Big Screen

The long, long titles: Part 1

Movies with names so long, one card can't hold 'em

By Scott Marks, April 16, 2013

Fox News notwithstanding, America's generally pride themselves on brevity, particularly when it comes to opening credit sequences.

Look how much text Hollywood can cram into one title card:

None

It's a good thing pretentious Parisian gasbag Johnny Godard's Weekend wasn't filmed in Terrorama. How do you like that guy? Two cards to get out one compound word:

None

Here are a few pictures whose titles take up 2, 3, and in one case, 15 cards to spell their names out. More to follow in a day or two. This trawling for titles takes time!

Jean Vigo's "À propos de Nice" (1930).

Jean Vigo's "À propos de Nice" (1930).

Jean-Luc Godard's "Charlotte et Véronique, or All the Boys are Called Patrick" (1959).

Jean-Luc Godard's "Charlotte et Véronique, or All the Boys are Called Patrick" (1959).

Martin Scorsese's "American Boy: A Profile of: Steven Prince" (1978).

Winsor McCay's "Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: Bug Vaudeville" (1921).

Winsor McCay's "Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: Bug Vaudeville" (1921).

Bam Margera's "CKY 3" (2001).

Bam Margera's "CKY 3" (2001).

Jacques Rivette's "Céline et Julie vont en bateau - Phantom Ladies Over Paris" (1974).

Jacques Rivette's "Céline et Julie vont en bateau - Phantom Ladies Over Paris" (1974).

John Ford's "Chesty: A Tribute to a Legend" (1976).

John Ford's "Chesty: A Tribute to a Legend" (1976).

Abel Ferrera's "China Girl" (1987).

Abel Ferrera's "China Girl" (1987).

Mike Nichol's "Closer" (2004).

Mike Nichol's "Closer" (2004).

Eric Rohmer's "Six Moral Tales IV: La Collectionneuse" (1967).

Eric Rohmer's "Six Moral Tales IV: La Collectionneuse" (1967).

Sam Wood's "The Devil and Miss Jones" (1941).

Sam Wood's "The Devil and Miss Jones" (1941).

Fritz Lang's "Die Nibelungen - Kriemheld's Revenge" (1924).

Fritz Lang's "Die Nibelungen - Kriemheld's Revenge" (1924).

From the trailer for Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove" (1963).

From the trailer for Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove" (1963).

Gaspar Noe's "Enter the Void" (2011).

Gaspar Noe's "Enter the Void" (2011).

Woody Allen's "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex...But Were Afraid to Ask" (1973).

Woody Allen's "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex...But Were Afraid to Ask" (1973).

Jane Campion's "An Exercise in Discipline - Peel" (1982).

Jane Campion's "An Exercise in Discipline - Peel" (1982).

The Dionne quintuplets third feature, Herbert I. Leeds' "Five of a Kind" (1938).

The Dionne quintuplets third feature, Herbert I. Leeds' "Five of a Kind" (1938).

Victor Fleming's "Gone With the Wind" (1939).

Victor Fleming's "Gone With the Wind" (1939).

From the trailer for Sergio Leone's "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" (1967).

From the trailer for Sergio Leone's "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" (1967).

"Harold Lloyd's World of Comedy" (1962).

"Harold Lloyd's World of Comedy" (1962).

Larry Cohen's "Hell Up in Harlem" (1973).

Larry Cohen's "Hell Up in Harlem" (1973).

From Jack Arnold's "Hello Down There" (1969).

From Jack Arnold's "Hello Down There" (1969).

Frank Capra's "A Hole in the Head" (1959).

Frank Capra's "A Hole in the Head" (1959).

Ingmar Bergman's "How to Commit Marriage" (1969).

Ingmar Bergman's "How to Commit Marriage" (1969).

Kenneth Anger's " Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome" (1954).

Kenneth Anger's " Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome" (1954).

From the trailer for Jean-Luc Godard's "Made in U.S.A." (1966).

From the trailer for Jean-Luc Godard's "Made in U.S.A." (1966).

From the trailer for Jean-Luc Godard's "Masculine Feminine" (1966).

From the trailer for Jean-Luc Godard's "Masculine Feminine" (1966).

Kenneth G. Crane's "Monster from Green Hell" (1957).

Kenneth G. Crane's "Monster from Green Hell" (1957).

From Mitchell Leisen's "Earl Carroll's Murder at the Vanities" (1934).

From Mitchell Leisen's "Earl Carroll's Murder at the Vanities" (1934).

From the trailer for George Pollock's "Murder Most Foul" (1964).

From the trailer for George Pollock's "Murder Most Foul" (1964).

More like this:

Spot the Fake Title Quiz: Cartoon Edition — May 15, 2013
The Spot the Fake Title Quiz — May 14, 2013
Go tell it on the mountain: a pictorial history of the Paramount logo — May 6, 2013
The long, long titles: Part 2 — April 22, 2013
See the book, read the movie — April 4, 2013

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