Sometimes it’s good to keep a title brief and punchy. If a filmmaker can let the viewer know what to expect from just a word or two, it makes the movie easier to sell. A series of movies about a war on a galactic level?Star Wars. A movie about a person wanting to murder someone called Bill?Kill Bill. A movie about a tornado of sharks?Sharknado.
Sometimes, however, filmmakers might need long movie titles to properly convey an idea of what their movie involves, or what viewers can expect. Sometimes, a longer title might be used to emphasize a film’s complexity or runtime. Other times, it can be done for the sake of humor. Whatever the cases are, it’s clear that movies with long titles aren’t going anywhere.Here are movies that have very, very, very, very, very long titles, from a hefty eight words all the way up to 40.
15’Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles' (1975)
Directed by Chantal Akerman
It’s fitting that a movie with a title as long asJeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxellesalso happens to be extremely long; perhaps even one of thelongest movies ever made that’s not an epic. Instead of spanning a lengthy period of time, looking at some monumental event, or following plenty of characters, this film is instead focused on one person – the titular Jeanne Dielman – across just a few days.
Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelleshighlights a life defined by tedium and a lack of appreciation,with the challenging nature of sitting through the entire film very much being part of the point. It’s not one of the absolute longest titles ever, but eight words is pretty hefty nonetheless, and the lack of excitement in the title itself also helps foreshadow the approach this film takes.
Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
14’The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover' (1989)
Directed by Peter Greenaway
One of the earliest examples of long movie names,The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Loveris about a chef who runs a high-class restaurant that’s frequented by a notoriously violent and offensive leader of a criminal gang, who’s trapped his wife in an abusive, oppressive marriage. She herself uses the restaurant trips to have an affair with another man who frequents the place, behind her gangster husband’s back. Go figure.
It’s a shocking, confronting, yet beautiful-looking film, and something of a cult classicfor those that can stomach its disturbing content. It features a great lead performance fromHelen Mirren, and a wonderfully despicable turn fromMichael Gambonas the titular thief; an actor best known for playing a completely different character – Albus Dumbledore – in all but the first twoHarry Potterfilms.
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
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13’Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' (2003)
Directed by Gore Verbinski
The first and easily thebest of thePirates of the Caribbeanfilms,The Curse of the Black Pearlbuilds up a solid word count from more or less being two titles in one. There was a need to emphasize the fact it was based on thePirates of the Caribbeanride, but it’s also possible franchise potential was seen straight away, and as such, it used the title + subtitle format.
It’s a fun time that mixes pirates, true love, and the undead into a movie that feels a bit like a theme park ride, but in a good way. It’s the high point of the series, and also happens to be the one with the longest movie title. Coincidence?
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
12’The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' (2001)
Directed by Peter Jackson
DirectorPeter Jackson’s epic fantasy film trilogy changed the genre forever when the first movie –The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring– premiered in 2001. Based on the novel byJ. R. R. Tolkien, the film introduces audiences to characters they would root for and anticipate in the years to come, which include Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Gandalf the Grey, and more.
Of course, the rest of the films in the trilogy have long titles, too.There’s something about the length that manages to convey a bit of the fantastic adventuresand wild journeys fans can watch unfold within the beloved films, with the first one setting the high standard the rest of the movies all manage to hit later on.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
11’The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension' (1984)
Directed by W. D. Richter
With a title likeThe Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, viewers are informed beforehand that things are going to get a little weird. And weird things do indeed get in thisunderappreciated 1980s sci-fi comedyabout a scientist/musician/vigilante and his crew preventing aliens from taking over the world.
You have to admire the commitment to the title. It could easily be calledBuckaroo Banzaior evenThe Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, and maybe it would have fared better and gotten some sequels. Maybe filmgoers were afraid to say the sentence-long title out loud to the ticket-seller at the cinema. At leastit’s been appreciated as a cult classic in more recent years, dimension-hopping title and all.
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
10’The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford' (2007)
Directed by Andrew Dominik
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Fordis a very good film, and has a plot synopsis that is the title. Really, the only thing it doesn’t tell you is thatJesse Jamesis an outlaw (probably doesn’t need to, given he’s a famous historical figure), but otherwise, that’s what happens.
It’s probably a well-known story for American audiences, but might be a disappointing title for those who didn’t know how Jesse James died and wanted a little more suspense in their downbeat and psychologically intense neo-Western.At least it’s a good movie– with two great lead performances fromCasey AffleckandBrad Pitt– even with its infamously spoiler-ishmovie title that reveals the entire plot.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
9’The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara' (2003)
Directed by Errol Morris
It’s a real shame they couldn’t find a way to trim two words off the title ofThe Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara, because then it would be an 11-word title with the word “Eleven” in it. That would be numerically pleasing, but alas, life is messy. The same word can be used to describe war, which is what this documentary is about.
Errol Morris has directed some fantastic documentariesin his time, with this one being one of the very best. As you might expect,The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamarahasthe titular businessman/government official recalling his life, with a particular focus on the Vietnam War, and his own involvement in it as the United States secretary of defense during the conflict’s early years.
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8’Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)' (1972)
Directed by Woody Allen
A title likeEverything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)promises a lot, especially considering the whole thing is less than 90 minutes long, though it becomes pretty clear early on that that’s not really the focus. Well, sex is, but the whole movie is a broad comedy, and an anthology one, too, exploring sexuality in increasingly ridiculous ways.
Like most anthology films,Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)is a bit of a mixed bag, but there are certainly some sequences that stand out and prove memorable (like the part with Gene Wilder, for better or worse). Those who aren’t fans ofWoody Allen’s humor need not apply,especially anyone who prefers it when his movies tackle a little drama alongside the comedy.
7’Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb' (1964)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bombis one ofStanley Kubrick’s best films, and also might have the best title in his filmography. It can also be abbreviated toDr. Strangelovequite easily, but the full title does a good job of laying out its themes and satirical tone.
It was made while the Cold War was in full swing, and tensions surrounding nuclear warfare were high. With a talented cast - including the greatPeter Sellersplaying three different roles -Kubrick crafted one of the funniest and darkest satires of war- and the men who start them - revealing horrors and making the audience laugh all at once.
Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb
6’Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?' (1971)
Directed by Ulu Grosbard
Dustin Hoffmanstarred innumerous iconic New Hollywood movies, thoughWho Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?isn’t really one of them, considering its relative obscurity. It aimed to ask an enticing question with its title… well, two, technically… or even three? After all, it’s not exactly clear who the “Me” from the title is.
Not many sought the answers, though, and soWho Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?languishes in obscurity. It’s a bit of a meandering dramedyabout a drifting and not-too-likable songwriter as he goes about making life hard for others and himself simultaneously. It’s the sort of American movie that could’ve only existed in the early 1970s, and the early 1970s is where it’s basically remained.
