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20 long movies worth their runtimes
Mar 5, 2025
Brevity might be the soul of wit, but this doesn’t always apply to films. Part of the pleasure of movies is that they can take their time to tell a story that can still be consumed in one sitting. While this sometimes leads to narrative bloat, an extended runtime can produce a powerful piece of filmic storytelling. In many cases, longer runtimes allow these types of films to explore issues and characters in greater depth than possible in a more limited temporal frame.
'Judgment at Nuremberg'
It took Hollywood several years to finally begin engaging with the Holocaust, and one of the most important of these early films is Judgment at Nuremberg. Focused on the Nuremberg Trials, which meted out justice to Nazis for their war crimes, the film still packs a potent emotional punch. This is due to Stanley Kramer’s direction and the soaring performances given by the likes of Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, and Judy Garland. It is, moreover, a reflection of a world still reeling from World War II and the revelations of the horrors unleashed by the Nazi regime.
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'Doctor Zhivago'
Based on the novel of the same name by Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago is an epic film in every sense of the word. As with David Lean’s earlier film Lawrence of Arabia, this takes place during a pivotal period of history, in this case the Russian Revolution, with Omar Sharif portraying the title character. In this film, history and politics are intertwined with the romantic, as Zhivago pursues a relationship with Lara Antipova. This is epic filmmaking at its classic Hollywood best, with beautiful visuals, sweeping love, and the end of one age and the beginning of another.
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