How Much Do You REALLY Like Good Movies?

As an industry rule, movies should be 90 minutes long. A well-respected director can get away with 80 minutes on the downside and 120 on the upside. But viewers shy away from movies that are longer than two hours, even if they are very good. And since movies are very expensive to make, producers take this very seriously.

That said, following are 10 long movies that Calum Russell, who writes for Far Out Magazine, says are worth the investment of your time.

I’ve seen only two of them: Once Upon a Time in America and The Sorrow and the Pity. And, yes, IMO, both were very good and worth the extra time you’ll have to invest to enjoy them. As for the others, I don’t know. I’m going to check them out by watching the trailers and then – based on how good the trailers are and how long the movies are – decide whether or not I want to put them on my to-watch list.

Here they are. For your convenience, I’ve arranged them in order of their run lengths, from the “shortest” (3 hours, 22 minutes) to the longest (9 hours, 26 minutes).

Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles

3h 22m

Director: Chantal Akerman

Year: 1975

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Eureka

3h 37m

Director: Shinji Aoyama

Year: 2000

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Once Upon a Time in America

3h 49m

Director: Sergio Leone

Year: 1984

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A Brighter Summer Day

3h 57m

Director: Edward Yang

Year: 1991

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The Sorrow and the Pity

4h 11m

Director: Marcel Ophüls

Year: 1969

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Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Extended Edition)

4h 12m

Director: Peter Jackson

Year: 2003

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As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty

4h 48m

Director: Jonas Mekas

Year: 2000

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Near Death

5h 58m

Director: Frederick Wiseman

Year: 1989

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Sátántangó

7h 19m

Director: Béla Tarr

Year: 1994

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Shoah 

9h 26m

Director: Claude Lanzmann

Year: 1985

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You can read the Far Out article with Russell’s comments here.