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by blancNoir 1701 days ago
For long, unbroken, takes I would additionally recommend Bi Gan's 2018 film Long Day's Journey into Night whose second part features an hour long take over various open terrain and enclosures. I would recommend it in any case, as it's a beautiful film by a highly creative young director who was inspired by Tarkovsky to become a filmmaker.
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I would like to recommend Timecode (2000) [1]. The screen is divided into four quarters, each containing a single 93 minute take, all shot simultaneously. A camera will follow one person into a room and follow another one out, or you end up with multiple cameras showing different angles of the same events, or four completely unrelated events. Careful audio mixing and timing guides your attention.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timecode_(2000_film)

I saw this one in a theater when it came out. The audio effects were really good. IIRC many scenes were on an open set, in the streets of LA, so the actors and cinematographers had to deal with that in real time.
There's also Russian Ark, which is an insane 96 minute tracking shot of multiple scenes in the Winter Palace in St Petersburg.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Ark

Yes a beautiful movie until that violinist looks at the camera.
Thank you! Long Day’s Journey into the Night was the first movie I watch at the cinema after they reopened in 2020. I knew nothing about it. I was very confused by the first part, but when the second part started and I noticed they weren’t cutting I was locked in like few other times. I had never seen a movie that depicts so well how it feels to dream, and be in a dream.
Agreed! I knew to expect it, but not the slow burn of anxiety and mystery that (for me) resulted from being trapped in that single take as it evolved. Our screening was 2D but I think it was shot in 3D. I wonder if that would make the effect even more pronounced.
That was really impressive. From motorcycles to lifts, the camera continued throughout various platforms.

Bi Gan's long shots are definitely influenced by Tarkovsky. It's also thematically interesting to see the lives of rural Chinese villages.