A film that gained many fans since its release had to defend itself in court a few years ago: It was about the accusation of plagiarism.
Which film is it about? The Fifth Element is a film by the French director Luc Besson, which was released in 1997 and was based on a childlike idea. Over the years, the film starring Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich has become a modern classic and has a loyal fan base.
The story takes place in the future and tells of taxi driver Korben Dallas, who encounters the embodiment of the titular fifth element. Together, they do their best to confront the antagonist, represented by Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (played by Gary Oldman), and save the world.
The film was a great success, which according to the-numbers.com has grossed around 225 million € worldwide to date – and that on a budget of around 90 million €. However, the film and its director Luc Besson had to deal with a legal dispute in court. Two people believed that the film was a plagiarism.
Stolen from a comic?
What was the accusation? Comic artist Jean Giraud, better known by his stage name Moebius, and filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky sued Luc Besson at that time because they believed he had stolen from a comic series called “The Incal” for his film.
It first appeared in 1980 and was created after Jodorowsky had failed to adapt the novel “Dune”. Moebius was also part of this megalomaniacal project. The two continued to work together and created the comic series, which also tells a sci-fi story.
Other genres such as crime, fairy tale, or love story are mixed in. The protagonist is a private detective who comes into possession of an Incal, a valuable artifact in the form of a pyramid.
Moebius and Jodorowsky believed that Besson had used “The Incal” visually and contextually without asking for permission. The result was a lawsuit. Moebius demanded 13 million € for unfair competition and another 9 million as damages. Jodorowsky comparatively demanded little, only 700,000 €, due to alleged narrative parallels. In total, this amounted to nearly 23 million €.
It is particularly interesting that Moebius himself was involved in The Fifth Element. He was hired in advance by Besson, contributed some concept drawings, and thus influenced the look of the film. This was likely also decisive in court: the lawsuit was dismissed as the similarities between the comic series and the film were deemed minimal. Moebius also influenced other sci-fi films with his style, such as Blade Runner.
Luc Besson then attempted to sue Moebius and Jodorowsky himself because they had dragged him to court for free. However, this undertaking also failed. In the end, primarily two impressive works remain, a comic series and a film, both of which can coexist and are great in their own way. Marco from the channel Nerdkultur has taken a closer look at the film: After that, you will see The Fifth Element with different eyes
