Cliché or classic? What is a cliché in cinema?

Often when watching movies or series, you may notice characters, images, or events that you have seen somewhere before, or that are very similar to something you have already seen. This doesn’t evoke a vivid sense of déjà vu, but still implies some subsequent steps or events in the plot. I often experience this too, and I always ask myself: is this already classic or is it a worn-out cliché? So I decided to delve deeper into these subtle cinematic matters.

But first, I suggest taking a test to spark your interest in this topic and check your knowledge of cinema. You can skip it and go to the main part of the reading.

Test: Classic or Cliché?

So, you need to answer which of the following techniques are respectable and classic, and which are worn-out movie clichés.

At the end - the correct answers and your viewer level!

1. The hero walks away from an explosion without looking back.
2. A montage of training set to motivational music.
3. The heroine wakes up with perfect makeup and hairstyle.
4. A police officer is on his last shift before retirement.
5. A silent look between two heroes instead of words.
6. The thief's hand emerging from the rubble at the end.
7. The camera glides over the city in the first seconds of the film.
8. Unexpected rain at the moment of a love confession.
9. A father tells his son: “I’m proud of you.”
10. The phrase “I’ll be back.”
11. The antagonist reveals his entire plan before the final confrontation.
12. It was all just a dream.
13. A funeral in the rain and black umbrellas.
14. The anti-hero helps at the last moment.

1. Cliché. It looked cool the first time, now it’s a parody of itself.
2. Classic. From “Rocky” to “Kung Fu Panda” - an emblem of the genre.
3. Cliché. Reality is far from this "random" gloss.
4. Cliché. Too predictable. Just like the death that follows.
5. Classic. Silence in cinema can be more eloquent than words.
6. Cliché. Especially in 90s horror films.
7. Classic. A visual introduction to the setting - an elegant solution.
8. Cliché. Too convenient.
9. Classic. An emotional point that no one tires of feeling.
10. Classic. Thanks to Arnold — and it’s already a cultural code.
11. Cliché. Too common, the hero always manages to use this monologue.
12. Cliché. A cheap trick that nullifies everything the viewer just experienced.
13. Cliché. Symbolic, but so often used that it has lost its freshness.
14. Classic. If built well — it works every time.

0–4 correct: Weekend Viewer

You see the structure, you see the clichés, you see the depth. Maybe it’s time for you to write scripts yourself?

What is a cliché?

Regardless of how many points you scored, we are still here to find out what a cliché is. The word comes from French cliché, and was originally used in printing, as a print, or better said - a stamp. Which brings us to the meaning of the word cliché - a frequently repeated action, a fixed, stereotypical image or idea that has lost its originality due to excessive and thoughtless use. In cinema, it refers to worn-out moves, predictable dialogues, or individual phrases, characters that evoke a sense of secondariness. In general, anything that triggers the phrase “That’s been done already!” Those who know will understand.

But to be fair, a cliché is not always bad. Clichéd moments in a movie or series can play quite an effective role when it is necessary to quickly and without unnecessary words convey an idea or evoke emotions in the audience. And it can be presented fresh, not banally. Sometimes directors take clichés and reinterpret them. And then they become alive again, working tools. This often happens in postmodern or ironic cinema.

Classics that Became Clichés

In contrast to the concept of “cliché,” classics in cinema are a respectful acknowledgment of certain standards, traditions, images, and plots that carry artistic value. These are ideas that once had a significant impact on cinematography, developed this art form, and stood the test of time. Classic moves contain cognitive elements, but they carry deep meaning, unique execution, and strong impressions. In short: a cliché is something that is often thoughtlessly copied, while a classic is what set the standards for imitation.

Sometimes there are very thin lines between these concepts, and they can be hard to discern without immersing oneself in the context of a specific work. For understanding, in the test above there was such an example: unexpected rain at the moment of a love confession, which is a clichéd turn in many melodramas. It is very convenient to use this “unexpected” rain in such scenes, as if forcing the audience to believe in the characters' love. Would the heroes not understand they love each other without the rain?

It is sad to admit, but this cliché came from a classic that once deeply moved audiences:

“Breakfast at Tiffany's” - the scene where the heroes find each other in the rain along with a lost cat — an emotional finale that works on the symbolism of cleansing, renewal, love.

“The Notebook” - the kissing scene in the rain - has become a benchmark in the romantic genre. It has even been copied in parodies.

These examples truly left a strong emotional mark, realized truthfully and stylishly. And most of such scenes are later thoughtlessly copied visually, in anticipation of the effect. But this has become so predictable that it evokes no emotions in viewers, and sometimes even irritates. When a technique is repeated without reinterpretation, new ideas, just “because it works”, it turns into a cliché. In modern cinema, it seems that everything can increasingly be explained by the phrase “because it works.” Secondariness and repetitiveness, pure clichés, a commercial approach - this is what hinders art and the emergence of new classics in cinema.