A feature film is a film that lasts more than one hour . The concept, therefore, is linked to the footage (from the French métrage ): that is, to the duration of the cinematographic proposal.
If the film has a duration that is a little less than sixty minutes, it is called a medium-length film . On the other hand, if the footage is very short, it is a short film . From shortest to longest duration, in short, the films are ordered as follows: short film, medium-length film, feature-length film.
In addition to everything stated above, we have to establish that among the synonyms for feature film we come across terms such as movie or film.
It is important to keep in mind that the average of sixty minutes to define a feature film is proposed by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) in its dictionary . There are institutions in the film industry that place the minimum length of a feature film at forty minutes.
In any case, the majority of films that are released commercially in theaters around the world are feature films. This is the format most used by filmmakers to tell stories on the big screen.
The films that can be seen on TV channels and that are available on various platforms on the Internet are also usually feature films. Viewers are accustomed to films lasting between ninety and one hundred and twenty minutes , although there are feature films that extend beyond three hours.
According to the UNESCO Memory of the World Register , "The Story of the Kelly Gang" was the first feature film in history. This silent film, released at the end of 1906 , was directed and written by Australian Charles Tait and lasts just over an hour.
Other curious facts about the feature films in history are the following:
-The first full-length color film that was projected in theaters was "On with the snow", which premiered in 1929. However, the first filmed and released in Technicolor was none other than "The Christmas Fair." , from 1935 and which was directed by Rouben Mamulian.
-The first sound feature film in the history of cinema was "The Jazz Singer", which premiered in 1927 and was directed by Aland Crosland. Of course, we also do not have to overlook that the first in sound history to be filmed in Spanish lands was titled "The Mystery of Puerta del Sol." This was filmed in 1929 by Francisco Elías and tells the story of two linotypists who dream of becoming film actors.
-The first feature film of the horror genre was "Le manoir du diable", which dates back to 1896 and was directed by Georges Mèlies.
-Among the longest feature films in the history of cinema are "Bitva za Moskvu" (1985), which lasts 5 hours and 58 minutes; "Empire" (1964), which lasts 8 hours; "The Journey" (1987), which lasts 14 hours and 33 minutes, and "Logistics" (2012), which lasts 888 hours.