The Simpsons' film parodies seen side-by-side with their references
Bart vs The Godfather
Even the biggest culture hounds have felt that moment of a Simpsons reference sailing straight over their head; that bewildering feeling of knowing something is being referenced, yet having no clue what that reference is.
Maybe this will help. Vimeo user cgmzz has carefully compiled a selection from The Simpsons' inexhaustible catalogue of film parodies, paired with the iconic scenes they're paying tribute to.
What's incredible about this video is seeing how carefully, lovingly recreated some of these moments are; mimicking camera angles, cuts, and actions. Some may be bracingly direct in their homage, including Treehouse of Horror V's own pitch-perfect take on Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. Others, far more subtle; like Bart's assailment by snowballs carefully mimicking the famous death scene from Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather.
The video features references to the following:
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
The Gold Rush (1925)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Best moments from The Simpsons
Show all 10The Fugitive (1993)
Terminator 2 (1991)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
The Birds (1963)
Risky Business (1983)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Psycho (1960)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Basic Instinct (1992)
An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Trainspotting (1996)
Thelma and Louise (1991)
The Godfather (1972)
Taxi Driver (1976)
The Shining (1980)
Spider-Man (2002)
ET the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Dr. Strange Love (1964).
And, really, that's only scratching the surface.
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