The Glass guide to the top 10 long films to watch in isolation

SOMETIMES one film just isn’t enough, especially when you have a lot of free time on your hands, but maybe it can be with the latest Glass Guide. Ranging from 152 minutes to 572 minutes, we have selected the top 10 films certain to last longer than usual, keeping you occupied and entertained when restricted to the confines of your own home.

The Best of Youth (Marco Tullio Giordana, 2003, 366 minutes)

1. The Best of Youth (2003) by Marco Tullio Giordana, 366 minutes

This story of two Italian brothers who take very different paths in life is achingly moving and has that rare thing — a truly memorable final sequence.

 

Short Cuts (Robert Altman, 1993, 188 minutes)

2. Short Cuts (1993) by Robert Altman, 188 minutes

Altman’s hilarious adaption of Raymond Carver’s short stories seamlessly weaves together several threads of Los Angeles life with the help of an all-star cast including Julianne Moore, Lily Tomlin and Tom Waits.

 

Mysteries of Lisbon (Rául Ruiz, 2010, 272 minutes)

3. Mysteries of Lisbon (2010) by Rául Ruiz, 272 minutes

Ruiz’s final feature is a good old-fashioned yarn, an intricate 19th-century tale of jealousy, passion and identity that fully justifies its four-hour running time.

 

The Mother and the Whore (Jean Eustache, 1973, 219 minutes)

4. The Mother and the Whore (1973) by Jean Eustache, 219 minutes

One of just two features Eustache completed before his untimely death, this cerebral, monochrome epic stars Jean-Pierre Léaud and is a must-see for fans of the nouvelle vague

 

 

So Long, My Son (Wang Xiaoshuai, 2019, 185 minutes)

5. So Long, My Son (2019) by Wang Xiaoshuai, 185 minutes

Novelistic in scope, Xiaoshuai’s three-hour drama traverses decades and vast expanses of Chinese geography to tell the story of two families confronting  personal drama and political upheaval.  

 

Fanny & Alexander (Ingmar Bergman, 1982, 188 minutes)

6. Fanny & Alexander (1982) by Ingmar Bergman, 188 minutes

A magical, sumptuous film set in pre-WWI Sweden which captures a rich spectrum of human experience, from the joy of childhood imagination to the pain of death and separation. 

 

West Side Story (Robert Wise & Jerome Robbins, 1961, 152 minutes)

7. West Side Story (1961) Robert Wise & Jerome Robbins, 152 minutes

This classic musical is not without its flaws but its exhilarating numbers, including Jet Song, America and Tonight ensure it remains essential viewing. 

 

Faces (John Cassavettes, 1968, 183 minutes)

8. Faces (1968) by John Cassavettes, 183 minutes

Not for the faint of heart, Cassavettes’s drama puts human relationships under the magnifying glass with brutal, breathtaking realism.

 

The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino, 1978, 184 minutes)

9. The Deer Hunter (1978) by Michael Cimino, 184 minutes

Arguably the definitely Vietnam movie, this deserves watching as much for its sympathetic portrayal of small-town America as for its shocking depiction of war.

 

Dekalog (Krzystof Kieślowski, 1989, 572 minutes)

10. Dekalog (1989) by Krzysztof Kieślowski, 572 minutes

Loosely based on the Ten Commandments, this hugely ambitious work is, alongside the Three Colours trilogy, Polish director Kieślowski’s masterpiece – a richly patterned and totally absorbing piece of humanist filmmaking.

by Jackson Caines