Breaking Records: Scorsese's Epic Unleashes a Cinematic Masterpiece

Summary

Alexander Payne criticizes the trend of lengthy Hollywood films, stating that there are "too many damn long movies" and that films should be as short as possible.

Payne recognizes that certain films, such as The Godfather Part II and Seven Samurai, can warrant a lengthier runtime. However, he underscores the significance of creating the most concise version possible for lengthy films.

Although Payne doesn't explicitly name any specific movies, his remarks draw attention to contemporary instances like Killers of the Flower Moon and Avatar: The Way of Water, which exemplify the growing tendency towards longer runtimes in recent times.

Alexander Payne, the Oscar-nominated director famous for his 2004 breakthrough film Sideways, expresses his dissatisfaction with the recent trend in Hollywood of producing longer movies. Payne's latest project, titled The Holdovers and starring Paul Giamatti from Sideways, is scheduled to hit theaters on November 10.

During a recent festival appearance promoting his upcoming film, Payne playfully criticizes the abundance of lengthy Hollywood movies, stating that there are "far too many excessively long films." As reported by IndieWire, the director believes that while some films may justify a lengthy duration, the ideal goal is to keep a movie as concise as possible. Please find Payne's complete remark below for reference:

You aim to create a concise film, avoiding the prevalence of excessively long movies today.

If your movie runs for three and a half hours, strive to make it the most streamlined version possible for its duration. Take, for example, The Godfather Part II and Seven Samurai, which are exemplary in maintaining tight storytelling despite their three-and-a-half-hour length. Their narratives flow seamlessly, demonstrating that the length alone does not determine quality.

Are Hollywood Films Skewing Too Long?

Payne does not specifically mention any excessively long films, but the mention of a "three-and-a-half-hour movie" reminds us of Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon. The movie, which was released last weekend, has a runtime of 3 hours and 26 minutes. Regarded as a masterpiece that could be compared to films like The Godfather Part II, some argue that its length is justified, while others disagree.

Killers of the Flower Moon is not the only excessively long film of the year. Recent trends show that major films are becoming longer in duration. For instance, Avatar: The Way of Water, which was nominated for an Oscar last year, had a runtime of 3 hours and 12 minutes. Other nominees, like Tar (2 hours, 38 minutes), The Fabelmans (2 hours, 31 minutes), and Elvis (2 hours, 39 minutes), were also quite lengthy.

Even blockbuster films are following this trend, such as Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2 hours, 43 minutes) and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2 hours, 34 minutes) set to release in 2023. While some films like Killers of the Flower Moon may justify their longer duration, it is evident that there is an obsession with film length in recent times. However, not all of these films effectively utilize every frame to its fullest potential.

Source: IndieWire