OVER-EXTENDED CUTS

Take A Quick Peek At The 10 Longest Movies Ever Made

Image: Georgia Vagim

Prepare your popcorn and settle in for a cinematic marathon because today we are delving into the realm of epic movie lengths. From intricate historical dramas to weird avant-garde experiments, these films push the boundaries of both time and storytelling.

Get ready to test your endurance, and join us to explore 10 of the longest movies ever made.

Image: Klara Kulikova

A four-part epic that spans the whole 20th century, "Siberiade" tells the story of a small Siberian village through various generations as it experiences enormous societal and technological changes over time. Lasting almost five hours, "Siberiade"- like most Soviet films of the era - is kind of slow-paced, and the many characters that keep changing as they grow old over the course of the movie can be a bit complicated to follow sometimes, but its captivating story of love and resilience more than makes up for it.

Image: Annie Spratt

Ingmar Bergman's semi-autobiographical masterpiece follows the tumultuous lives of two siblings in early 20th-century Sweden as they navigate love, loss, and changes in the family. Originally conceived as a television miniseries, a shorter version was created later for cinematic release. However, the TV version was released as an entire movie, making it one of the longest cinematic films in history.

Image: La So

This intense Italian drama unfolds over six hours, following two brothers, Nicola and Matteo, as they go their separate ways through decades of Italian history and societal changes. A beautiful film about youth, love, and the difficult times lived in post-war Europe, it won many awards, including the most prestigious prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

Image: Sam Moghadam Khamseh

French director Jacques Rivette's epic masterpiece, "Out 1" unfolds over nearly 13 hours, weaving together multiple storylines and characters in a labyrinthine narrative. A milestone of avant-garde cinema, "Out 1" challenges viewers to surrender to its immersive world - but, if you are not feeling like spending half a day of your life unraveling it, there is fortunately a somewhat shorter version called "Out 1: Spectre that is only four hours long."

Image: Victória Kubiaki

As the title matter-of-factly implies, "The Longest Most Meaningless Movie in the World" attempts to be exactly that and nothing more. No actual footage was shot for the film, which is entirely comprised of unrelated outtakes, found reels, commercials, newsreels, stock footage, and strips of undeveloped film. I mean, you get the idea… maybe you can just skip this one, unless you are into watching a malfunctioning satellite TV for two days straight.

Image: Annie Spratt

This humorously titled behemoth of a movie spans a staggering 87 hours - 3 days and 15 hours, mind you. In fact, at the time of its release in 1987, it was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the longest film ever. However, the film was created mostly to document a performance art piece by American artist L.D. Groban, who reads his 4,080-page poem called "A Cure for Insomnia" over the span of three days - and the footage is only occasionally spliced with clips from heavy metal and adult videos.

Image: Julia Kadel

Named after the equally intriguing and lovely Russian "matryoshka" dolls, "Matrjoschka" is an experimental film made by German artist Karin Hoerler. The movie has no explicit plot, as all sequences are based on a single photo. First, it shows a boy riding a bicycle, then a street, houses, garages, and finally, the sky. However, movements are so extremely slow that they seem like static images.

Image: Michał Franczak

Finally, a sci-fi movie! Well, technically… Despite being almost unwatchable by human standards, this strangely alluring film made by Danish art collective Superflex explores the transformation of human structures, as it shows how Helsinki's Stora Enso headquarters (a local wood-processing factory) would decay over the next few millennia.

Image: Denise Jans

Luckily for you, you couldn't watch this one even if you wanted to. Swedish director Anders Weberg's final film was expected to have a running time of 720 hours (a whole month, if you are wondering) and was scheduled for release in December 2020, but he never went through with his promise. The day came, and the movie never appeared. Funnily enough, while the full movie never saw the light of the day, the director did release a trailer... a seven-hour-long one! - what else could one expect, right?

Image: Simon Kadula

If modern consumerist society has a plot, it is certainly the plot of this monumental "documentary" made by Erika Magnusson and Daniel Andersson. The film follows the journey of a simple electronic pedometer in reverse chronological order around the world, from the store where it is sold in Stockholm to the Chinese factory where it was originally manufactured. Its length mirrors the complexity and scale of global commerce, and if you ever wondered where manufactured goods come from, this might be the perfect film for you.

From the U.S. to the world

From "guy" to "OK": 12 Americanisms that spread around the world

American English has influenced global vocabulary for more than a century through movies, advertisements, literature, music, businesses, and technology. Some words that began as distinctly American expressions eventually became common almost everywhere, even in places where English is not an official language. From casual slang to everyday terms for housing, transportation, and anything you can think of, these 12 Americanisms have crossed oceans and cemented themselves into the daily speech of dozens of countries.

"OK" may be the most successful American word ever exported. It first appeared in print on March 23, 1839, in the Boston Morning Post, where editor Charles Gordon Green jokingly abbreviated "oll korrect," a humorous misspelling of "all correct."

The term exploded nationally during the 1840 U.S. presidential campaign of Martin Van Buren, nicknamed "Old Kinderhook" after Kinderhook, New York. Today, "OK" is used almost everywhere on Earth.

The word "teenager" became popular in the U.S. during the 1940s, especially through advertising and youth marketing. Earlier generations did not usually view adolescence as a separate social category the way modern culture does.

American magazines, fashion brands, and music companies helped spread the idea worldwide after World War II. Publications such as Seventeen magazine and Hollywood films helped establish the teenager as a distinct cultural identity across Europe and beyond.

"Movie" emerged in the U.S. around 1912 as a shortened version of "moving picture." Americans favored the informal nickname, while Britain and some other countries kept preferring "film" or "cinema."

Hollywood’s rise during the 20th century carried the term across the globe. By the 1930s and 1940s, millions of people worldwide were watching American "movies," and the word became internationally recognizable even in places where local terms still existed.

Americans popularized the word "elevator" for the vertical lift system invented in the 19th century. In Britain, the same machine became known as a "lift," but American terminology spread internationally through U.S. companies and skyscraper culture.

The word gained prominence after inventor Elisha Otis demonstrated a safe passenger elevator in New York City in 1854 at the Crystal Palace Exhibition. As American-style office towers spread worldwide during the 20th century, so did the "elevator."

The American word "cookie" comes from the Dutch word koekje, meaning "little cake." Dutch settlers brought the term to New Amsterdam, later renamed New York, during the 1600s. Over time, Americans adopted it as the standard word for sweet baked treats.

Britain traditionally used "biscuit," but American culture helped spread "cookie" globally through packaged snacks, television advertising, and brands like Oreo and Chips Ahoy! Today, both terms are recognized internationally, often with slightly different meanings.

"Apartment" became the dominant American term for a rented residential unit during the late 19th century as cities like New York and Chicago rapidly expanded upward with multi-family buildings.

British English traditionally favored "flat," but "apartment" spread internationally through American real-estate marketing, television, and films. Luxury developments worldwide now commonly advertise "apartments," even in countries where local words exist.

Americans shortened "gasoline" to simply "gas" in the early automotive era of the 1900s. The rise of Ford, General Motors, and America’s highway culture helped export the term globally alongside U.S. car culture.

While many countries still prefer "petrol," travelers almost anywhere understand "gas station." American road movies, music, and television helped cement the term in international vocabulary.

The American word "truck" replaced the older freight term during the industrial boom of the late 1800s and early 1900s. In Britain, the same vehicle is usually called a "lorry," but American English has spread widely through commerce and manufacturing.

As American trucking companies, military vehicles, and exports became globally visible after World War II, "truck" entered everyday speech in many countries. Today, international brands from Toyota to Mercedes often market "pickup trucks" using the American term.

Americans adopted "sidewalk" during the 18th and 19th centuries to describe paved pedestrian paths beside the streets. British English preferred "pavement," but U.S. urban terminology spread through engineering, mapping, and popular culture.

The term became especially associated with American city life in places like New York and Los Angeles. Jazz songs, movies, and Broadway culture helped introduce "sidewalk" to international audiences during the 20th century.

"Store" became the standard American word for a retail shop during the country’s commercial expansion in the 1800s. Britain traditionally favored "shop," but American business culture later spread "store" internationally.

Department stores such as Macy’s, founded in New York in 1858, and later chains like Walmart and Target helped popularize the term worldwide. Today, many countries use both "shop" and store, often interchangeably.

The U.S. popularized "vacation" as the standard word for leisure travel and time away from work. The term comes from the Latin vacatio, meaning freedom or exemption from duty, but gained especially strong impulse and use in the U.S. during the late 19th century.

British English prefers "holiday," yet "vacation" has spread globally through American tourism, airlines, and entertainment. Expressions like "summer vacation" became internationally familiar thanks to movies, television, and school-related American culture.

"Guy" originally referred to Guy Fawkes, the English conspirator involved in the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. In Britain, "guy" first described strange-looking figures burned during Bonfire Night celebrations.

Americans later transformed the word into an informal term for a man, and eventually for groups of people in general, as in "you guys." Hollywood films, television sitcoms, and everyday American speech helped spread this casual usage worldwide.