robert Newton
Frankenstein
> Years released: 1931, 1973, 1994, 2015
> Alternate title(s) Frankenstein: The True Story, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
> Definitive version: 1931, starring Boris Karloff
A Star is Born
> Years released: 1937, 1954, 1976, 2018
> Alternate title(s) None
> Definitive version: 1954, starring Judy Garland and James Mason
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The Jungle Book
> Years released: 1942, 1967, 1994, 2016, 2018
> Alternate title(s) Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle
> Definitive version: 1967 (animated), starring Phil Harris and Sebastian Cabot (voices)
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