Epic Movies to Watch! – This is where the big stuff happens: these aesthetically magnificent epics bring the past back to life with a love of the pretentious.
Extravagance and showing off are the passionately celebrated basic principles in this enormous, bigger, massive film. Noble restraint is a foreign term here, and splurge and showing off are the passionately celebrated basic principles.
Monumental films are distinguished by a massive production effort that includes not only exorbitant costs, but also mass scenes with countless extras, opulent staging (including cutting-edge technology! ),
meticulous attention to detail in terms of costumes and setting, and, not infrequently, the most famous and popular stars that the dream factory had to offer at the time.
11 epic movies to watch
To give credit to the epic story, which is also in the DNA of colossal cinema and, in most cases, revolves around bygone epochs, such a film is frequently overlength:
historical monumental films typically have a three-to-four-hour running time.There isn’t anything unusual about it. Bring your heart, then!
The Top 11 Epic Movies to Watch
The best movies ever made are epic in scope, but they don’t always require a huge budget. Some of the most memorable films were made by independent filmmakers who had limited resources at their disposal.
These films have stood the test of time and will continue to influence future generations for years to come.
1. Troy (2004)
Epic Movies to Watch: troy 2004
The sonorous prince of Troy, Paris, is madly in love with Helena, the wife of King Menelaus of Sparta, and abducts her without delay to his kingdom.
Naturally, Menealos, the Spartan king, cannot and will not accept this, and he launches a war on Troy, primarily for political reasons. Archilles, an arrogant and rebellious but brilliant warrior, is the most important Spartan combatant in the battle for Troy.
German star director Wolfgang Petersen constructed an enormous spectacle loosely based on Homer’s “Iliad,” bringing together famous Hollywood names (Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, Diane Kruger), action-packed scenes, and ageless political implications.
The scenery was not spared any cost or effort: the city was painstakingly made from stone blocks, with 13-meter tall statues and more than 115 columns.
The famed Trojan horse, which stood 14 meters tall and weighed 12 tons, was created entirely by hand. As fighting extras, 300 Bulgarians and 500 Mexicans were used.
2. Gladiator (2000)
Epic Movies to Watch: Gladiator (2000)
The great worldwide success of “Gladiator,” starring Russell Crowe, made the sandal film (sometimes known as “historical ham”) socially acceptable once more.
Director Ridley Scott narrates the story of General Maximus, who loses his entire family and is thrown as a slave to a gladiator school, where he scores countless victories as a fighting machine, capturing the epic charm of earlier epic films but spiced up with modern technology.
Maximus is gaining popularity, but he has one goal in mind: avenging his archenemy Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix).
Although the story of bravery, hatred, rise, collapse, and revenge is not historically accurate, it is visually stunning, with pretentious backdrops and meticulous attention to detail.
Almost 10,000 costumes and 27,000 weapons were created for “Gladiator.” The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including “Best Film” and “Best Actor.” It was furious, action-packed, and self-assuredly pathetic at the same time.
3. The Ten Commandments (1956)
Epic Movies to Watch: The Ten Commandments (1956)
Who hasn’t seen the timeless and iconic scenario in which the Red Sea splits in two to save the Israelites from the Egyptians?
Cecile DeMille’s Story of Moses has long been one of Paramount Pictures’ most expensive feature pictures, costing approximately $13 million to create. He is now regarded as one of the most opulent icons of colossal cinema.
The picture was completed over a period of several years. The film was shot on location in Egypt and the Middle East, as well as in film studios. Around 14,000 extras and 15,000 animals of various kinds were used in the epic picture.
Before he competed in the best chariot race in history, Charlton Heston played Moses in “The Ten Commandments.” In the movie, he gave it his all, almost as if he had God’s spirit.
The Ten Commandments, the Israelites’ flight from Egypt, and the aforementioned Red Sea division, for which a unique tank with about 1,300,000 gallons of water had to be erected, are among the most well-known and visually impressive scenes.
4. Napoleon (1927)
Epic Movies to Watch: Napoleon (1927)
Abel Gance, a French director, spends exactly four hours telling the story of Napoléon Bonaparte’s journey from cadet school to the Italian campaign in colossal images that astonish the audience.
Gance used far-ahead-of-its-time editing techniques, and handheld cameras were not widely used in the 1920s. Many sequences were also hand-colored to give the movie an even more artistic feel.
Napoleon gained little attention when it initially premiered, and it wasn’t until decades later (mostly due to restorations) that it was given the respect it deserved.
Due to a lack of funding, two more films were originally planned, but they had to be canceled. “Napoleon” was one of 45 films endorsed by the Vatican.
5. Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924)
Epic Movies to Watch: Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924)
No one other than the Austrian Wunderwuzzi director Fritz Lang (“Metropolis,” “M”) took on the medieval Nibelungen saga, which was already known for its epic proportions and which Lang divided into two parts (mute):
“The Nibelung. Part 1: Siegfried” and “The Nibelung. Part 2: Kriemhild’s revenge” are cinematic milestones.
The elaborate staging is based on pictorial compositions that resemble paintings and works of art, and the movement of light and shadow adds to the aesthetically beautiful unfolding panorama.
The picture as a whole reminds me of a poet’s damaged spirit. A hauntingly beautiful memorial to love, sorrow, hatred, vengeance, and fate.
6. King of Kings (1961)
Epic Movies to Watch: King of Kings (1961)
“King of Kings,” directed by Nicholas Ray, is the first film to depict the life and suffering of Jesus Christ in sound and color.
Despite mixed reviews from viewers and critics at the time, the film has evolved into a nearly three-hour aesthetically breathtaking epic with a massive cast (several thousand individuals can be seen in front of the camera!) and a great score.
Thanks to Jeffrey Hunter’s mix of sensual attractiveness, heavenly goodness, and youthful zeal for action, “King of Kings” succeeds in making the people behind the legend tangible.
There’s also a hint of the political instability of the moment. The film’s brave authenticity keeps it engaging and emotional at the same time.
7. Quo Vadis (1951)
Epic Movies to Watch: Quo Vadis (1951)
The legendary blockbuster film is based on Henryk Sienkiewicz’s novel and tells the narrative of Marcus Vinicius, a Roman general who returns to Rome after a war and falls in love with Lygia, a Christian state hostage.
This is not without spectacular drama, such as Emperor Nero’s persecution of Christians and the city of Rome being engulfed in fire.
This production (which took place in Italy rather than Hollywood!) is likewise capable of producing incredible numbers:
30,000 extras (including Bud Spencer, Sophia Loren, and Liz Taylor! ), 250 horses, 85 pigeons, 63 lions, seven bulls, and two cheetahs were enlisted.
In addition, there are 150,000 props, 32,000 costumes, and 115 decorations. The footage was originally 180 kilometers long, but it was cut down to 4,550 meters, giving it a running period of slightly under three hours.
The moment with the burning Rome and the singing Emperor Nero, which garnered Peter Ustinov his first Oscar nomination and made him famous around the world, is legendary.
8. Cleopatra (1963)
Epic Movies to Watch: Cleopatra (1963)
Beauty on the big screen and in the real world Elizabeth Taylor was cast as Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile.
The three-hour drama aims to depict the interesting duality of the powerful and power-hungry pharaoh, and succeeds well thanks to Taylor’s gutsy performance.
Gold as a symbol of power, dignified sexuality, and spectacular fight scenes abound, earning the film four Academy Awards.
For the film, 79 sets and 26,000 costumes were created, with Taylor alone donning 65 costumes at a cost of $194,800. The most fabled costume was made of 24 karat gold!
Nonetheless, “Cleopatra” brought 20th Century Fox to the brink of bankruptcy; the film’s tremendously expensive production expenses of 44 million dollars could only be recouped years later, resulting in the film’s untimely end.
The public had lost interest in opulence. After all, it was while filming that Taylor met her future husband, Richard Burton.
9. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Epic Movies to Watch: Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Lawrence of Arabia, one of the most popular films of the 1960s and the winner of seven Academy Awards, is an unabashedly idealized biography of the military leader of the Arab struggle against Turkish rule during World War I.
The majority of the desert sequences were shot on location in Jordan. So there’s a lot of visual grandeur, but the film also has a lot of heartfelt emotional passages that make us cheer for the protagonist.
Peter O’Toole is the ideal cast member for TE Lawrence, effortlessly blending the roles of bold hero and wounded soul. The entire thing isn’t historically correct, but it’s a lot of fun-and it’s three hours and 48 minutes long.
10. Ben-Hur (1959)
Epic Movies to Watch: Ben-Hur (1959)
It’s the strip that’s still considered the pinnacle of monumental and sandal film:Director William Wyler went to great lengths to tell the (fictional) story of Jewish prince and merchant Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston),
who finds himself caught up in the web of political intrigues of the Roman Empire at the beginning of the first century AD, which also bears the face of his childhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd). Ben-Hur must choose whether to support or oppose his pal.
The classic chariot race is regarded as the prototype for all big film action scenes. Ben Hur not only relied on a psychological character analysis of the hero, but also set new standards in cinema technology.
The budget was 15 million dollars (about 13 million dollars now), making “Ben Hur” one of the most costly films of all time due to inflation.
There were 65 speaking roles, 50,000 extras, almost a million props, and 40,000 tons of Mediterranean sand, in addition to the 40 script variants.
The preparation took five years, while the shooting took two years. The film has a running time of three hours and 32 minutes.
The effort paid off: “Ben-Hur” was not only a major financial success (saving MGM from bankruptcy), but it also won eleven Academy Awards, the only two of which have been won since then:
“Titanic” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Ring”. “Kings” (another modern monumental film) was a success.
11. Spartacus (1960)
Epic Movies to Watch: Spartacus (1960)
Spartacus is bought by a Roman for his gladiator school, where he is supposed to fight for his life for the amusement of the people.
Stanley Kubrick immortalized Kirk Douglas (father of Michael Douglas) in the eponymous role of the historical slave: Spartacus is bought by a Roman for his gladiator school, where he is supposed to fight for his life for the amusement of the people.
Spartacus, on the other hand, is shown to be a rebel, leading a revolt against his master and deciding to bring down the entire Roman army at the same time, with the help of other slaves.
The classic historical drama (running time: three hours and seventeen minutes) enthralls with a dazzling hero who battles valiantly for his freedom and honor, doing everything in his power to reclaim his human dignity-making the film disturbingly timely even today.
The crowd scenes are stunning and unsettling, as is the representation of violence, which is surprisingly violent, with a total cast of 10,500 people.
Spartacus, on the other hand, is far from a shallow fight fest, as it places a high priority on the hero’s inner world and isn’t afraid to use genre-typical tragedy.
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