Publicity photographs had actors, in a photo studio setting, posing for images that could be used for designing ad art and for promoting the film. In addition, as a film was being shot, photographers would snap images of the process to show directors and production staff hard at work. Production reports tell us that once the last take was completed the cast and crew spent several minutes recreating the scene for “stills.” The most popular and collectible genre is referred to as “scene stills.” This name came about because part of the production process was to record all scenes filmed in order to have a photo narrative of the screenplay. Photo stills were also used to test costumes, hair, make-up and to capture an image of a set once it was finished and decorated. Such photos created a visual history of what went into making a movie. Preproduction on movies included photography of rehearsals, of sets being built, of costumes being made. Every aspect of the movie making process was featured in this medium and there are a variety of genres, each special in its own right and each highly collectible. Don’t be afraid to sit down for the three-plus hour film, and don’t be afraid to get up if you need to-as James Cameron once said, “They can see the scene they missed when they come see it again.” Exactly right.The visual history of motion pictures is contained in movie still photography. To prove our point, we’ve selected ten of the most beloved movies that clock in at longer than three hours, and yet still manage to keep our eyes glued to the screen the entire 180 minutes (or sometimes way more than that).

There has been plenty of talk lately about how movies ought to be shorter by far (and with two decades of bloated studio blockbusters pushing two and a half hours, we don’t necessarily disagree), but sometimes longer really is better.

There are, however, exceptions to that rule that prove that sometimes movies need to take a little bit more time to let us explore their worlds. It’s the average length of time a person can sit in a seat without having to stretch their legs or use the bathroom, and we as a culture have come to expect that our filmic entertainment keep to that understood rule. There are few things better than a movie that doesn’t overstay its welcome, clocking in at a tight two hours or anything under.

Stills images from movie casino 1995