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Favorite Epic Films


zen

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14 minutes ago, coffee_rules said:


Still don’t get what qualifies as epic. How is Titanic an epic, it has a large canvass. Is that the qualification?  Ten Commandments was a boring sermon esp after Moses returns from the desert. The Mummy had epic war scenes, won’t it qualify?
 

Maya Bazaar was a better epic than most listed in OP


Usually, films that are made on large scale (can wow the audiences with its production values) and have a long run time (close to 3 hours or even more, which is long in terms of English films which are usually of 2 or less hours) ... can be found in any genre such as historical, Sci-fi, etc ... Tenet is an epic too for e.g. 

 

AFI is referring to historical epics in particular (definition in the OP) ... As for Titanic, it is a lavish production, running for 3 1/2 hours and capturing the tragedy of the sinking of Titanic 

 

As for Ten Commandments, besides the religious angle, it is a superb tale esp. the pursuit of Moses by Nefertari, Ramses obsession with the throne, etc

 

I own many of the films in 4K UHD, which creates a superb viewing experience of these epics. Irrespective of the genre, LoA is my top pick for reasons stated. Technically too, it is a string film. Looks amazing on screen with a mesmerizing background score. But it is a slow burn relatively. Among non English (foreign language) historical epics, RAN is brilliant 

 

I have watched many of these multiple times (even to do comparisons) therefore, the films would need to score high on rewatchability too. Additional viewings can reveal new layers too 


Apart from these two (LoA and RAN) relatively easier top picks, the boundaries start to diminish from #3 onwards. 10 Commandments because of how it is shot has that vintage charm (making it unique) and looks amazing esp. for its colors, Spartacus has held up very well (Kubrick!), and so on 

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On 4/9/2021 at 12:59 PM, zen said:


Usually, films that are made on large scale (can wow the audiences with its production values) and have a long run time (close to 3 hours or even more, which is long in terms of English films which are usually of 2 or less hours) ... can be found in any genre such as historical, Sci-fi, etc ... Tenet is an epic too for e.g. 

 

AFI is referring to historical epics in particular (definition in the OP) ... As for Titanic, it is a lavish production, running for 3 1/2 hours and capturing the tragedy of the sinking of Titanic 

 

As for Ten Commandments, besides the religious angle, it is a superb tale esp. the pursuit of Moses by Nefertari, Ramses obsession with the throne, etc

 

I own many of the films in 4K UHD, which creates a superb viewing experience of these epics. Irrespective of the genre, LoA is my top pick for reasons stated. Technically too, it is a string film. Looks amazing on screen with a mesmerizing background score. But it is a slow burn relatively. Among non English (foreign language) historical epics, RAN is brilliant 

 

I have watched many of these multiple times (even to do comparisons) therefore, the films would need to score high on rewatchability too. Additional viewings can reveal new layers too 


Apart from these two (LoA and RAN) relatively easier top picks, the boundaries start to diminish from #3 onwards. 10 Commandments because of how it is shot has that vintage charm (making it unique) and looks amazing esp. for its colors, Spartacus has held up very well (Kubrick!), and so on 

first and only time I got to see the sexy side of Ann Baxter.

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12 minutes ago, Vijy said:

far superior to the magnificent seven, which I regardless as a wonderful film in its own right.

 

Seven Samurai is in a league of its own ... Many filmmakers have tried to capture elements of it but Seven Samurai continues to stand out 

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Lion of the Desert (1980) 


An account of Italian brutality in North Africa. Has a set of known actors and a good score by Maurice Jarre. 


PS the film had a budget of $35M and is said to be financed by Gaddafi. However, upon its release it could only gross less than 5% of its budget, ranking as one of the big box office flops. It was banned in Italy for a considerable period. Now, of course, the film is seen as a good epic showcasing more or less the accurate life in North Africa (Libya here) under the Italian occupation. 

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On 3/19/2022 at 10:33 PM, zen said:

Lion of the Desert (1980) 


An account of Italian brutality in North Africa. Has a set of known actors and a good score by Maurice Jarre. 


PS the film had a budget of $35M and is said to be financed by Gaddafi. However, upon its release it could only gross less than 5% of its budget, ranking as one of the big box office flops. It was banned in Italy for a considerable period. Now, of course, the film is seen as a good epic showcasing more or less the accurate life in North Africa (Libya here) under the Italian occupation. 

haven't seen it, but the premise seems interesting.

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