What Are The Best Historical Movies of All Time?

There’s nothing like seeing a giant epic on the big screen. There’s something about feeling the weight of the events in a crowded theater that just sings to me. That’s why I always seek out the best historical movies, they just move me.

And in a world where intellectual property rule Hollywood, the historical genre is more valuable than ever for writers and directors.

Today, I want to go over this genre. We’ll look at the definition, the tropes, and unpack the best historical films of all time.

Let’s dive in.

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Defining the Historical Film

A historical film is a broad genre, generally defined as any movie dramatizing events or people from a past era. These films blend fact with varying levels of creative license. While aiming for some degree of historical accuracy, filmmakers also strive for drama, emotional resonance, and compelling storytelling.

History of Historical Films

Historical films have existed since the dawn of cinema because humans have always used art to express their feelings on the past.

Early examples, like the silent film The Birth of a Nation (1915), were often rife with inaccuracies and biases. And lots of other bad things.

Yet, they still captivated audiences with their epic scope and explorations of the past. As filmmaking techniques evolved, so did the sophistication of historical films.

The Birth of a Genre (Early Cinema to 1920s)

• Primitive Beginnings: The earliest historical films were short and simple, often depicting key events like battles or coronations with limited sets and theatrical acting styles.
• Italian Epics: Italy spearheaded the trend of feature-length historical spectacles. Movies like Quo Vadis? (1912) and Cabiria (1914) wowed audiences with lavish sets, thousands of extras, and tales of the ancient world.
• D.W. Griffith’s Controversies: American director D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation (1915) was a technical landmark but also notorious for its glorification of the Ku Klux Klan and racist distortions of history.

The Golden Age of Hollywood (1930s to 1950s)

• Studio-Era Spectacle: With the advent of sound, studios churned out historical adventures, romances, and biopics filled with swashbuckling heroes and romanticized pasts.
• Prestige and Propaganda: Historical films gained greater respectability while also being used for nationalistic purposes, especially during World War II.
• The Rise of the Epic: Postwar years saw monumental films like Ben-Hur (1959) and Cleopatra (1963), notable for their scale and ambition, even if sometimes at the expense of historical accuracy.

New Waves and Revisionism (1960s to 1990s)

• Challenging Tradition: Filmmakers began exploring history with more cynicism and nuance, reflecting changing social attitudes. Films like Bonnie and Clyde (1967) de-glamorized historical outlaws.
• The European Influence: European cinema contributed a greater sense of realism and historical complexity in films like The Conformist (1970) and Reds (1981).
• Fact vs. Fiction: Tension grew between the desire for historical accuracy and dramatic storytelling. Blockbusters like Braveheart (1995) were often criticized for their historical liberties.

The Modern Era (2000s to Present)

• Technological Leaps: Advances in CGI and special effects allow filmmakers to recreate the past with breathtaking detail and scope.
• Diverse Perspectives: There’s increased focus on telling stories from marginalized voices and revisiting historical events with a critical lens (12 Years a Slave, Selma).
• The Global Stage: Filmmakers worldwide contribute unique historical narratives, expanding our understanding of the past through cinema.

Tropes of Historical Films

There are always tropes that go across any genre. They are the building blocks that can be used or subverted when you want to tell one of these stories.

Here are just a few from historical films.

• The Hero’s Journey: Historical movies often center on a protagonist on a quest, facing daunting odds to achieve a great goal or overcome injustice.
• Love Across Divides: Romance is a potent force in many historical films, often set against the backdrop of war, class divides, or political conflict.
• The Battle Spectacle: Recreating defining battles allows historical films to showcase visually stunning set pieces and acts of courage.
• Historical Revisionism: Some historical films purposefully subvert established narratives, presenting lesser-known perspectives or re-examining traditional interpretations of the past.

The Historical Genre Across the World

Obviously, history comes the entire world, not just Hollywood. Other countries than America have way vaster stories to dig from, and they do.

It turns out, audiences everywhere love these stories. And global films challenge dominant narratives and present historical events from the perspective of different cultures and communities.

So let’s see what they’re up to across the earth—this is in no way a complete list, just a highlight of some of the best.

Key Regions and Themes

• Japan: Japan boasts a rich tradition of historical films, especially the jidaigeki genre. These often focus on samurai and feudal periods, offering thrilling action and insights into Japanese culture. Notable examples include:
  • Seven Samurai (1954): Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece about ronin warriors defending a village.
  • Ran (1985): Kurosawa’s retelling of King Lear in feudal Japan.
  • 13 Assassins (2010): A group of samurai plot to take down a sadistic lord.
• India: Bollywood excels at sweeping historical epics filled with lavish costumes, music, and melodrama. These often center on key figures or events in Indian history. Some standouts include:
  • Mughal-e-Azam (1960): A love story between a Mughal prince and a courtesan, set against a backdrop of court intrigue.
  • Jodhaa Akbar (2008): Explores the romance between Mughal emperor Akbar and a Rajput princess.
  • Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) and Baahubali: The Conclusion (2017): Epic fantasy films inspired by Indian mythology and history.
• Europe: European cinema boasts a long and diverse history of historical filmmaking, often focusing on nuanced social issues and complex historical events. Some prominent examples include:
  • The Pianist (2002, France/Poland/Germany/UK): A harrowing portrayal of the Holocaust.
  • Pan’s Labyrinth (2006, Spain/Mexico): A dark fantasy set during the Spanish Civil War.
  • Downfall (2004, Germany): A chilling look at Hitler’s final days.
  • The Counterfeiters (2007, Austria): A morally complex drama about Nazi counterfeiting operations.
• China: Chinese cinema offers grand historical epics and intimate personal stories. Films often examine pivotal moments in Chinese history or delve into traditional culture. Examples include:
  • Farewell My Concubine (1993): A sweeping drama spanning decades of Chinese political and social upheaval through the lives of opera performers.
  • Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000): Ang Lee’s wuxia masterpiece with fantastical elements.
  • Hero (2002): A visually stunning retelling of an assassination attempt on the King of Qin.

The Best Historical Movies of All Time

Here’s a selection of historical films spanning different eras and styles. I picked all of my favorites and tried to keep the list to an actual “best of”, but there’s a high chance I forgot some of your favorites.

This is all subjective. The point is to get you watching great films.

• Schindler’s List (1993): A harrowing yet essential portrayal of the Holocaust, following Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who risks everything to save Jewish lives.
• Lawrence of Arabia (1962): David Lean’s epic masterpiece chronicles T.E. Lawrence’s complex journey during the Arab Revolt of World War I.
• 12 Years a Slave (2013): The unflinching true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man kidnapped and sold into slavery in the pre-Civil War South.
• The Pianist (2002): Adrien Brody stars in this heartbreaking story of a Polish Jewish pianist struggling to survive the Holocaust in Warsaw.
• Come and See (1985): A relentlessly brutal and unforgettable Soviet film about the horrors of World War II witnessed through the eyes of a young boy.
• Ran (1985): Akira Kurosawa’s visually stunning and tragic adaptation of Shakespeare’s “King Lear” set amidst the chaos of feudal Japan.
• Gandhi (1982): Ben Kingsley delivers a transformative performance as Mahatma Gandhi in this sweeping biopic about the Indian leader’s fight for independence.
• Saving Private Ryan (1998): Steven Spielberg’s graphic and visceral depiction of the D-Day invasion and the ensuing mission to rescue one paratrooper.
• The Last Emperor (1987): The opulent and sweeping biography of Puyi, from his childhood as the final Emperor of China to his life as an ordinary citizen.
• Spartacus (1960): Kirk Douglas embodies the defiance of the iconic gladiator who led a slave uprising against the might of the Roman Empire.
• Dunkirk (2017): A masterful and immersive portrayal of the evacuation of British soldiers from Dunkirk, France, during a desperate moment in World War II.
• Ben-Hur (1959): A thrilling adventure centered on a Jewish prince enslaved by the Romans, culminating in an iconic chariot race.
• Paths of Glory (1957): Stanley Kubrick’s searing anti-war film about soldiers unjustly court-martialed during World War I.
• Dr. Zhivago (1965): A sweeping romance set against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution, following a doctor and poet caught in a passionate love triangle.
• Amadeus (1984): A visually lavish exploration of the rivalry between composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, with hints of fictionalization.
• Malcolm X (1992): Denzel Washington’s powerful portrayal of the controversial civil rights leader in Spike Lee’s dynamic and thought-provoking biopic.
• The King’s Speech (2010): Colin Firth stars as King George VI, who works to overcome his stutter with the help of a speech therapist in the lead-up to World War II.
• 1917 (2019): Sam Mendes’ technically dazzling depiction of World War I, with its “one-shot” style creating an immersive trench warfare experience.
• The Right Stuff (1983): An exhilarating and inspiring look at the early days of the US space program and the test pilots who became the Mercury Seven astronauts.
• A Bridge Too Far (1977): A star-studded war epic recreating the disastrous Operation Market Garden, an Allied airborne operation during World War II.
• The Conformist (1970): Bernardo Bertolucci’s visually stunning and psychologically complex film about a fascist collaborator in Mussolini’s Italy.
• Dances with Wolves (1990): Kevin Costner directs and stars in this revisionist Western about a Civil War soldier’s integration and respect for a Lakota tribe.
• Reds (1981): Warren Beatty’s sweeping epic about journalist John Reed, his love affair with Louise Bryant, and their involvement in the Russian Revolution.
• All Quiet on the Western Front (1930): A classic anti-war film told from the German perspective in World War I, renowned for its unflinching portrayal of combat.
• The Deer Hunter (1978): Michael Cimino’s exploration of the devastating toll of the Vietnam War on a group of friends from a small Pennsylvania town.
• The Untouchables (1987): Brian De Palma’s stylized take on Eliot Ness’s pursuit of Al Capone during the Prohibition era.
• Bonnie and Clyde (1967): Arthur Penn’s romanticized yet ultimately tragic depiction of the infamous Depression-era outlaws.
• There Will Be Blood (2007): Paul Thomas Anderson’s dark masterpiece about a ruthless oilman’s ambition and the rise of California’s early oil industry.
• Downfall (2004): A chilling German-language film depicting Hitler’s final days in his bunker as the Third Reich collapses around him.
• Elizabeth (1998): Cate Blanchett delivers a commanding performance as the young Queen Elizabeth I, navigating the treacherous world of 16th-century English politics.
• The Battle of Algiers (1966): A docudrama-style portrayal of the Algerian fight for independence from France, known for its realistic portrayal of conflict.
• Django Unchained (2012): Quentin Tarantino’s stylized and violent revenge fantasy set in the pre-Civil War South, where a freed slave teams up with a bounty hunter to rescue his wife.
• Apollo 13 (1995): Ron Howard’s gripping dramatization of the real-life Apollo 13 mission where an onboard explosion jeopardizes the astronauts’ return to Earth.
• The Lives of Others (2006): A chilling exploration of life under surveillance in East Germany as a Stasi agent becomes obsessed with a playwright and his lover.
• Atonement (2007): A sweeping yet tragic love story where a young girl’s lie has devastating consequences stretching across multiple lives and the backdrop of World War II.
• The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006): Two Irish brothers are swept into the fight for independence from Britain, leading to conflict between themselves in this historical drama.
• The Counterfeiters (2007): Based on a true story, a Jewish counterfeiter is forced to aid the Nazi war effort in this morally complex and thrilling drama.
• Selma (2014): Ava DuVernay’s powerful portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr. and the struggle for voting rights that led to the historic march from Selma to Montgomery.
• Lincoln (2012): Daniel Day-Lewis embodies Abraham Lincoln in this focused look at the president’s fight to pass the 13th amendment abolishing slavery.
• Hidden Figures (2016): An uplifting and inspiring story about the brilliant African American women whose mathematical work was crucial to NASA’s success during the Space Race.
• The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014): Wes Anderson’s whimsical and darkly humorous tale set in a luxurious European hotel on the precipice of World War II.
• The Killing Fields (1984): A harrowing account of a Cambodian journalist’s survival during the brutal Khmer Rouge regime.
• Hotel Rwanda (2004): A powerful and inspiring story of a hotel manager who shelters Tutsi refugees during the Rwandan genocide.
• The Last Samurai (2003): Tom Cruise stars as an American military officer who finds himself drawn into the world of the samurai during Japan’s transition to modernity.
• Letters from Iwo Jima (2006): Clint Eastwood’s companion piece to “Flags of Our Fathers” offers the Japanese perspective of the brutal battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.
• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003): A meticulously detailed and thrilling naval adventure following a British warship’s pursuit of a French vessel during the Napoleonic Wars.
• The Elephant Man (1980): David Lynch’s moving biographical film about Joseph Merrick, a severely deformed man in Victorian England finding dignity behind the monstrous façade.
• Munich (2005): Spielberg’s tense and morally complex thriller about a covert Israeli squad’s retaliation following the 1972 Munich Olympics terrorist attack.
• Glory (1989): The gripping story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the first all-black volunteer unit in the Union Army during the Civil War.
• The Motorcycle Diaries (2004): Follows the young Che Guevara on a formative road trip across South America, exploring themes of social injustice and the spark of revolution.
• The French Revolution (1989): A sprawling two-part epic that captures the tumultuous events and figures of the French Revolution from varying perspectives.
• Braveheart (1995): Visceral and rousing, but heavily criticized for historical inaccuracies.
• Inglourious Basterds (2009): A Tarantino-esque fantasy; more about bloody vengeance than historical accuracy.
• The Favourite (2018): Unconventional, darkly funny, plays loose with historical details for dramatic effect.
• Gladiator (2000): A crowd-pleasing spectacle, but takes significant liberties with the Roman era.
• Das Boot (1981): Masterful and tense, yet its narrow focus on a U-boat crew might feel limiting for some.
• Seven Samurai (1954): A true classic, but its Japanese setting might not appeal to everyone.
• The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928): A silent film icon, but its style might feel dated to some viewers.
• Barry Lyndon (1975): Kubrick’s trademark meticulousness, some find it slow-paced, but a visual masterpiece
• Gangs of New York (2002): Scorsese’s gritty vision, yet violent and some find the plot convoluted.

Let me know what you think in the comments.