10 Amazing Movies Over Three Hours Long

10. Doctor Zhivago

Runtime: 3 hours 13 minutes

David Lean's romantic epic was heavily criticised upon its initial 1965 release. Many weren't happy with its oversimplification of such a dense source novel, and disliked the way that it underplayed the horrific events of the Russian Revolution and subsequent civil war.

And to be fair, the movie does mostly sweep the politics of the story to one side, opting instead to place a greater focus on the romance between Yuri Zhivago and his love interest, Lara Antipova. But if you judge the movie purely for what it is - a romantic drama - and forget what could have been, then there's a lot to appreciate.

Doctor Zhivago is a beautifully shot, skilfully scored (two things that won it Oscars) love story set against the backdrop of one of the most troubling time periods in Russian history. Is it a little cheesy at times? Absolutely. But it's the good kind of cheese, and with its engrossing characters and intense central romance, the movie does more than enough to earn its lengthy runtime.