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.

One Hundred Steps

561. One Hundred Steps

Drama History Historical Drama Political History
7.5

20001h 54min

Italy

Director: Marco Tullio Giordana

Peppino Impastato is a quick-witted lad growing up in 1970s Sicily. Despite hailing from a family with Mafia ties and living just one hundred steps from the house of local boss Tano Badalamenti, Peppino decides to expose the Mafia by using a pirate radio station to broadcast his political pronouncements in the form of ironic humour.

Themes

Anti-mafia resistance, Political radicalization, Media exposure of crime, Family complicity with crime, Public protest and memory, Activism under threat

Available on

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

The Patriot

562. The Patriot

Drama History War Action Historical Event
7.2

20002h 45min

Germany, United States

Director: Roland Emmerich

After proving himself on the field of battle in the French and Indian War, Benjamin Martin wants nothing more to do with such things, preferring the simple life of a farmer. But when his son Gabriel enlists in the army to defend their new nation, America, against the British, Benjamin reluctantly returns to his old life to protect his son.

Themes

Patriotism under pressure, Guerrilla warfare ethics, Family resilience under war, Cost of violence, Loyalist rebel conflict, Foreign aid and alliance

Available on

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

Vatel

563. Vatel

History Drama Romance Passionate Romance
6.6

20002h 5min

France, United Kingdom

Director: Roland Joffé

In 1671, with war brewing with Holland, a penniless prince invites Louis XIV to three days of festivities at a chateau in Chantilly. The prince wants a commission as a general, so the extravagances are to impress the king. In charge of all is the steward, Vatel, a man of honor, talent, and low birth. The prince is craven in his longing for stature: no task is too menial or dishonorable for him to give Vatel. While Vatel tries to sustain dignity, he finds himself attracted to Anne de Montausier, the king's newest mistress. In Vatel, she finds someone who's authentic, living out his principles within the casual cruelties of court politics. Can the two of them escape unscathed?

Themes

Low birth constraint, Royal cuisine display, Penniless prince ascent, Newest mistress tension, Royal court dynamics, Three days ritual

Available on

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

Titus

564. Titus

Drama History
7.0

19992h 42min

United Kingdom, Italy

Director: Julie Taymor

Titus Andronicus returns from the wars and sees his sons and daughters taken from him, one by one. Shakespeare's goriest and earliest tragedy.


Taboo

565. Taboo

Drama History Thriller
6.8

19991h 40min

Japan, France

Director: Nagisa Ōshima

Set during Japan's Shogun era, this film looks at life in a samurai compound where young warriors are trained in swordfighting. A number of interpersonal conflicts are brewing in the training room, all centering around a handsome young samurai named Sozaburo Kano. The school's stern master can choose to intervene, or to let Kano decide his own path.


Anna and the King

566. Anna and the King

Drama Romance History
6.7

19992h 28min

United States

Director: Andy Tennant

The story of the romance between the King of Siam (now Thailand) and the widowed British school teacher Anna Leonowens during the 1860s. Anna teaches the children and becomes romanced by the King. She convinces him that a man can be loved by just one woman.


Topsy-Turvy

567. Topsy-Turvy

Drama Music Comedy History
7.3

19992h 40min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Mike Leigh

For nearly a decade, Gilbert and Sullivan’s collaborations have delighted the English people. But in 1884, as a London heat wave cuts into the theater trade, their latest work, "Princess Ida", receives lukewarm press. In an effort to reconcile their creative differences and drawing inspiration from Japanese culture, they went on to create the hit opera "The Mikado", one of the duo's greatest successes.


The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc

568. The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc

Adventure Drama Action History War
6.4

19992h 38min

France

Director: Luc Besson

In 1429, a French teenager stood before her King with a message she claimed came from God; that she would defeat the world's greatest army and liberate her country from its political and religious turmoil. As she reclaims God's diminished kingdom, this courageous young woman has various amazing victories until her violent and untimely death.


Jakob the Liar

569. Jakob the Liar

Comedy Drama History
6.5

19992h

France, Hungary

Director: Peter Kassovitz

In 1944 Poland, a Jewish shop keeper named Jakob is summoned to ghetto headquarters after being caught out after curfew. While waiting for the German Kommondant, Jakob overhears a German radio broadcast about Russian troop movements. Returned to the ghetto, the shopkeeper shares his information with a friend and then rumors fly that there is a secret radio within the ghetto.


Sunshine

570. Sunshine

Drama History Romance War
7.4

19993h 1min

Austria, Canada

Director: István Szabó

The fate of a Hungarian Jewish family throughout the 20th century.