# What was the first 'single movie' released in theatres as multiple films? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [January 16, 2022, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878 "2022-01-16T01:44:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878/1 "2022-01-16T01:44:04Z")
We’re watching Cleopatra (1963). Joe Mankiewicz came out with a six-hour film, which he suggested should be released as two, separate, three-hour films. It wasn’t. So what was the first ‘single film’ that was released in two or more parts? The first one that I can think of is The Lord Of The RIngs. Granted, the story was in three books; but it’s all one story. Star Wars? No. It was conceived as a ‘1930s-style serial’. Each story was self-contained; unlike TLotR or Cleopatra. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878/2 "2022-01-16T01:50:54Z")
> **[List of films split into multiple parts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_split_into_multiple_parts)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > Over the history of cinema, some films have been split into multiple parts. This has been done for creative, practical, and financial reasons. Originally done in the form of low-budget serial films, more recently it has often been done with big-budget feature films. > Early examples were serials, which were produced in chapters of 10–30 minutes each, and presented in theaters one each week as a prelude to feature films on the same ticket. With eac... The first one on that list is _Die Nibelungen_ by Fritz Lang, 1924. ---
**Author:** ![Tabco](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tabco/32/7644_2.png) [@Tabco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabco)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878/3 "2022-01-16T01:51:17Z")
Back to the Future maybe? I know filming for parts II and III were combined to save money. ---
**Author:** ![Uniqueorn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uniqueorn/32/2807_2.png) [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878/4 "2022-01-16T01:52:37Z")
There was a German silent movie called The Indian Tomb, which was released in two parts in the 1920s: > **[The Indian Tomb (1921 film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Indian_Tomb_(1921_film))** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > The Indian Tomb (German: Das indische Grabmal; 1921) was a two-part German silent film directed by Joe May. > It is based on the 1918 novel Das indische Grabmal by Thea von Harbou. It comprised two parts, Part I: The Mission of the Yogi and Part II: The Tiger of Bengal (German: Die Sendung des Yoghi; Der Tiger von Eschnapur). Part I received its première in Berlin on 22 October 1921, and Part II on 17 November 1921. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878/5 "2022-01-16T01:53:28Z")
I’m sure you’re looking for Hollywood movies, but from the USSR came [War and Peace](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_and_Peace_(film_series)), released in 4 installments but bingable today on one sitting. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878/6 "2022-01-16T01:58:54Z")
> [@Tabco](#): > > Back to the Future maybe? I know filming for parts II and III were combined to save money. No, those don’t count; as they were stand-alone movies rather than a single story. Filming II and III concurrently/consecutively is coincidental. > [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > I’m sure you’re looking for Hollywood movies… Yes. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878/7 "2022-01-16T02:07:50Z")
The first “sequel” I can think of that makes little or no sense without the film that preceded it is Laurel and Hardy’s _ **Tit for Tat** _. It was released in January 1935, five months after _ **Them Thar Hills** _, which gave the reason for the animosity between their two sets of characters. I write “sequel” because it apparently wasn’t planned to be one. It was made in response to the popularity of the first movie. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878/8 "2022-01-16T02:27:10Z")
From **Riemann** ’s link, the earliest films that I would consider “Hollywood” Is Richard Lester’s version of _The Three Musketeers_, which he split into 1973’s _The Three Musketeers_ and 1974’s _The Four Musketeers_. However, that was mainly British, so I don’t know if **Johnny\_L.A.** would consider it “Hollywood”. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Burden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@Jack\_Burden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Burden)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878/9 "2022-01-16T02:30:48Z")
1973 The Three Musketeers was shot as one long epic film, including an intermission. During production the decision was made to release it as two separate films, resulting in 1974 The Four Musketeers. The cast however, was only contracted for the one film and paid accordingly. Per Wikipedia “This led to the Screen Actors Guild requiring all future actors’ contracts to include what has become known as the “Salkind clause” (named after producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind), which stipulates that single productions cannot be split into film installments without prior contractual agreement.” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878/10 "2022-01-16T02:32:55Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > mainly British, so I don’t know if **Johnny\_L.A.** would consider it “Hollywood”. Acceptable, as it was in wide-release in the United States. I didn’t know about this, as to me, it was one of those forgettable early-'70s films. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878/11 "2022-01-16T02:41:10Z")
> [@Tabco](#): > > Back to the Future maybe? I know filming for parts II and III were combined to save money. > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > No, those don’t count; as they were stand-alone movies rather than a single story. Filming II and III concurrently/consecutively is coincidental. [Parts II & III were originally one long film, titled _Paradox_.](https://backtothefuture.fandom.com/wiki/Paradox_script) “If the western chapter of the story was relegated to being part of just one sequel instead of two, it would had to have been streamlined to a point where it would have been merely a brief episode within the story. The luxury of having ‘Part III’ allowed us to give the film more texture and make the story richer.” - [Robert Zemeckis](https://www.backtothefuture.com/cast/robert-zemeckis) ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878/12 "2022-01-16T03:10:49Z")
I gather that Abel Gance’s _Napoléon_ was supposed to have six parts, but he abandoned it after only the first. The ending of the first (only) part pretty much demands that the second follow on immediately. Obviously it was not strictly Hollywood, but my mother (born 1919) saw the (slightly dubbed) American release as a child in Brooklyn, so it must have had a decentish sort of release in the States. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878/13 "2022-01-16T03:37:54Z")
Lang did it over again in 1959 as _Tigress of Bengal_ and _The Indian Tomb_ (featuring Debra Paget’s notorious “snake dance”), later edited together as _Journey to the Lost City_. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878/14 "2022-01-16T14:45:51Z")
Erich von Stroheim’s _Greed_ was eight hours long; he suggested it be shown in two parts. The studio cut it down to two hours. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878/15 "2022-01-16T15:18:01Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > The first one that I can think of is The Lord Of The RIngs. Granted, the story was in three books; but it’s all one story. There was also the Ralph Bakshi animated LOTR. It was meant to be released in two parts but as far I know the second half was never made. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878/16 "2022-01-16T17:47:35Z")
Not the first, but _Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring_ (1986) is all one story, and the true power of the story isn’t revealed until you’ve seen both. It did get wide release in the US and was reviewed on Siskel and Ebert. The original movie (1951) was also supposed to be released in two parts, but the distributors balked and cut it down to one. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878/17 "2022-01-18T22:52:56Z")
Not quite what you asked, but a buddy’s father took his three boys–ages maybe 12/11/9–to see _Gone With the Wind_. At intermission, the boys stood as one and headed for the exit. Poor dad was reduced to running after them calling “Wait! There’s more!” Not sure whether they stayed for the second half or not–they were NOT enjoying it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878/18 "2022-01-18T23:08:00Z")
Yeah, my sister tricked me into going with her to watch a screening (Uh… Not a first release) when I was little. I asked her if it was a war movie. She said it was. OK, technically a lot of it happens in wartime; but it wasn’t The Green Berets. I’m sure she knew what I meant. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878/19 "2022-01-18T23:48:06Z")
OK, that’s classic. I like your sister. ---
**Author:** ![txtumbleweed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@txtumbleweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txtumbleweed)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2022, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878/20 "2022-01-19T04:53:59Z")
[Les Vampires](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Vampires) While digging around for the the link on _The Human Condition_, I found this film mentioned on Wiki as the first film released as a serial in 1915-1916 and runs 421 minutes. [The Human Condition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Human_Condition_(film_series)) Probably not the first, but Masaki Kobayashi’s _The Human Condition_ is one of the longest. It was released in three parts between 1959-1961, but I believe it is considered a single movie and in a single sitting runs over 9 1/2 hours. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-single-movie-released-in-theatres-as-multiple-films/957878.md?page=2)