History backdrop

History movies

Period pieces that transport you back in time, recreating the events and figures that shaped our past.

Subgenres include: Historical Event, Biographical History, Political History.

Belfast

1. Belfast

Drama History Historical Drama
7.2
20211h 38min

Overview

Buddy is a young boy on the cusp of adolescence, whose life is filled with familial love, childhood hijinks, and a blossoming romance. Yet, with his beloved hometown caught up in increasing turmoil, his family faces a momentous choice: hope the conflict will pass or leave everything they know behind for a new life.

Themes

Class inequality under pressure, North ireland division, The troubles fracture, August 1969 riots effect, Ulster loyalism tension, Migration as choice and consequence

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Spencer

2. Spencer

Drama History Biographical History Historical Drama
6.5
20211h 56min

Overview

During her Christmas holidays with the royal family at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England, Diana decides to leave her marriage to Prince Charles.

Themes

Class expectations, Public duty vs privacy, Gendered pressure, Haunting memories, Marital constraint, Family defiance

Available on

Netflix
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Shadow in My Eye

3. The Shadow in My Eye

War Drama History World War II Historical Drama
7.3
20211h 47min

Overview

On March 21st, 1945, the British Royal Air Force set out on a mission to bomb Gestapo's headquarters in Copenhagen. The raid had fatal consequences as some of the bombers accidentally targeted a school and more than 120 people were killed, 86 of whom were children.

Themes

Resistance under occupation, Duty vs humanity, Civilian casualties, War-time trauma, Moral ambiguity of orders, Deception in war

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain

4. The Electrical Life of Louis Wain

Drama History Comedy Historical Drama Biographical History
6.8
20211h 51min

Overview

The extraordinary true story of eccentric British artist Louis Wain, whose playful, sometimes even psychedelic pictures helped to transform the public's perception of cats forever.

Themes

Creativity under constraint, Caregiving and loss, Economic precarity and debt, Illness and institutionalization, Public fame through art, Class bias and scandal

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Lost Illusions

5. Lost Illusions

Drama Romance History Historical Drama Passionate Romance
7.4
20212h 29min

Overview

Lucien de Rubempré, a young, lower-class poet, leaves his family's printing house for Paris. Soon, he learns the dark side of the arts business as he tries to stay true to his dreams.

Themes

Class inequality, Social climbing, Media manipulation, Artistic integrity under pressure, Deception in the arts economy, Precarious reputation

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Last Duel

6. The Last Duel

History Drama Action Historical Event Historical Drama
7.3
20212h 33min

Overview

King Charles VI declares that Knight Jean de Carrouges settle his dispute with his squire, Jacques Le Gris, by challenging him to a duel.

Themes

Class and land politics, Legal ritual and dueling culture, Patriarchal authority in marriage, Sexual violence and consent, Social judgment and reputation, Patronage and favoritism dynamics

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Hulu
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

My Best Friend Anne Frank

7. My Best Friend Anne Frank

History War Drama Biographical History Historical Drama
6.3
20211h 43min

Overview

Based on the real-life friendship between Anne Frank and Hannah Goslar, from Nazi-occupied Amsterdam to their harrowing reunion in a concentration camp.

Themes

Survival under occupation, Loss and separation, Fragile friendship under pressure, Children in wartime, Displacement and endurance, Hope amid upheaval

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Hinterland

8. Hinterland

Thriller Drama History
6.2
20211h 38min

Overview

Vienna, 1920. The Austro-Hungarian Empire has collapsed. Peter Perg returns home from the Great War, after years of captivity. But the Vienna he comes home to is nothing like the place he once knew. The new Austrian Republic thrives on social and artistic freedom, but anti-democratic movements and unemployment loom overhead. A stranger in his hometown, his life takes a turn for the worse when one of his former comrades is murdered. Suddenly the mysterious killings of veterans are mounting. Personally connected to the victims, Perg decides to bring the killer to justice. He finds an ally in the cool-headed forensic doctor Theresa Körner, with whom he has a deeper, shared history. Their investigation leads them into the darkest corners of the city, as they confront a brutal and systematic killer and intrigues from within the police force. But when the killer’s net closes around Perg himself, he faces the moral dilemma of his life.


Leave No Traces

9. Leave No Traces

Drama History Thriller
7.1
20212h 40min

Overview

In 1983, communist Poland is shaken by the case of high school student Grzegorz Przemyk, who is beaten to death by police. The only witness of the beating becomes the number one enemy of the state.


The Eyes of Tammy Faye

10. The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Drama History Historical Drama Biographical History
6.6
20212h 6min

Overview

From the 1960s to the 1980s, evangelist Jim Baker and his ambitious wife, Tammy Faye, rose from humble beginnings to build an empire based on big-time evangelical Christianity--only for the couple to fall from grace because of some all-too-human sins.

Themes

Public scrutiny and accountability, Power struggles within institutions, Wealth and faith merging, Addiction and vulnerability, Relationships under fame, Media influence and religious branding

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.