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
Click here.
Eureka
3h 37m
Director: Shinji Aoyama
Year: 2000
Click here.
Once Upon a Time in America
3h 49m
Director: Sergio Leone
Year: 1984
Click here.
A Brighter Summer Day
3h 57m
Director: Edward Yang
Year: 1991
Click here.
The Sorrow and the Pity
4h 11m
Director: Marcel Ophüls
Year: 1969
Click here.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Extended Edition)
4h 12m
Director: Peter Jackson
Year: 2003
Click here.
As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty
4h 48m
Director: Jonas Mekas
Year: 2000
Click here.
Near Death
5h 58m
Director: Frederick Wiseman
Year: 1989
Click here.
Sátántangó
7h 19m
Director: Béla Tarr
Year: 1994
Click here.
Shoah
9h 26m
Director: Claude Lanzmann
Year: 1985
Click here.
You can read the Far Out article with Russell’s comments here.