What are the 10 longest movies?
Martin Scorsese’s new film lasts 3h54… A record time for one of the most anticipated films of the year!
Killer of the Flower Moon will place the director’s leads, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert de Niro, at the center of a 1920’s FBI investigation into the murders of several members of the Osage Indian tribe in Oklahoma. While large 3-hour productions are not uncommon (Babylon, Avatar 2, Avengers Endgame), a 4-hour film is very uncommon. Could it shape the history of cinema? The answer will be found in cinemas, the release in France is planned on October 18, 2023. On that occasion, here is a non-exhaustive list of the longest films in cinema history.
1. Logistics by Erika Magnusson (857 hours)
With a duration of 51,420 minutes (857 hours or 35 days and 17 hours) logistics stands out as the longest film of all time. She takes a look behind the scenes of the logistics industry, which is often unknown to the general public, with a cardinal question: Where do our technological objects come from? The film then traces the entire production cycle of a pedometer backwards chronologically from sale to manufacture. The film was first shown in Malmö, Sweden in 2012.
2. Ambiance by Anders Weberg (720h)
This highly experimental work was created by Swedish artist Anders Weberg. an artist working with video, photography, sound, new media and installations with a primary interest in identity. The film was supposed to be released in 2020 but never came out. However, Anders Weberg had revealed a teaser of 72 minutes in 2014. In 2016 he shot a trailer of 7h20 and in 2018 another of 72 hours. This experimental film has this name because of its duration, its subject, but also because of the fact that the work self-destructs, since this was already planned before its production. The film is said to be a tribute to the director’s late son, a “commemorative film” that has caused controversy primarily for its resemblance to satanic rituals.
3. Modern Time Forever by Superflex (240h)
“In a future where humanity no longer exists, a edifice crumbles, overwhelmed by the forces of nature and the rush of time.” Here is the synopsis of the film, which globally chronicles the inexorable passage of time through man and his world shows or how nature is superior to man. Manufactured in 2011 by a group of Danish artists called Superflex, the film was shown at the Modern Art Festival in Helsinki in the same year. The film was shown for over 10 days, the time it took to see it in full. Note that the top 3 are only Scandinavian artists or directors.
4. The Cure for Insomnia by John Henry Timmis IV (87h)
Another experimental film, but this time American and older. Produced by John Henry Timmis IV in 1987, this work is said to reprogram the biological clocks of insomniacs. A sleep aid or a film that simply tests the viewer’s patience? There would be heavy metal videos and scenes mixing religion, politics, love and sex. And we witness for a while the narration of poetic texts read aloud by the poet Lee Groban. An absolute experimental film.
5. The longest and most meaningless film in the world by Vincent Patouillard (48h)
From its title we can guess the ambition of the film. This underground film from 1970 was the longest film in the world at the time. Now she has been far surpassed. They are all stills, commercials, undeveloped film strips, film scraps that create a seemingly endless stream of news and archive footage. In short, a film with no real artistic merit, apart from receiving the award for the longest film in the world.
6. The flower of Mariano Llinás (14h)
Finally we reach a cinema that is a little more exciting, not to say more accessible. The Argentinian director Mariano Llinás occupies sixth place in our ranking. Released in 2018, this film is divided into 4 different parts, each of which will be released one after the other. The director directs 4 fantastic actresses (Elisa Carricajo, Valeria Correa, Pilar Gamboa, Laura Paredes) who play different roles and take us on a journey through multiple languages, multiple countries and multiple loves. He paints a magnificent portrait of the free, independent and warlike woman, even elevating her to the rank of a mythological figure.
7. Out 1 by Jacques Rivette (12 hours)
Out 1 is a French film directed by Jacques Rivette and Suzanne Schiffman. The film lasts 12 hours 53 minutes and follows the adventures of a group of young actors and street performers as they engage in mind games and conspiracies on the streets of Paris. It is a masterpiece of French new wave cinema, often considered a cult. Unavailable for nearly 23 years, it draws its distinctiveness from the total improvisation with which it was made. This 1971 river film was a thunderbolt in New Wave history. Eric Rohmer spoke of this radical film as “a significant monument in the history of modern cinema”.
8. Shoah by Clause Lanzman (9h50min)
Shoah is a monumental and poignant documentary film directed by Claude Lanzmann in 1985. This film examines the Holocaust – the genocide perpetrated by the Nazi regime against Jews and other minorities during World War II. based on the statements of survivors, executioners and eyewitnesses. Lanzmann spent more than 11 years making this film and has traveled the world to find people who can testify to what they saw and experienced during this dark time in history. Lanzmann uses static shots, close-ups of witnesses’ faces, and stillness to create an atmosphere of suspense and tragedy. A gripping and tragic history that has lifted the veil on the most important genocide of the 20th century.
9. Nymphomaniac de Lars Von Trier (5h45min)
This film tells the story of Joe, a nymphomaniac who meets Seligman, a charming old boy, who finds her on the floor of an alley one cold winter evening. Then she tells him her story in 8 chapters. One of Charlotte Gainsbourg’s great roles, directed for this difficult role by this great director with a dark and mystical style. With 5h45 on the clock, the director didn’t hesitate to get to the bottom of things.
10. 1900 by Bertolucci (5h17min)
At the beginning of the 20th century, on a large Italian estate, two boys were born on the same day. Alfredo, the owner’s son, will live a life of opulence tainted by the rise of fascism, while lower-class Olmo will choose the camp of socialism to defeat the dictatorship. We discover high-flying actors like Depardieu, Robert de Niro, Dominique Sanda or Burt Lancaster. The film won Best Picture at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for five Oscars. A historically important film for Italian cinema and world cinema.
