History 2, 1607-1920
These are movies based on historical, or pseudo-historical, events or people. Most are fictionalized historical dramas with some documentaries thrown in. The majority are probably only partially accurate, historically, at best.
Some period pieces, especially Oscar winners and classic works of literature when appropriate, are added as general cultural reference points for the time period.
List order is chronological by setting of the latest date in the film.
This list starts with the Enlightenment and the early settlement by Europeans of the "New World" and runs up to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles after World War I.
Some period pieces, especially Oscar winners and classic works of literature when appropriate, are added as general cultural reference points for the time period.
List order is chronological by setting of the latest date in the film.
This list starts with the Enlightenment and the early settlement by Europeans of the "New World" and runs up to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles after World War I.
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- DirectorTerrence MalickStarsColin FarrellQ'orianka KilcherChristopher PlummerThe story of the English exploration of Virginia, and of the changing world and loves of Pocahontas.
- DirectorVladimir KhotinenkoStarsPyotr KislovMichal ZebrowskiArtur SmolyaninovThe czar of Russia has died and a power vacuum has developed. This period in late 16th and early 17th century has been called "The Time of Troubles.
- DirectorJulie DelpyStarsJulie DelpyDaniel BrühlWilliam HurtA 17th century Hungarian countess embarks on a murderous undertaking, with the belief that bathing in the blood of virgins will preserve her beauty.
- DirectorLisa Quijano WolfingerStarsNicholas AsburyChristopher HaasKeith BartlettAn in-depth dramatization of the story of the Pilgrims
- DirectorXavier KollerStarsAdam BeachMandy PatinkinSheldon Peters WolfchildFictional chronicle of Squanto's life prior to and including the arrival of the "Mayflower" in 1620.
- StarsVincent KartheiserKalani QueypoTatanka MeansStory of the Voyage of the Mayflower and the first year of The Pilgrims in America.
- DirectorStephen HerekStarsCharlie SheenKiefer SutherlandChris O'DonnellFrance, 1625: Young d'Artagnan heads to Paris to join the Musketeers but the evil cardinal has disbanded them - save 3. He meets the 3, Athos, Porthos and Aramis, and joins them on their quest to save the king and country.
- DirectorRobert EggersStarsAnya Taylor-JoyRalph InesonKate DickieA family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession.
- DirectorBruce BeresfordStarsLothaire BluteauAden YoungSandrine HoltIn the 17th century, a Jesuit missionary nicknamed Black Robe by the natives and his small party of companions try reaching the Huron tribe in Canada all while facing mistrust, Iroquois warring parties and harsh winter conditions.
- DirectorKen HughesStarsRichard HarrisAlec GuinnessRobert MorleyPuritan statesman Oliver Cromwell leads England in a civil war against the absolutist and Catholic-sympathetic King Charles I.
- DirectorMika KaurismäkiStarsMalin BuskaSarah GadonMichael NyqvistTHE GIRL KING paints a portrait of the brilliant, extravagant Kristina of Sweden, queen from age six, who fights the conservative forces that are against her ideas to modernize Sweden and who have no tolerance for her awakening sexuality.
- DirectorLaurent TirardStarsRomain DurisFabrice LuchiniLaura MoranteTo satisfy his creditors, a witty actor reinvents himself as a satirical playwright, with uproarious, yet bittersweet, results.
- DirectorRandall WallaceStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJeremy IronsJohn MalkovichThe cruel King Louis XIV of France has a secret twin brother whom he keeps imprisoned. Can the twin be substituted for the real king?
- DirectorRoel ReinéStarsFrank LammersSanne LangelaarBarry AtsmaWhen the young republic of The Netherlands is attacked by England, France, and Germany, and the country is on the brink of civil war, only one man can lead the country's strongest weapon, the Dutch fleet: Michiel de Ruyter.
- DirectorLaurence DunmoreStarsJohnny DeppSamantha MortonJohn MalkovichThe story of John Wilmot, a.k.a. the Earl of Rochester, a 17th century poet who famously drank and debauched his way to an early grave, only to earn posthumous critical acclaim for his life's work.
- DirectorRenzo MartinelliStarsF. Murray AbrahamAndrea IaiaEnrico Lo VersoIn the summer of 1683, 300,000 warriors of the Ottoman Empire began the siege of Vienna. The fall of the city would have opened the way to conquer Europe. On September 11. was the main battle between the Polish cavalry and the Turks.
- DirectorJoseph SargentStarsKirstie AlleyHenry CzernyGloria ReubenA masterful work accurately details the current consensus of what exactly occurred to prompt the colonial witch trials.
- DirectorNicholas HytnerStarsDaniel Day-LewisWinona RyderPaul ScofieldA Salem resident attempts to frame her ex-lover's wife for being a witch in the middle of the 1692 witchcraft trials.
- StarsWill LymanBuffy BaldaufVanessa RedgraveThis is an accurate portrayal of the Salem witch trials of 1692, with real characters and original transcripts woven into the dialogue. The film is a powerful, moving story about three loving sisters accused of witchcraft.
- DirectorCristina TrebbiStarsNathan EnglishVictor GarberAndrew C. IsenbergThe Old and New World in 1491, and the biological conquest after their collision.
- DirectorMichael Caton-JonesStarsLiam NeesonJessica LangeJohn HurtIn 1713 Scotland, Rob Roy MacGregor is wronged by a nobleman and his nephew, becomes an outlaw in search of revenge while fleeing the Redcoats, and faces charges of being a Jacobite.
- StarsAngus MacfadyenMark UmbersRichard ChamberlainIn 1717, Royal Navy Lieutenant Robert Maynard is sent to the West Indies on a secret mission to destroy notorious pirate ship The Queen Anne's Revenge and its crew.
- DirectorPeter DoyleBIOGRAPHY relates the story of Isaac Newton's life from his birth during a plague in an English village through his seminal work in mathematics, theology, alchemy and astronomy. Newton devoted his life to the study of the natural world, discovering the laws of gravity, analyzing light, and developing the three laws of motion to explain the movement of the planets and their satellites. The documentary provides in depth discussions of each of Newton's major discoveries, including calculus, gravity and the reflecting telescope. It traces his studies of ancient history and of the Bible, and details his struggle to gain public recognition for his scientific work.Sir Isaac Newton: The Gravity of Genius will be useful for students interested in mathematics, science, and European history.
- DirectorSergei BodrovIvan PasserStarsKuno BeckerJason Scott LeeJay HernandezA historical epic set in 18th-century Kazakhstan, where a young man is destined to unite the country's three warring tribes.
- DirectorFraser C. HestonStarsCharlton HestonChristian BaleOliver ReedThe treasure seeking adventures of young Jim Hawkins and pirate Captain Long John Silver.Included as a classic piece of literature, it refers to Blackbeard, Captain Kidd and other historical figures.
- DirectorJeta AmataStarsNick MoranScott CleverdonMbong AmataThe story of British slave trader John Newton's voyage to West Africa and the events that inspired him to write the world's most popular hymn, Amazing Grace.
- DirectorRoland JofféStarsRobert De NiroJeremy IronsRay McAnallyEighteenth-century Spanish Jesuits try to protect a remote South American tribe in danger of falling under the rule of pro-slavery Portugal.
- DirectorLasse HallströmStarsHeath LedgerSienna MillerJeremy IronsThe fabled romantic Giacomo Casanova, after failing to win the affection of the Venetian woman Francesca Bruni, strives to discover the real meaning of love.
- DirectorMichael MannStarsDaniel Day-LewisMadeleine StoweRussell MeansThree trappers protect the daughters of a British Colonel in the midst of the French and Indian War.Setting: 1757
- DirectorAmma AsanteStarsGugu Mbatha-RawMatthew GoodeEmily WatsonThe biracial daughter, Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), of Royal Navy Captain Sir John Lindsay (Matthew Goode) is raised by aristocratic Great-uncle Lord William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) in 18th century England.
- DirectorRené FéretStarsMarie FéretMarc BarbéDelphine ChuillotA reimagined account of the early life of Maria Anna 'Nannerl' Mozart, five years older than Wolfgang, and a musical prodigy in her own right.
- DirectorPhilipp StölzlStarsAlexander FehlingMiriam SteinMoritz BleibtreuAfter aspiring poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe fails his law exams, he's sent to a sleepy provincial court to reform. Instead, he falls for Lotte, a young woman who is promised to another man.
- StarsBen BarnesMarton CsokasHenry ThomasThe story of a group of very different men fighting in the American Colonies for freedom, and how they will shape the future for the United States of America. Based on true stories.
- DirectorRobert HarmonStarsJeff DanielsRoger ReesSebastian RochéA dramatization of George Washington's perilous gamble of crossing the Delaware River and attacking the Hessian forces at Trenton.
- StarsRichard EastonDylan BakerColm FeoreThe story of the renowned American polymath.
- CreatorCraig SilversteinStarsJamie BellHeather LindSamuel RoukinA Long Island farmer bands together a group of childhood friends to form an unlikely group of spies who turn the tide in America's fight for independence.
- DirectorMikael SalomonStarsJane BrennanLaura BrennanAnthony BrophyOn the glorious battlefields of the American Revolution, two great generals distinguished themselves; George Washington and Benedict Arnold. Washington is remembered as America's founding father, Arnold as America's most notorious traitor. Benedict Arnold rose from humble origins to become the most respected and feared of America's generals. He won brilliant military victories against the English colonists and was Washington's favorite soldier. But two conflicting forces battled inside Arnold's heart; a deep concern for his country and his passionate love for an enchanting and manipulative Philadelphia woman, Peggy Shippen. Blinded by desire, Arnold defected to the English army, orchestrating an attempt to assassinate his own mentor, George Washington.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsClaudette ColbertHenry FondaEdna May OliverNewlyweds Gil and Lana Martin try to establish a farm in the Mohawk Valley but are menaced by Indians and Tories as the Revolutionary War begins.
- DirectorRoland EmmerichStarsMel GibsonHeath LedgerJoely RichardsonPeaceful farmer Benjamin Martin is driven to lead the Colonial Militia during the American Revolution when a sadistic British officer murders his son.Setting: 1776
- DirectorHugh HudsonStarsAl PacinoDonald SutherlandNastassja KinskiA trapper and his young son get pulled into the American revolution early as unwilling participants and remain involved through to the end.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsRyan O'NealMarisa BerensonPatrick MageeAn Irish rogue wins the heart of a rich widow and assumes her dead husband's aristocratic position in 18th-century England.
- DirectorNicholas HytnerStarsNigel HawthorneHelen MirrenRupert GravesWhen King George III goes mad, his Lieutenants try to adjust the rules to run the country without his participation.
- DirectorSofia CoppolaStarsKirsten DunstJason SchwartzmanRip TornThe retelling of France's iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette. From her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI at 14 to her reign as queen at 19 and to the end of her reign as queen, and ultimately the fall of Versailles.
- DirectorCharles ShyerStarsHilary SwankSimon BakerJonathan PryceIn pre-Revolutionary France, a young aristocratic woman left penniless by the political unrest in the country must avenge her family's fall from grace by scheming to steal a priceless necklace.
- DirectorRoger DonaldsonStarsMel GibsonAnthony HopkinsLaurence OlivierFed up with their Captain's harsh discipline, a sailing ship's crew decides to take action.
- DirectorMilos FormanStarsF. Murray AbrahamTom HulceElizabeth BerridgeThe life, success and troubles of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as told by Antonio Salieri, the contemporaneous composer who was deeply jealous of Mozart's talent and claimed to have murdered him.
- DirectorClive DonnerStarsAnthony AndrewsJane SeymourIan McKellenParis, 1792: After France becomes a republic, aristocrats are guillotined. The English Sir Percy tries to save as many as he can as The Scarlet Pimpernel in disguises.
- DirectorDoug ShultzStarsEdward HerrmannGeorge IvascuRodica LazarDocumentary about the bloody beginning, bloodier middle and unceremonious end of the French Revolution, an event that ended in blood the reign of kings in France and laid the foundation for a new - republican - system of government.
- DirectorSaul DibbStarsKeira KnightleyRalph FiennesDominic CooperA chronicle of the life of 18th-century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was revered for her extravagant political and personal life.
- DirectorPaul BurgessJohn-Paul DavidsonStarsEmily BruniDiana DumbravaDan ChiriacDrama documentary reconstructing the life and times of Catherine the Great of Russia.
- DirectorBruce NeibaurStarsKelly BoulwareSonny SurowiecAlex RiceThis documentary chronicles the Lewis and Clark expedition and breathtaking landscape they crossed while searching for the northwest passage. (Source: Netflix)
- DirectorPeter WeirStarsRussell CrowePaul BettanyBilly BoydDuring the Napoleonic Wars, a brash British captain pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America.Setting: 1805
- DirectorMichael AptedStarsIoan GruffuddAlbert FinneyMichael GambonThe idealist William Wilberforce maneuvers his way through Parliament, endeavoring to end the British transatlantic slave trade.
- DirectorMilos FormanStarsJavier BardemNatalie PortmanStellan SkarsgårdPainter Francisco Goya faces a scandal involving his muse, who is labeled a heretic by a monk.
- StarsPaul DanoJames NortonLily JamesAs the Russian conflict with Napoleon reaches its peak, five aristocratic families face the possibility of their lives being changed forever.
- DirectorJulian JarroldStarsAnne HathawayJames McAvoyJulie WaltersA biographical portrait of a pre-fame Jane Austen and her romance with a young Irishman.
- DirectorSergey BondarchukStarsRod SteigerChristopher PlummerOrson WellesFacing the decline of everything he has worked to obtain, conqueror Napoleon Bonaparte and his army confront the British at the Battle of Waterloo.1814-1815
- DirectorCourtney SolomonStarsDonald SutherlandSissy SpacekRachel Hurd-WoodAn invisible entity haunts a 19th century family, and family secrets soon begin to surface.
- DirectorJane CampionStarsAbbie CornishBen WhishawPaul SchneiderThe three-year romance between 19th-century poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne near the end of his life.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsChris HemsworthCillian MurphyBrendan GleesonA recounting of a New England whaling ship's sinking by a giant whale in 1820, an experience that later inspired the great novel Moby-Dick.
- DirectorAlejandro G. IñárrituStarsLeonardo DiCaprioTom HardyWill PoulterA frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.
- StarsPaul GiamattiLaura LinneyJohn DossettThe life of one of the USA's Founding Fathers, its second President, and his role in the nation's first 50 years.Setting: 1790
- StarsEdward FoxRobert PowellTrevor HowardA historical account on the life of the Zulu King Shaka.
- DirectorAlberto ArveloStarsEdgar RamírezErich WildpretMaría ValverdeSimon Bolivar fought over 100 battles against the Spanish Empire in South America. He rode over 70,000 miles on horseback. His military campaigns covered twice the territory of Alexander the Great. His army never conquered -- it liberated.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsBruno S.Walter LadengastBrigitte MiraA young man named Kaspar Hauser suddenly appears in Nuremberg in 1828, barely able to talk or walk, and bearing a strange note.
- DirectorJohn Lee HancockStarsDennis QuaidBilly Bob ThorntonEmilio EchevarríaBased on the 1836 standoff between a group of Texan and Tejano men, led by Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, and Mexican dictator Santa Anna's forces at the Alamo in San Antonio Texas.
- StarsBill PaxtonJeffrey Dean MorganOlivier MartinezThe story of how the Texas Rangers were created.
- DirectorRichard LangStarsMaria Conchita AlonsoBenjamin BrattFrederick CoffinIn the beginning of the 19th Century, many white Americans are settling in the Mexican province of Texas. As the years go by, political conflicts between the settlers and the Mexican government are escalating which would lead to war and Texan independence.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsHenry FondaAlice BradyMarjorie WeaverA fictionalized account of the early life of the American president as a young lawyer facing his greatest court case.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDjimon HounsouMatthew McConaugheyAnthony HopkinsIn 1839, the revolt of Mende captives aboard a Spanish owned ship causes a major controversy in the United States when the ship is captured off the coast of Long Island. The courts must decide whether the Mende are slaves or legally free.
- CreatorDaisy GoodwinStarsJenna ColemanAdrian SchillerTommy KnightThe early life of Queen Victoria, from her ascension to the throne at the tender age of 18 to her courtship and marriage to Prince Albert.This is set from 1837 to 1840, which is when the first season ends. A second season is planned to come out.
- DirectorKelly ReichardtStarsMichelle WilliamsBruce GreenwoodPaul DanoSettlers traveling through the Oregon desert in 1845 find themselves stranded in harsh conditions.
- DirectorTerrence MartinStarsCrispin GloverClayne CrawfordMichele SantopietroAfter becoming snowbound in the Sierra Nevada during the winter of 1846-1847, a number of trapped settlers join together in a final effort to reach California and organize a rescue party.
- DirectorJim LindsayStarsOscar De La HoyaDavid John ColeArt BonillaAt a time when immigration reform continues to be one of the most heated topics in political and business circles, this 2-hour special reexamines the controversial war that resulted in the United States taking control of what was nearly half of Mexico's territory. Featuring lavish reenactments, and interviews with both Mexican and American historians to ensure accuracy from both nations' points of view, we convey the story of President James K. Polk's desire to expand US territory to the Pacific Ocean. Hosted by boxing legend Oscar de la Hoya, we also travel to Mexico City to visit the historic Castillo de Chapultepec, where the climactic battle of the war took place, and the Palacio Nacional, the home of Mexico's government.
- DirectorSteve McQueenStarsChiwetel EjioforMichael Kenneth WilliamsMichael FassbenderIn the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free Black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.
- DirectorT.C. ChristensenStarsJasen WadeEmily WadleyJason CelayaThe Willie Handcart Company treks across America to the Salt Lake Valley, experiencing many trials and deaths, as well as 17 miracles.
- DirectorChristopher CainStarsJon VoightTrent FordTamara HopeA love story set during a tense encounter between a wagon train of settlers and a renegade Mormon group.
- DirectorBob RafelsonStarsPatrick BerginIain GlenRichard E. GrantThe legendary true-story of Capt. Richard Francis Burton and Lt. John Hanning Speke's tumultuous expedition to find the source of the Nile river.
- DirectorJon AmielStarsPaul BettanyJennifer ConnellyIan KellyTorn between faith and science, and suffering hallucinations, English naturalist Charles Darwin struggles to complete 'On the Origin of Species' and maintain his relationship with his wife.
- DirectorJerry HopperStarsCharlton HestonRhonda FlemingJan SterlingBuffalo Bill and Wild Bill Hickock work to establish the Pony Express and fight Indians and California Separatists who seek to destroy it.
- DirectorRalph FiennesStarsRalph FiennesFelicity JonesKristin Scott ThomasAt the height of his career, Charles Dickens meets a younger woman who becomes his secret lover until his death.
- DirectorRafa LaraStarsChristian VazquezAngélica AragónLiz GallardoOn May 5th, 1862, a few thousand Mexican soldiers put their lives on the line against the world's largest and most powerful army in one legendary battle for freedom and for Mexico.
- DirectorCharles B. PierceStarsTim McIntireL.Q. JonesJack ElamIn 1861 Oregon, a mountain man and his Native American wife live in a cabin built on a Paiute burial site, leading to a violent dispute with the local tribe.
- DirectorRon MaxwellStarsStephen LangRobert DuvallJeff DanielsThe rise and fall of confederate general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, as he meets with military success against the Union from 1861 to 1863, when he is accidentally killed by his own soldiers.
- DirectorRon MaxwellStarsTom BerengerMartin SheenStephen LangIn 1863, the Northern and Southern forces fight at Gettysburg in the decisive battle of the American Civil War.Setting: 1863
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsMatthew BroderickDenzel WashingtonCary ElwesRobert Gould Shaw leads the U.S. Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices from both his own Union Army, and the Confederates.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsClaire TrevorJohn WayneWalter PidgeonIn Kansas during the Civil War, opposing pro-Union and pro-Confederate camps clash and visiting Texan Bob Seton runs afoul of William Cantrell's Raiders.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsTobey MaguireSkeet UlrichJewelDuring the American Civil War, two friends join the Bushwhackers, a militant group loyal to the Confederacy.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioCameron DiazDaniel Day-LewisIn 1862, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points area of New York City seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher; his father's killer.
- DirectorKevin CostnerStarsKevin CostnerMary McDonnellGraham GreeneLieutenant John Dunbar, assigned to a remote western Civil War outpost, finds himself engaging with a neighbouring Sioux settlement, causing him to question his own purpose.
- StarsPaul Andre GibbonsJarrod EmickFrederic ForrestThe story of the most notorious Confederate prisoner of war camp in the American Civil War.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDaniel Day-LewisSally FieldDavid StrathairnAs the Civil War rages on, U.S President Abraham Lincoln struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on his decision to emancipate the slaves.
- DirectorAdrian MoatStarsTom HanksRegen WilsonBilly CampbellBased on The New York Times best-selling novel, Killing Lincoln is the suspenseful, eye-opening story of the events surrounding the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.
- DirectorAnthony MinghellaStarsJude LawNicole KidmanRenée ZellwegerIn the waning days of the American Civil War, a wounded soldier embarks on a perilous journey back home to Cold Mountain, North Carolina to reunite with his sweetheart.
- DirectorVictor FlemingGeorge CukorSam WoodStarsClark GableVivien LeighThomas MitchellA sheltered and manipulative Southern belle and a roguish profiteer face off in a turbulent romance as the society around them crumbles with the end of slavery and is rebuilt during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.Academy Best Picture (1939). Setting ends c. 1866.
- 2006–6.6 (10)TV EpisodeDirectorDavid RabinovitchStarsColm FeorePatricia BocanegraDavid CalderisiIn his conquest of Europe Napoleon encounters and abolishes the Inquisition and its ongoing atrocities in France, Spain and northern Italy. But with Napoleon's fall from power the Inquisition returns with vengeance. Despite causing substantial public relations damage to the Catholic Church in the modern era it is not substantially curtained until the Church is conquered by the newly unified nation of Italy.
- StarsLeVar BurtonRobert ReedJohn AmosA dramatization of author Alex Haley's family line from ancestor Kunta Kinte's enslavement to his descendants' liberation.Setting: 1750-1870
This series spans 120 years of history. You could watch individual episodes based on their individual settings but I found it difficult to remember what had happened previously with so many other films in between. - DirectorTimothy Woodward Jr.StarsLuke HemsworthKris KristoffersonTrace AdkinsLegendary lawman and gunslinger, Wild Bill Hickok, is tasked with taming the wildest cow-town in the west. While delivering his own brand of frontier justice, the infamous gunfighter's reputation as the fastest draw in the west is put to the test.His time as Marshall in Abilene.
- DirectorGary RossStarsMatthew McConaugheyGugu Mbatha-RawMahershala AliA disillusioned Confederate army deserter returns to Mississippi and leads a militia of fellow deserters and women in an uprising against the corrupt local Confederate government.
- StarsGary ColeRosanna ArquetteStanley AndersonThe story of George Custer, Crazy Horse and the events prior to the battle of the Little Bighorn, told from the different perspectives of two women.