15 Best Historical Movies Of All Time, Ranked

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Historical epics have been around almost as long as the movies. The first feature-length, non-serialized film, in fact, was D.W. Griffith’s “The Birth of a Nation,” which recounted the American Civil War, the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan during the Reconstruction period. 

It is also a notoriously racist production, with white actors wearing blackface to play offensive caricatures of enslaved African-Americans. Yet in spite of that controversy, the 1915 film’s box office success kicked off one of the most reliable of Hollywood movie genres. There is seldom a historical event that hasn’t been dramatized in one way or another on the big screen, and time and again audiences have flocked to see it in lieu of reading a book on the same subject.

What makes a great historical movie isn’t just a meticulous recreation of a time, place, or event: it’s the ability to place relatable characters — fictional or based on real people — within the context of history. This allows audiences to see themselves in it and understand its importance, lifting these stories out of the textbooks and into the cinematic pantheon. Several historical films have reaped rewards at the box office and the Oscars, and the very best of them have earned a permanent rotation on home video and cable TV (not to mention classrooms). Here are the 15 best historical movies of all time, ranked.

It’s the year 1280, and Edward I of England (Patrick McGoohan) has conquered Scotland after the death of its king. Left an orphan when the English army kills his father and brother, William Wallace (Mel Gibson) returns to his homeland and starts causing trouble for Edward I and his heir, Prince Edward (Patrick Hanly). As Prince Edward’s bride, the French princess Isabella (Sophie Marceau), becomes enamored with William, he leads a rebellion of amateur Scottish warriors against the mighty British troops.

As a director, Gibson has never shied away from violence, and 1995’s “Braveheart” is as brutal a historical epic as they come. That works to the film’s advantage, lifting it out of the realm of stodgy costume dramas and lending it a visceral edge. The film won five Oscars, including best picture and best director for Gibson, whose performance as the martyred Wallace took on special significance as his personal life became fraught with controversy.

Cast: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Catherine McCormack, Brendan Gleeson, Brian Cox

Director: Mel Gibson

Rating: R

Runtime: 178 minutes

Where to watch: Prime Video, Kanopy, Apple TV

During the time of Christ, Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) is sold into slavery by his childhood friend, Messala (Stephen Boyd), after he refuses to surrender political rebels to the Roman Empire. After three years of hard labor at sea, Ben-Hur returns as a gladiator, intent on avenging himself against Messala. The two eventually face off in the arena during a chariot race, while Ben-Hur is reunited with his family.

The highest grossing film of 1959, William Wyler’s “Ben-Hur” also set the record for the most Oscar wins with 11, including best picture (an achievement later tied by “Titanic” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”). It’s remained famous primarily for its chariot race sequence, the DNA of which can be found in every car chase scene since. Even the 2016 reboot (which almost felt like an insult to the original movie) can’t match the Wyler version for sheer spectacle.

Cast: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet, Stephen Boyd, Martha Scott

Director: William Wyler

Rating: G

Runtime: 212 mintues

Where to watch: Prime Video, Apple TV

During the tumultuous Russian Revolution, Dr. Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif) falls in love with Lara (Julie Christie), the beautiful wife of idealistic revolutionary Pasha Antipova (Tom Courtenay). Engaged in an affair with her mother’s lover, Victor Komarovsky (Rod Steiger), Lara nevertheless loves Yuri too, even after he marries his cousin, Tonya Gromeko (Geraldine Chaplin). Yet as the country is ripped apart by war, Yuri and Lara’s passion only grows stronger.

Adapted from Boris Pasternak’s novel, 1965’s “Doctor Zhivago” was the third historical epic in a row for director David Lean, who had started working on a grand scale with “The Bridge on the River Kwai” and “Lawrence of Arabia.” Unlike those two titles, this is unabashedly a love story, setting its romance against the enormity of history. The film won Oscars for its screenplay, cinematography, art direction, costumes, and score, which included “Lara’s Theme,” the leitmotif of which eventually became the basis for “Somewhere, My Love.”

Cast: Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, Tom Courtenay, Alec Guinness, Rod Steiger

Director: David Lean

Rating: Approved

Runtime: 197 minutes

Where to watch: Prime Video, Apple TV

In 1950, Puyi (John Lone) is captured by the Red Army and is taken prisoner by the newly-formed People’s Republic of China. He recounts his reign as the last emperor of China, a title he assumed when he was just three years old. Sheltered within the walls of the Forbidden City, Puyi is granted anything his heart desires, and receives a Western education by diplomat Reginald Johnston (Peter O’Toole). As an adult, he leaves his empire and lives as a playboy, which becomes increasingly facile as revolution sweeps the streets.

“The Last Emperor” was the first Western film granted permission to film inside the Forbidden City, and director Bernardo Bertolucci makes the most of that privilege with some truly spectacular images. Yet it’s the intimate portrait of Puyi, a man unable to exist within the changing times he’s living through, that is its greatest achievement. The 1987 film swept the Oscars with nine wins, including best picture.   

Cast: John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O’Toole, Ying Ruocheng, Victor Wong, Ryuichi Sakamoto

Director: Bernardo Bertolucci

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 163 minutes

Where to watch: Prime Video, HBO Max, Criterion Channel, Apple TV

During the Napoleonic Wars, British naval captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) commands the HMS Surprise, sailing around South America with his trusted ship’s surgeon, Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany). When their ship is attacked off the coast of Brazil, Jack stops at nothing to pursue the offending French vessel and sink it into the sea. Although both the ship and the crew are pushed to their limits, Jack will not give up the fight against Napoleon.

Adapted from Patrick O’Brian’s series of novels, Peter Weir’s “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” is a stirring throwback to the kind of swashbuckling adventures that used to star Errol Flynn. Crowe is at his best as Aubrey, aka “Lucky Jack,” who inspires his crew with his relentless charm and bravery. An Oscar-winner for its cinematography and sound editing, 2003’s “Master and Commander” is as sweeping an historical epic as they come.

Cast: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, James D’Arcy, Edward Woodall, Billy Boyd, Robert Pugh

Director: Peter Weir

Rating: PG-14

Runtime: 138 minutes

Where to watch: Prime Video, Apple TV

After successfully defeating the Germanic tribes in battle, Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe) is picked by Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) to succeed his reign, enraging his son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). After assassinating his father, Commodus arrests Maximus and kills his family. Maximus is sold into slavery and forced to compete in the gladiatorial games, where he becomes a star and inspires a rebellion. Intent on joining his family in the afterlife, Maximus must first overthrow Commodus and restore order to the Roman Republic.

Few modern directors are as synonymous with epics as Ridley Scott, who hasn’t met a historical period he hasn’t wanted to recreate. With 2000’s “Gladiator,” Scott revived the sword and sandal spectacles of yore, bringing audiences back to the early years of the Roman Empire and reimagining gladiatorial games as WWE matches. The film won five Oscars, including best picture, and spawned a sequel, “Gladiator II,” released in 2024.

Cast: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Richard Harris

Director: Ridley Scott

Rating: R

Runtime: 155 minutes

Where to watch: Prime Video, Kanopy, Paramount+, Apple TV

During the reign of the Roman Empire, the Thracian slave Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) is sold to Lentulus Batiatus (Peter Ustinov) and forced to fight to the death in the gladiatorial arena. Spartacus leads a rebellion of his fellow slaves, and as he travels across the countryside, his numbers grow, threatening rulers like Roman senator Marcus Licinius Crassus (Laurence Olivier). It all culminates in a battle between the slaves and the army, as Crassus hopes to squash the uprising.

The winner of four Oscars, “Spartacus” famously helped to break the Hollywood blacklist when screenwriter Dalton Trumbo received credit for his work on it and “Exodus,” also released in 1960. Yet the film has stood the test of time outside of its historical context. As directed by Stanley Kubrick, it’s an intelligent epic that shows how the power of one can only succeed through the power of all, epitomized in the famous “I am Spartacus” ending.

Cast: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, Tony Curtis

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 197 minutes

Where to watch: Prime Video, Apple TV

As the threat of civil war looms, selfish Southern belle Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) lusts after Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard), who is engaged to her cousin, Melanie Hamilton (Olivia de Havilland). The dashing Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) arrives at Scarlett’s family plantation intent on seducing her, but she’ll have none of it — that is, until Atlanta is burned and Ashley joins the Confederacy. Scarlett marries Rhett, yet throughout the war she gains a newfound independence and self-awareness.

There is perhaps no film more watched than 1939’s “Gone with the Wind,” which, adjusted for inflation, remains the highest grossing film of all time. Although much can be said about its rose-colored depiction of slavery, it did count amongst its eight Oscar wins a historic one for Hattie McDaniel as best supporting actress, a first for a Black performer (it also won best picture). The brainchild of producer David O. Selznick, it set the standard for romantic epics about ordinary lives swept up in the tides of history.

Cast: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Thomas Mitchell, Hattie McDaniel

Director: Victor Fleming

Rating: G

Runtime: 238 minutes

Where to watch: Prime Video, HBO Max, Apple TV

During World War II, a group of British soldiers are taken prisoner by the Japanese and forced to build a bridge across the River Kwai connecting the railways between Thailand and Burma. The group leader, Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness), is a staunch believer in military rules, and he frequently butts heads with the Japanese commander, Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa). Colonel Nicholson takes great pride in the bridge construction, however, and even tries to stop British and American troops led by Commander Shears (William Holden) and Major Warden (Jack Hawkins) from blowing it up.

“The Bridge on the River Kwai” was a major turning point for director David Lean, who abandoned the more intimate dramas of his past to paint on a much larger canvas. He didn’t lose his gift for nuance, however, and the 1957 film is a thoughtful, complex epic filled with rich characterizations and conflicting points of view. “Bridge” won seven Oscars, including best picture.

Cast: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa, James Donald, Geoffrey Horne

Director: David Lean

Rating: PG

Runtime: 161 minutes

Where to watch: Prime Video, Apple TV

In 1915, journalist John Reed (Warren Beatty) and suffragette Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton) fall in love and get involved in leftist politics. John journeys to Russia to cover the 1917 Revolution, and hopes to bring that radical spirit back to the U.S. His relationship with Bryant is strained by conflicting ideals, and she has an affair with playwright Eugene O’Neill (Jack Nicholson) during one of his absences. Yet love of politics and each other keeps them together, even as tragedy looms in the distance. 

One could seldom imagine a three-plus-hour epic about communism getting financed by a major studio today, yet such were the circumstances that led to 1981’s “Reds.” A passion project for Beatty, who won an Oscar for directing it, the film is both an examination of a failed revolution and a sweeping love story of two people who believe deeply in its cause, and each other. It’s a smart, intimate epic told on a grand scale.

Cast: Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Edward Herrmann, Jack Nicholson, Paul Sorvino, Maureen Stapleton

Director: Warren Beatty

Rating: PG

Runtime: 195 minutes

Where to watch: Prime Video, Kanopy, Apple TV

After storming Omaha Beach during the D-Day invasion, Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) is tasked with leading his platoon to locate Private James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon), whose three brothers have been killed in combat. As they risk their lives traveling across enemy lines, Miller and his men debate the merits of sacrificing several lives in order to save just one. Their convictions are put to the test when they locate Ryan and must fight off a German invasion to save not just him, but themselves.

Heralded for its stomach-churning D-Day recreation, “Saving Private Ryan” set a new gold standard for war movies that has rarely been topped. Utilizing hand-held cameras, jagged editing, and lots of gore, director Steven Spielberg’s movie places audiences in the trenches with the troops, making their sacrifice all the more palpable. The highest domestic grosser of 1998, “Saving Private Ryan” won five Oscars, including best director.

Cast: Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Jeremy Davies, Vin Diesel, Barry Pepper, Matt Damon

Director: Steven Spielberg

Rating: R

Runtime: 169 minutes

Where to watch: Prime Video, Paramount+, Apple TV

Centenarian Rose Dawson Calvert (Gloria Stuart) recounts her fateful voyage aboard the RMS Titanic, when she was a 17-year-old (Kate Winslet) engaged to the wealthy Cal Hockley (Billy Zane) at the behest of her mother, Ruth (Frances Fisher). Rose, meanwhile, falls in love with Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio), a dashing orphan who sneaks aboard the vessel — but their whirlwind romance is cut short when the unsinkable ship hits an iceberg. 

Few movies have had as great a cultural impact as 1997’s “Titanic,” which overcame a runaway production to become the highest grossing film of all time (a distinction it held until James Cameron’s next film, “Avatar”). Both a sweeping romance in the grandest Hollywood tradition and a sterling action spectacle, it doesn’t reveal everything about the true story but managed to turn the sinking of the Titanic into something audiences wanted to experience again and again. It also tied the record for the most Oscar wins with 11, including best picture. 

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Bernard Hill, Bill Paxton, Gloria Stuart

Director: James Cameron

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 194 minutes

Where to watch: Prime Video, Paramount+, Kanopy, Apple TV

At the height of the Vietnam War, Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) is recruited to assassinate a high-ranking Special Forces officer, Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who has reportedly gone mad in the jungles of Cambodia. Traveling by riverboat with a company of Navy officers, Willard’s journey becomes increasingly hallucinatory as he encounters one strange character after another, including surf-obsessed Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duvall). When he finally finds Kurtz, Willard is forced to confront his own heart of darkness.

Inspired by Joseph Conrad’s novella “Heart of Darkness,” 1979’s “Apocalypse Now” explores the very nature of warfare and its impact on the human psyche. Its notoriously fraught production was a battle for director Francis Ford Coppola (chronicled in the documentary “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse,” directed by Coppola’s wife, Eleanor), yet the film’s overwhelming power speaks for itself. An Oscar-winner for its cinematography and sound, “Apocalypse Now” sweeps us into the hellscape of war with its scope and ambition.

Cast: Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, Frederic Forrest, Sam Bottoms, Larry Fishburne, Dennis Hopper

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Rating: R

Runtime: 147 minutes

Where to watch: Prime Video, Apple TV

At the start of World War II, German businessman Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) seeks to profit from the conflict by opening a factory and staffing it with Jewish workers. A member of the Nazi party, Schindler protects his workers from being sent to concentration camps after the liquidation of the Kraków Ghetto. Though pledging allegiance to psychotic SS officer Amon Göth (Ralph Fiennes), Schindler secretly saves the lives of over 1,100 Jews with the help of his accountant, Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley).

The Holocaust is too vast a subject for any one film to encompass, and the brilliance of 1993’s “Schindler’s List” is that it doesn’t try. Instead, Steven Spielberg encapsulates the horrors of that genocide into a story of how, as it is written in the Talmud, “Whoever saves one life saves the entire world.” The winner of seven Oscars, including best picture, “Schindler’s List” remains a towering testament to good triumphing over evil.

Cast: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagall, Embeth Davidtz

Director: Steven Spielberg

Rating: R

Runtime: 195 minutes

Where to watch: Prime Video, Apple TV

During the First World War, British lieutenant T. E. Lawrence (Peter O’Toole) is sent to Arabia to advise Prince Faisal (Alec Guinness) in his revolt against the Turks. The eccentric and rebellious Lawrence’s knowledge of the native Bedouins is seen as an asset in easing tensions between the Arab tribes, and with the help of Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif), he leads a daring campaign against the Turkish Empire. As he spends more time in the desert, Lawrence becomes increasingly embedded with Arab culture, and increasingly convinced of his own legend.

The granddaddy of all epics, “Lawrence of Arabia” is the ultimate portrait of history changing the course of one man’s life. Those who see it don’t pay attention to the plot so much as they bask in the images that David Lean splashes upon the screen in glorious 70mm. The winner of seven Oscars, including best picture, it’s a grand vision that has rarely been topped.

Cast: Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, José Ferrer, Claude Rains, Omar Sharif

Director: David Lean

Rating: Approved

Runtime: 227 minutes

Where to watch: Prime Video, Apple TV