Top 20 movies with the longest runtime

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A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery (Image via Star Cinema)
A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery (Image via Star Cinema)

Movies with extremely long runtimes are more than just films. These are projects that push the limits of patience and storytelling. They demand viewers dedicate hours or even days to fully engage with them. Some focus on small details and create a slow, immersive experience. Others are broken into parts and cover vast narratives or major historical events. These films often tackle big ideas, but their length can feel overwhelming to casual audiences.

1) The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple (1928–1931)

The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple (Image via Mingxing Film Company)
The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple (Image via Mingxing Film Company)

This Chinese silent film is considered one of the earliest and longest epics in cinematic history. It was released in 18 feature-length parts over three years, with a runtime totaling approximately 1,620 minutes (27 hours). The story, inspired by a popular wuxia novel, centers on martial arts, betrayal, and heroism. Its length allowed for an intricate exploration of characters and subplots, which was unprecedented at the time. The sheer scale and ambition set a foundation for serialized storytelling in Chinese cinema.

2) Resan (The Journey) (1987)

Resan (The Journey) (Image via Swedish Peace & Arbitration Society)
Resan (The Journey) (Image via Swedish Peace & Arbitration Society)

Peter Watkins’ 14-hour documentary tackles global political issues through interviews and reenactments. It examines topics such as war, capitalism, and the environment, aiming to educate and provoke critical thinking. With a runtime of 873 minutes, its length reflects the depth and complexity of the subjects it addresses. Rather than simplify its themes, the film gives space to every perspective, making it feel comprehensive. Its exhaustive approach has made it a significant, albeit challenging, work in political cinema.

3) La Flor (2018)

La Flor (Image via El Pampero Cine)
La Flor (Image via El Pampero Cine)

This Argentine film by Mariano Llinás spans 803 minutes and is split into six episodes, each experimenting with different genres like musicals, spy thrillers, and melodramas. The ambitious runtime allows for an exploration of diverse storytelling styles while keeping the same core cast in various roles. Its structure is unconventional, yet it rewards patient viewers with an inventive cinematic experience. The film’s episodic nature creates a sense of unpredictability, making it a standout project in modern experimental cinema.

4) Out 1 (Noli me tangere) (1971)

Out 1 (Image via Stéphane Tchalgadjieff )
Out 1 (Image via Stéphane Tchalgadjieff )

This French experimental film, directed by Jacques Rivette, is a 775-minute journey into the lives of two theater troupes as they prepare for productions of classic plays. The film also explores cryptic conspiracies and the isolation of modern life. Its length allows scenes to unfold naturally, emphasizing dialogue and subtle character interactions. The film’s unhurried pace and intricate details make it a cult favorite among cinephiles. It’s an exploration of human connections told in a sprawling, unconventional format.

5) How Yukong Moved the Mountains (1976)

How Yukong Moved the Mountains (Image via Capi Films, INA Films)
How Yukong Moved the Mountains (Image via Capi Films, INA Films)

This 12-hour documentary series by Joris Ivens and Marceline Loridan-Ivens examines the Cultural Revolution in China. Spanning 763 minutes, it captures daily life, factories, and rural communities, showing how the revolution impacted people across different social strata. Its runtime allows for a nuanced portrayal of Chinese society during a transformative period. The film’s observational style gives viewers a sense of immediacy, offering an in-depth look at a time of immense political and cultural change.

6) Evolution of a Filipino Family (2004)

Evolution of a Filipino Family (Image via Cine Olivia Pilipinas)
Evolution of a Filipino Family (Image via Cine Olivia Pilipinas)

This 624-minute film by Lav Diaz follows the lives of a rural family over a decade. It focuses on their struggles with poverty and political turmoil in the Philippines. Shot in black and white, the film takes its time to explore the slow, difficult realities of their existence. The long runtime gives depth to their personal and social challenges, showing how these forces shape their lives. It’s a detailed and immersive look at how history affects ordinary people.

7) Shoah (1985)

Shoah (Image via New Yorker Films)
Shoah (Image via New Yorker Films)

Claude Lanzmann’s 566-minute documentary tells the story of the Holocaust through interviews with survivors, witnesses, and former Nazis. It avoids archival footage, focusing on the spoken words of those who lived through it. The length allows for a full account of the events, giving space to every perspective. Each testimony builds a detailed picture of what happened, ensuring nothing is rushed or overlooked. It remains one of the most important records of this period in history.

8) Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (2003)

Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (Image via Wang Bing, Zhu Zhu)
Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (Image via Wang Bing, Zhu Zhu)

Wang Bing’s 551-minute documentary shows the decline of factories in China’s Tiexi district. It follows workers losing their jobs, neighborhoods disappearing, and environmental decay taking its toll. The film’s long runtime captures the details of their lives and struggles, allowing viewers to see the slow, steady collapse of their world. It’s an unfiltered record of how industrial and economic changes leave lasting effects on communities and individuals.

9) Death in the Land of Encantos (2007)

Death in the Land of Encantos (Image via Sine Olivia Pilipinas)
Death in the Land of Encantos (Image via Sine Olivia Pilipinas)

This 538-minute film by Lav Diaz follows a poet returning to his hometown after a typhoon. It combines real footage of the disaster’s aftermath with a fictional story about grief and survival. The length allows for long, quiet scenes that focus on conversations and the landscape. It explores the emotional and physical devastation left behind, creating a raw and reflective experience. The film looks at the cost of disaster on both a personal and collective level.

10) Heremias: Book One – The Legend of the Lizard Princess (2006)

Heremias: Book One – The Legend of the Lizard Princess (Image via Hubert Bals Fund)
Heremias: Book One – The Legend of the Lizard Princess (Image via Hubert Bals Fund)

Lav Diaz’s 519-minute film tells the story of Heremias, a farmer who sets out on a journey and faces corruption and moral tests. The film’s slow pace mirrors the hardships he endures, showing his struggles in detail. The long runtime gives the viewers time to reflect on his decisions and the challenges he faces. It’s a story about resilience and the weight of personal responsibility, told in a way that doesn’t rush or simplify his journey.

11) Dead Souls (2018)

Dead Souls (Image via Icarus Films, Grasshopper Film)
Dead Souls (Image via Icarus Films, Grasshopper Film)

Wang Bing’s 495-minute documentary records the harrowing testimonies of survivors from a Chinese labor camp during the Anti-Rightist Movement. The survivors recount their suffering, starvation, and death of fellow prisoners in stark, unfiltered detail. The film's extended runtime allows each story to unfold fully, capturing the emotional weight of the trauma. By dedicating hours to individual voices, it ensures no story is reduced to a mere statistic. This deeply personal approach preserves a critical part of history.

12) A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery (2016)

A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery (Image via Star Cinema)
A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery (Image via Star Cinema)

This 485-minute film by Lav Diaz explores the Philippine Revolution against Spain through a mix of historical and mythical narratives. It intertwines the personal struggles of its characters with larger national events, highlighting themes of loss and resistance. The extended runtime reflects Diaz’s intent to portray the depth and complexity of this period. By lingering on long, meditative scenes, the film creates a layered exploration of history, memory, and identity, offering viewers a unique cinematic experience.

13) The Works and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin) (2020)

The Works and Days (Image via Grasshopper Film)
The Works and Days (Image via Grasshopper Film)

Spanning 480 minutes, this film by C.W. Winter and Anders Edström tells the story of a farmer in a small Japanese village. It captures the rhythms of rural life with a patient and observational style, allowing everyday moments to resonate deeply. The film’s length mirrors the slow passage of time in the village, giving space for the characters’ lives and surroundings to feel authentic. It’s an intimate portrait of one family’s life and connection to their land.

14) Sátántangó (1994)

Sátántangó (Image via TT Filmműhely)
Sátántangó (Image via TT Filmműhely)

Béla Tarr’s 439-minute Hungarian film follows the collapse of a collective farm and the fractured lives of its residents. The story unfolds in long, unbroken takes, mirroring the bleakness and stagnation of their world. The film’s runtime allows for a detailed look at the characters’ struggles and the decaying social structure around them. Each scene lingers, emphasizing the passage of time and the weight of their circumstances. It remains a landmark in slow cinema and arthouse filmmaking.

15) Melancholia (2008)

Melancholia (Image via Sine Olivia Pilipinas)
Melancholia (Image via Sine Olivia Pilipinas)

This 450-minute experimental film by Lav Diaz examines grief and despair across three interconnected parts. It follows characters dealing with personal loss while exploring existential themes. The film’s length allows Diaz to immerse viewers in their emotions, using long, static shots to emphasize silence and introspection. Each segment takes its time to unpack the weight of suffering, creating an experience that feels both reflective and deeply human. The deliberate pacing turns the film into a meditation on loss and healing.

16) Modern Times Forever (Stora Enso Building, Helsinki) (2011)

Modern Times Forever (Image via The Propeller Group)
Modern Times Forever (Image via The Propeller Group)

This 240-hour art film by Superflex shows the gradual decay of the Stora Enso Building in Helsinki over thousands of years. Using visual effects, it depicts the effects of weather, time, and neglect on the modernist structure. Its incredible runtime spans ten days, reflecting the slow passage of time and the impermanence of human creations. The film challenges viewers’ perception of time and decay, making it an experimental commentary on architecture, history, and the environment’s enduring impact.

17) The Photo-Drama of Creation (1914)

The Photo-Drama of Creation (Image via Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania)
The Photo-Drama of Creation (Image via Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania)

This 480-minute film is a four-part Christian production by Charles Taze Russell, presented by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. Combining motion pictures, slides, and synchronized audio, it portrays biblical events from the creation of Earth to the millennial reign of Christ. The film was groundbreaking for its time, using advanced techniques to engage audiences with religious teachings. Its length reflects the effort to cover a comprehensive account of biblical history, making it an iconic work in early cinema.

18) Empire (1964)

Empire (Image via Warhol Films)
Empire (Image via Warhol Films)

Andy Warhol’s 485-minute film consists of a single, stationary shot of the Empire State Building at night. Filmed in slow motion, it captures the subtle shifts in light and atmosphere as time passes. The length reflects Warhol’s interest in stillness and repetition, forcing viewers to confront their own perception of time. The film challenges conventional storytelling, focusing instead on observation. Its minimalist approach has sparked debates about art, patience, and the role of cinema as an experiential medium.

19) Beijing 2003 (2003)

Beijing 2003 (Image via Ai Weiwei)
Beijing 2003 (Image via Ai Weiwei)

Yang Fudong’s 840-minute experimental film portrays the landscapes and people of Beijing in black and white. Through long, unhurried shots, it explores the city’s transformation and contrasts between old traditions and modernity. The film’s extended runtime allows for a comprehensive view of the city, capturing fleeting moments and the mundane details of daily life. Its focus on visual storytelling creates a meditative experience, offering an intimate look at Beijing during a time of rapid change.

20) The Clock (2010)

The Clock (Image via Paula Cooper)
The Clock (Image via Paula Cooper)

Christian Marclay’s The Clock is a 24-hour video installation made from thousands of film and TV clips referencing specific times of the day. Each scene is synchronized to the actual time, creating a real-time cinematic experience. The film’s structure transforms it into both a functional clock and a commentary on how time shapes human lives. The length mirrors the passing of a full day, immersing viewers in a unique experience that blends film history with the passage of time.

Edited by Anshika Jain
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