From Fight Club to Brief Encounter: how self-isolation would change classic films

It’s now difficult to watch movies without worrying about the two-metre rule – here are the retrospective plot changes required to mean old movies pass muster

In the age of self-isolation, I’ve started to change how I watch films. I’ve begun to clock moments when characters break the government rules on physical closeness. Consider the “I know it was you, Fredo” scene from The Godfather Part II. Or the bit in 2001: A Space Odyssey where all the astronauts gather for a photo by the moon monolith. Or the weird arm-wrestle thing between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers at the start of Predator. These moments now feel jarring and alien.

It’s a reminder of how impossible it is to tell a traditional story in a lockdown setting. In fact, many beloved films would be dramatically altered in the age of the coronavirus.