Few films are shown on television with such consistent regularity as The Fifth Element. The 1997 sci-fi adventure has hardly lost any of its entertainment value despite its obvious age. Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich shine in two of their most iconic roles.
The story of The Fifth Element takes us to the 23rd century, where we meet the taxi driver Korben Dallas (Willis). He is reluctantly drawn into a mission that involves nothing less than the saving the planet goes. A great disaster is announced and then there is the mysterious Leeloo (Jovovich).
The Fifth Element: The plagiarism allegations against the sci-fi classic starring Bruce Willia and Milla Jovovich
The fifth element comes up with many images and moments that an integral part of film history are. However, when the film hit theaters, the production was sued by two artists: Alejandro Jodorowsky and Jean “Moebius” Giraud, not seeing it as a sci-fi creative triumph, but as plagiarism.
You can watch the trailer for The Fifth Element here:
The Fifth Element – Trailer (German) HD
In 1988 Jodorowsky and Giraud published the comic The Incalin which many motifs can be found that also appear in a similar form in The Fifth Element.
Giraud sued Besson and the production company Gaumont for 13.1 million euros for unfair competition. There was also a lawsuit seeking 9 million euros in damages and interest. Giraud also demanded five percent of the box office receipts. Jodorowsky meanwhile filed a lawsuit for 700,000 euros.
As reported by the French site ToutenBD, Jodorowsky and Giraud lost their respective lawsuits in 2004 because it was only about small similarities traded between the two works.
Sci-Fi Classics: When is The Fifth Element on TV?
The Fifth Element expires on July 30, 2023 at 10:05 p.m. on Sat. 1. The broadcast lasts until 12:40 a.m. with a commercial break. The repetition follows at 02:15 a.m. Alternatively, you can stream the film on Netflix and MagentaTV with a subscription.
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