# Which movies happen in "real time?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 28, 2005, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634 "2005-04-28T23:15:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634/1 "2005-04-28T23:15:15Z")
I can think of Phone Booth and Nick of Time – both thrillers. But there must be others, and in other genres, too. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634/2 "2005-04-28T23:18:44Z")
Two classics are _Rope_ and _High Noon_. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634/3 "2005-04-28T23:31:16Z")
The original version of _The Taking of Pelham One Two Three_ was in real-time. I don’t know about the remake. ---
**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:** [April 28, 2005, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634/4 "2005-04-28T23:37:16Z")
Going way back, **Fred Ott’s Sneeze** Andy Warhol’s **[Empire](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0196530/)**: eight hours of a single shot of the Empire State Building. Was \*\*12 Angry Men \*\* in real time? Same with **['night mother](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090556/)**. I know the play was, so I assume the movie was, too. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634/5 "2005-04-28T23:42:22Z")
> [@pinkfreud](#): > > The original version of _The Taking of Pelham One Two Three_ was in real-time. I don’t know about the remake. I didn’t even know there _was_ a remake, but the 1974 version definitely doesn’t take place in real time. Even putting aside all the little lapses here and there, like the time it takes for the Mayor to get downtown, and for Walter Matthau to get in the car with Inspector Daniels, there is a large gap after the hijacking where Matthau and Jerry Stiller (oddly, since they’re transit cops and not NYPD) have spent the afternoon checking into former transit employees when they come across Mr. Green. Several hours have clearly passed. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634/6 "2005-04-28T23:43:17Z")
OK, I guess my memory of _Pelham_ was flawed. Good movie, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634/7 "2005-04-29T01:24:48Z")
Bruce Campbell’s [Running Time](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120042/) which, like Hitchcock’s Rope, has no (visible) cuts. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634/8 "2005-04-29T01:27:46Z")
The Highlander was a documentary and was filmed in real time. Couldn’t resist. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634/9 "2005-04-29T01:31:56Z")
There was an episode of the TV show **M_A_S\*H** which was done in Real Time – they had about 2 minuts to repair a soldier’s tattered aorta before the loss of blood paralyzed his lower body. They had a clock running i the lower right corner to let you know how much time was left. A very cute touch was that the clock continued to run through the commercials (you didn’t see it, of course), so that when the show resumed you noticed that you’d lost two or three minutes. It stands out as well because, AFAIcan recall, this is the only show that the long-time medical dvisor co-wrote. The original version of **Invaders from Mars** (the one directed by Menzies) is ofen called a “classic”. I don’t think so, myself, but that’s not the point. What makes it germane to this thread is that at the end the Army sets up explosives to blow up the Martian underground base, and the set the timer for three minutes. What then follows, until the explosion, shows our kid hero running away and recalling all the incidents leading up to this point. It feels like a lot of pointless filler and padding, but if you actually _time_ the interval between setting the explosives and the explosion, it works out to exactly the hree minutes it’s supposed to be. I don’t know of any other cases where the supposed timing in the movie works out to th same eriod of screen time – they usually cheat, usually by making the time too short. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634/10 "2005-04-29T01:43:20Z")
This may be of interest: [Nine Movies That Take Place in Real Time](http://www.cassavafilms.com/list9_2002/list9_071402.html). ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634/11 "2005-04-29T01:57:32Z")
> [@pinkfreud](#): > > This may be of interest: [Nine Movies That Take Place in Real Time](http://www.cassavafilms.com/list9_2002/list9_071402.html). 'sfunny, _The Taking of Pelham One Two Three_ is on that list but my recollection of it is the same as **Bryan Ekers** , I don’t think the movie DOES take place in real time. It has been at least 20 years since I last saw it though, anyone else know for sure? ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634/12 "2005-04-29T02:04:17Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Was \*\*12 Angry Men \*\* in real time? The bulk of the movie does, although there are brief scenes at the beginning and the end that are separated from the jury-room debate by at least a few minutes. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634/13 "2005-04-29T02:09:38Z")
Regarding _The Taking of Pelham One Two Three_: "THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE… The film has a novel execution; it takes place in real time. In the opening minutes, the culprits hijack a subway train and hold it for ransom. They want a million dollars in one hour or they will start shooting passengers. The rest of the film the authorities, led by Matthau, jump through hoops to get the money to the crooks in under an hour. The filmmakers waste no time in thrusting you into the middle of the action. This approach successfully creates the tension. Unlike most movies filmed in real time (RABID DOGS, HIGH NOON, NICK OF TIME) there are no lulls because of the script’s rapid pacing. From the moment you hear the driving soundtrack there’s not an inch of celluloid wasted, and your attention is riveted throughout." [http://www.dvdcult.com/rev\_Pelham123.htm](http://www.dvdcult.com/rev_Pelham123.htm) “As the action unfolds (in real time), Sargent neatly ratchets up the tension and keeps his audience guessing, Matthau’s character coming up with most of the questions and possible answers as the authorities attempt to figure out how to save the lives of the hostages and nab the bad guys into the bargain.” [http://www.thezreview.co.uk/features/takingofpelham123.htm](http://www.thezreview.co.uk/features/takingofpelham123.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634/14 "2005-04-29T02:11:36Z")
Alright, now I have to rent it and refresh my memory. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634/15 "2005-04-29T02:33:06Z")
Oh, how about **Speed**? The first, what, 20 minutes take place in real time, then there’s a scene set some weeks later, then the next scene is at least a day later but the movie goes on from there in real time. (Well, maybe there’s a few minutes that get skipped after they get off the bus.) –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634/16 "2005-04-29T02:38:25Z")
I came in here to mention the French film _Cléo de 5 à 7_, but I see it’s in **pinkfreud** ’s link, but I’ll mention it anyway. It’s actually Cléo from 5 to about 6:30. Cléo’s a singer and somewhat of a spoiled brat, IIRC, and she’s waiting for the results of some medical test that was done. She meets a soldier who’s on his way to fight in the Algerian war. (You can catch cameos of Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina if you have sharp eyes.) ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634/17 "2005-04-29T02:57:47Z")
I was going to mention Timecode, but it was in the link pinkfrued gave. It’s even lamer than the link says. Neat concept, poorly executed. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634/18 "2005-04-29T04:15:25Z")
How 'bout My Dinner With Andre? ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634/19 "2005-04-29T04:19:20Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > they had about 2 minutes to repair a soldier’s tattered aorta … you noticed that you’d lost two or three minutes. Oops! He’s dead! What’ll we do for the rest of the show? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634/20 "2005-04-29T04:36:22Z")
Robert Ryan as a washed-up boxer in trouble with mobsters in [The Set-Up](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0041859/combined). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-happen-in-real-time/301634.md?page=2)