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.

Masquerade

401. Masquerade

Drama History
7.8

20122h 11min

Director: Choo Chang-min

Overview

Though it places his own life in danger, a look-alike commoner secretly takes the place of a poisoned king to save his country from falling into chaos.


The Impossible

402. The Impossible

Drama Thriller History Historical Drama Survival Thriller
7.5

20121h 53min

Spain, United States

Director: J.A. Bayona

Overview

In December 2004, close-knit family Maria, Henry and their three sons begin their winter vacation in Thailand. But the day after Christmas, the idyllic holiday turns into an incomprehensible nightmare when a terrifying roar rises from the depths of the sea, followed by a wall of black water that devours everything in its path. Though Maria and her family face their darkest hour, unexpected displays of kindness and courage ameliorate their terror.

Themes

Man vs nature, Survival struggle, Tsunami disruption, Natural disaster impact, Family vacation strain, Separation from family

Available on

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

Anna Karenina

403. Anna Karenina

Drama Romance History Historical Drama Passionate Romance
6.6

20122h 10min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Joe Wright

Overview

In Imperial Russia, Anna, wife of the officer Karenin, goes to Moscow to visit her brother. On the way, she meets charming cavalry officer Vronsky, to whom she's immediately attracted. But in St. Petersburg’s high society, a relationship like this could destroy a woman’s reputation.

Themes

Duty versus desire, Gendered expectations, High society pressure, Class and belonging, Romance vs propriety, Infidelity and reputation

Available on

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

Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins

404. Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins

Adventure Action Fantasy War History
7.4

20122h 14min

Japan

Director: Keishi Otomo

Overview

In 1868, after the Bakumatsu war ends, the ex-assassin Kenshin Himura traverses Japan with an inverted sword, to defend the needy without killing.

Themes

Trauma from violence, Restraint in violence, Protecting the vulnerable, Duty vs mercy, Oppression by wealth, Loyalty and crime

Available on

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

Kon-Tiki

405. Kon-Tiki

Adventure History Exploration Adventure Biographical History
7.1

20121h 58min

Denmark, Germany

Director: Joachim Rønning

Overview

The true story about legendary explorer Thor Heyerdahl and his epic crossing of the Pacific on a balsa wood raft in 1947, in an effort to prove it was possible for South Americans to settle in Polynesia in pre-Columbian times.

Themes

Risk and resilience, Ambition vs tradition, Theory vs evidence, Cross-cultural contact anxiety, Collective effort under pressure, Science vs belief

Available on

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

No

406. No

Drama History Historical Drama Political History
7.4

20121h 58min

Chile, United States

Director: Pablo Larraín

Overview

In 1988, Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet, due to international pressure, is forced to call a plebiscite on his presidency. The country will vote ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to Pinochet extending his rule for another eight years. Opposition leaders for the ‘No’ vote persuade a brash young advertising executive, René Saavedra, to spearhead their campaign. Against all odds, with scant resources and while under scrutiny by the despot’s minions, Saavedra and his team devise an audacious plan to win the election and set Chile free.

Themes

Democracy under pressure, Oppression under scrutiny, Referendum branding, Propaganda as civic tool, Legitimacy through advertising, Mass messaging and turnout

Available on

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

Diaz - Don't Clean Up This Blood

407. Diaz - Don't Clean Up This Blood

Drama History
7.3

20122h 7min

Director: Daniele Vicari

Overview

On July 19–21, 2001, over 200,000 people took to the streets of Genoa to protest against the ongoing G8 summit. Anti-globalization activists clashed with the police, with 23-year-old protester Carlo Giuliani shot dead after confronting a police vehicle. In the aftermath, the police organized a night raid on the Diaz high school, where around a hundred people between unarmed protesters—mostly students—and independent reporters who documented the police brutality during the protests had took shelter. What happened next was called by Amnesty International "the most serious breach of civil liberties in a democratic Western country since World War II."


Xingu

408. Xingu

Drama History
7.1

20121h 42min

Director: Cao Hamburger

Overview

In the '40s, three brothers decide to live a great adventure and enlisting in the Roncador-Xingu Expedition, which has a mission to tame the Central Brazil. The Villas Boas brothers: Orlando, 27, Claudius, 25, and Leonardo, 23, engage in a fantastic and incredible saga. Soon start to lead the expedition that opens new paths 1,500 km, navigates over 1,000 miles of unspoilt rivers, opens 19 airfields for airplanes Army, gives rise to the creation of 43 towns and 14 make contact with wild Indian tribes, unknown, as the Xavante, courageous and feared warriors, no casualties on both sides. This adventure allows the Villas Boas brothers the creation of the Xingu National Park, the first major Amerindian reservation in Brazil, the size of Belgium, transforming them into true contemporary heroes.


Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy

409. Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy

Drama Crime Mystery History
7.2

20122h 9min

Director: Marco Tullio Giordana

Overview

On December 12, 1969, a bomb kills 17 people at the Piazza Fontana national bank in Milan, Italy, marking the beginning of the Years of Lead. Local anarchists are scapegoated for the massacre by police and the media, but a lone prosecutor uncovers a conspiracy of far-right groups, corrupt secret services, and other interests that seek to undermine democracy.


A Royal Affair

410. A Royal Affair

Drama History Romance Historical Drama Passionate Romance
7.5

20122h 17min

Czechia, Denmark

Director: Nikolaj Arcel

Overview

A young queen falls in love with her physician, and they start a revolution that changes their nation forever.

Themes

Abolition of torture, Abolition of censorship, Reduction of aristocratic power, Enlightenment influence on governance, Romance amid reform, Coup and regime change

Available on

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