Films You Have Seen More Than Seven Times

January 29, 2022 / Roger Edwards

There was this Tweet doing the rounds on Twitter today. You know, the kind that asks a simple question that gets some traction, so eventually you start seeing various people’s replies throughout the day in your timeline. This Tweet asked "what film have you watched more than 7 times? Reply only with gifs". After reading several answers from those I follow on Twitter (all of which were very interesting), I decided to join in myself. So I found a suitable gif for Akira Kurosawa’s classic 1954 masterpiece, Seven Samurai, and posted it. I chose this film because it is one of my favourites. I find something new in it every time I watch it. And I have definitely seen it more than seven times. However, the more I pondered this Twitter question, the more I realised that there are many films that I’ve seen over seven times. In fact you don’t even have to be a dedicated film fan to fall into this category.

Being a child of the seventies, going to the cinema was a mainstay of family entertainment. It took several years for a big film to turn up on TV and when it did, it was usually over the Christmas holidays. Hence, when video recorders became commonplace, being able to see a film of your choice, as and when you wanted was a real novelty. Therefore it was not unusual to see a popular film numerous times. Perhaps the most obvious example of this is Star Wars. Just off the top of my head I saw this movie twice upon its original UK cinema release. And then again when it was re-released with its sequels during the eighties. I have owned the film on VHS, LaserDisc, DVD and Blu-ray. I watched it multiple times with my son when he was growing up. I will no doubt watch it with my grandchildren at some point.

I suppose one’s relationship with film determines whether you watch something multiple times. Some people see films as being an entertaining diversion and nothing more. Why would you want to watch something that you’ve seen already? Each to their own. However, I look at cinema as a more enduring artform. I will listen to specific albums when the mood takes me and similarly will re-watch particular films depending upon how I feel. As I mentioned earlier, some films are far more than the sum of their parts and lend themselves to being watched multiple times. Each viewing can potentially yield something new that you failed to observe last time you watched it. And of course there are family rituals where you sit down and watch favourite movies together. This is more to do with bonding and the dynamics of relationships but that being said, there is something comforting about watching a film that you know like the back of your hand.

Finally, there is another scenario that’s worth mentioning. TV stations usually purchase a licence for access to a back catalogue of films. Hence it is not unusual to find some titles being shown as part of a regular cycle. Therefore, it is entirely possible to stumble upon a film that is halfway through while channel surfing. Often we will continue watching in default of anything else. Thus it as only in the last decade that I’ve actually seen Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid all the way through from start to finish. But I’ve seen parts of it numerous times beforehand. So, upon reflection, there are numerous films that I have watched more than seven times that I could have Tweeted about. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone who isn’t even a film fan could do exactly the same. Because television is such a permanent background feature to our lives.

Here are a few other films that I’ve definitely seen over seven times: