Movies with intermission
by Chris-742 | created - 26 Jul 2014 | updated - 09 Jan 2020 | PublicMovies that has intermission, even on the DVD version. A charming remnant of when movies was so long there was a pause roughly in the middle of the movie to allow the film engineer to switch reels and everyone else to take a break. Not sure how to treat movies like Fellowship of the ring that come on two DVDs/Bluray. IIRC they did not have a theater intermission so should not count. (Work in progress)
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1. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
R | 229 min | Crime, Drama
A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan 35 years later, where he must once again confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.
Director: Sergio Leone | Stars: Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams
Votes: 377,940 | Gross: $5.32M
A very short intemission on the DVD, seems mostly a homage to real intermissions.
2. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
PG | 91 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table embark on a surreal, low-budget search for the Holy Grail, encountering many, very silly obstacles.
Directors: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones | Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam
Votes: 570,498 | Gross: $1.23M
More of a humourous intermission, added mid-scene contrasting sharply with the ongoing scene.
3. Ben-Hur (1959)
G | 212 min | Adventure, Drama
After a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend in 1st-century Jerusalem, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge.
Director: William Wyler | Stars: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet
Votes: 253,776 | Gross: $74.70M
Classical intermission with it's own theme. Intermission came at the end of disc 1 on the 2-DVD version I have, so you get to switch "reels" yourself. Disc 2 starts with an intermission for 3:40 minutes, with music and an "Entr'acte" sign.
4. Hello, Dolly! (1969)
G | 146 min | Adventure, Comedy, Musical
Matchmaker Dolly Levi travels to Yonkers to find a partner for "half-a-millionaire" Horace Vandergelder, convincing his niece, his niece's intended, and his two clerks to travel to New York City along the way.
Director: Gene Kelly | Stars: Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, Marianne McAndrew
Votes: 16,977 | Gross: $7.24M
The movie is only 2:20 long, yet there is an intermission of about a minute, complete with "Intermission" sign followed by a blackscreen to illustrate the reel change.
5. How the West Was Won (1962)
G | 164 min | Adventure, War, Western
A family saga covering several decades of Westward expansion in the 19th century, including the Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the building of the railroads.
Directors: John Ford, Henry Hathaway, George Marshall, Richard Thorpe | Stars: James Stewart, John Wayne, Gregory Peck, Henry Fonda
Votes: 23,343 | Gross: $46.50M
Classical intermission with "Entr'acte" and it's own theme. Lasts about a little over 2:30 minutes.
6. El Cid (1961)
Approved | 182 min | Biography, Drama, History
The fabled Spanish hero Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (a.k.a. El Cid) overcomes a family vendetta and court intrigue to defend Christian Spain against the Moors.
Director: Anthony Mann | Stars: Charlton Heston, Sophia Loren, Raf Vallone, Geneviève Page
Votes: 15,706 | Gross: $26.62M
Similar in to Ben Hur has an intermission with music and art, but they call it "Intermission" all the time. 3:10 minutes long. (Blu-Ray version).
7. Spartacus (1960)
PG-13 | 197 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
The slave Spartacus survives brutal training as a gladiator and leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic, as the ambitious Crassus seeks to gain power by crushing the uprising.
Directors: Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Mann | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton
Votes: 143,270 | Gross: $30.00M
"Intermission" fades into "Entr'act" which fades into black, with constant music. Total length about 2:30 minutes.
8. Gettysburg (1993)
PG | 271 min | Drama, History, War
In 1863, the Northern and Southern forces fight at Gettysburg in the decisive battle of the American Civil War.
Director: Ron Maxwell | Stars: Tom Berenger, Martin Sheen, Stephen Lang, Richard Jordan
Votes: 31,319 | Gross: $10.77M
My version comes on two DVDs, so you actually need to switch DVDs. Theater version also had an intermission (yes, I saw it on theater).
9. The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
Approved | 188 min | Drama, History, War
The death of Marcus Aurelius leads to a succession crisis, in which the deceased emperor's son, Commodus, demonstrates that he is unwilling to let anything undermine his claim to the Roman Empire.
Director: Anthony Mann | Stars: Sophia Loren, Stephen Boyd, Alec Guinness, James Mason
Votes: 10,153 | Gross: $4.75M
Thanks to Steve Randall
10. Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes (1965)
G | 138 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
Hoping to push Britain to the forefront of aviation, a London publisher organizes an international air race across the English Channel, but must contend with two entrants vying for his daughter, as well as national rivalries and cheating.
Director: Ken Annakin | Stars: Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles, James Fox, Alberto Sordi
Votes: 9,234 | Gross: $31.11M
Classical intermission with dark screen and music.
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