# Name "epic" movies for me **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 3, 2003, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408 "2003-02-03T02:13:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408/21 "2003-02-04T02:03:30Z")
\*Dances With Wolves The Last of the Mohicans Forrest Gump\* … I’ll probably think of more as soon as I hit ‘submit’ ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408/22 "2003-02-04T02:37:58Z")
Forest Gump is an EPIC? Let’s remember folks, I’m looking for visually stunning films. Not just “good flicks”. Some movies are just too bad to whether they’re epics or not: things like _Planet of the Apes_ (the new version), _Pearl Harbor_, and _Independence Day_. I don’t want to offend anyone by saying the _Star Wars_ movies are in this category, so I won’t. 🙂 HPL: > [@](#): > > Would “The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly” count? Don’t think so, but I already have it. NDP: Thanks for the 2001 idea. I’d also love to get _Blade Runner_. I have been looking for _Ran_ for some time. and I’ll snap it up if I find it. Likewise _Schindler’s List_ if it’s ever released on DVD. I’ve even realized that there’s a few I already have that I hadn’t thought of as epics: \*AI: Artificial Intelligence Empire of the Sun Full Metal Jacket The Great Escape The Magnificent Seven Rob Roy Silverado We Were Soldiers Wind Talkers \* ---
**Author:** ![Barney111](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@Barney111](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barney111)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408/23 "2003-02-04T02:38:03Z")
_Legends of the Fall_ - Melodramatic, but decent. _The Great Escape_ - What can I say? One of my all-time favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408/24 "2003-02-04T02:58:32Z")
For visually stunning films, how about _The Adventures of Baron Munchausen_? It may not actually have a cast of thousands, but it seems like it in a few places. An extraordinarily charming and imaginative movie. Maybe not technically an “epic,” I guess, but then it’s no _Independence Day_, either. If you’d consider _AI_ an epic, maybe you’d go for this one too. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408/25 "2003-02-04T03:05:25Z")
_The Right Stuff_ Not a cast-of-thousands film, but I think it qualifies on the visuals and the scope of the story. [sub]Obscure reference: “That’s the hero, Joe Thousands”[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408/26 "2003-02-04T03:07:23Z")
_Giant_ (Goddammit, they better bring this to DVD soon) _Citizen Kane_ (What could be more epic than the life of Charles Foster Kane?) ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408/27 "2003-02-04T04:13:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yojimboguy \* > **Forest Gump is an EPIC? Let’s remember folks, I’m looking for visually stunning films. Not just “good flicks”.** _Forrest Gump_ is most **definitely** an epic, in just about every sense of the word. I would think that’s pretty obvious, if you know what an epic story is. Even if you’re just talking about an epic movie in the sense of grand, sweeping cinematography, _Forrest Gump_ qualifies. Some images from the movie that immediately come to mind: Forrest and his company walking down the dirt road in Vietnam, just before they are attacked. Forrest and Jenny finding each other in the mirror pool in D.C. at the protest rally. Thousands of onlookers cheer them on. Famous scenic landmarks in the background. Forrest on his shrimp boat, silhouetted against a majestic sunset. Forrest running from coast to coast back and forth. Many great scenes here, but especially the desert scenes in Monument Valley in Utah. It really is a beautifully filmed, epic movie. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408/28 "2003-02-04T04:48:40Z")
…Fellowship of the Rings, the Two Towers, and, after next year, the Return of the King, of course… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![verbenabeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c4cdca/32.png) [@verbenabeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/verbenabeast)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408/29 "2003-02-04T04:55:57Z")
well… since someone montioned _Battleship Potemkin_ I think I should throw _Alexander Nevsky_ out for your consideration… ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408/30 "2003-02-04T04:59:48Z")
Morally repugnant but cinematically brilliant: _Birth of a Nation_ ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408/31 "2003-02-04T05:51:16Z")
Someone beat me to _The Right Stuff_. But certainly epic in scope and visuals. How about: _Kagemusha_ (although it feels a little truncated) _Mountains Of The Moon The Mission The Leopard The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire_ (if _Gladiator_ counts, this should too) _Is Paris Burning? A Passage To India Barabbas The 47 Ronin Pts. 1 & 2 The Four Feathers_ (1939 version) _Quo Vadis_ (the first two versions: 1912, 1951) Some personal suggestions for consideration: _The Blues Brothers The Lone Wolf And Cub_ series (especially the later films) _The Three & Four Musketeers_ films directed by Richard Lester. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408/32 "2003-02-04T06:02:07Z")
I don’t think _El Cid_ has been mentioned. (1962 or so.) A recent Chinese film called _The Emperor and the Assassin_, about the first Emperor of China (who brought all the separate kingdoms under the domain of Xin). I think it ranks with Kurosawa. _Gettysburg_; I’m looking forward to _Gods and Generals_. ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408/33 "2003-02-04T06:28:23Z")
_Sunshine_ It’s the story of three generations of a Jewish family in Hungary, told against the backdrop of the changing political scene. It starts under the Austro-Hungarian empire in the late 19th century, continues through the WWII era, and ends under the communist regime arond 1970 or so. Ralph Finnes plays three roles in series - father, son, and grandson. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408/34 "2003-02-04T07:26:41Z")
Cabiria (1914) Storm Over Asia (1928) Cimarron (1931) A Tale of Two Cities (1935) San Francisco (1936) The Good Earth (1937) Lost Horizon (1937) In Old Chicago (1937) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) Ivan the Terrible, Part One (1945) The Robe (1953) A Farewell to Arms (1957) King of Kings (1961) Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) All available on home video. ---
**Author:** ![lukaspriest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5a626/32.png) [@lukaspriest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lukaspriest)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408/35 "2003-02-04T08:13:37Z")
Man, someone just HAS to mention Les Miserables with Liam Neeson. Thats an amazing movie, set over many years. The locales are amazing to behold. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408/36 "2003-02-04T11:50:16Z")
What about _Willow_? Or perhaps the _Indiana Jones_ movies? Or, hmm, maybe _Gandhi_? Nah. I nominate _Monkeybone_ as a truly wonderful epic movie… ---
**Author:** ![Wolverine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba9def/32.png) [@Wolverine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolverine)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408/37 "2003-02-04T13:56:17Z")
I can’t believe nobody’s mentioned _Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon_. This movie lacked a little in epic battles in the thousands but it did have about a hundred in the desert skirmish. But the backdrop and music alone made this movie epic. ---
**Author:** ![Elenfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cc9497/32.png) [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408/38 "2003-02-04T14:37:51Z")
The french film _Germinal_, based on the Zola book. It was a film of epic proportions, cinematographically brilliant - it’s a dark, dark film, without the “epic battle” component of your definition, but has all the makings of the epic film otherwise - from the huge cast of thousands, to the brilliant photography and artistic direction… It was anything BUT an art film, which many associate with french cinematography. Worth seeing, if you haven’t already. Along the same lines, _Indochine_, another epic french film, is one which qualifies in _all_ those catetories. So there you go, the francophone’s contribution to the Epic Film Thread… E. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408/39 "2003-02-04T14:55:11Z")
Lots of good recommendations here. I’ll add. Glory ([http://us.imdb.com/Title?0097441](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0097441)) ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408/40 "2003-02-04T15:11:01Z")
The Mad Max series. Quit laughing at me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-epic-movies-for-me/152408.md?page=3)