A film that runs longer than five hours is certainly a rarity. Commercial films with wide releases usually are between 90 and 130 minutes long.
When the film goes over four hours, a very strong decision is made by the filmmaker, and even more so when the length surpasses five hours, as we will see in this list. Such long films make for a difficult watch, but have the enormous advantage of immersing the viewer in the story in a way that shorter films cannot do.
At the risk of losing more casual viewers, five-hour long films make a strong statement from the filmmaker, who evidently believes in their work so much that they feel okay with asking a considerable amount of attention from the public.
