Oh, I was not aware of this cinematic ruling. 

Anyway, I do feel that Red Cliff Part 1 and 2 is a bit uneven. 
I like characterization, but I also like movies to keep me on the toes (i.e., interested to know what happen next). 
Hence, I feel that the total of 5 hrs shld be trimmed, maybe to 3.5 or worse case, 4 hrs. 

Even though Europe/US will have a shorter version, the DVDs for the 2 parts is always available. 

rgds