Romantic Epic backdrop

Romantic Epic movies

A sweeping romance across time, distance, or major obstacles, tested by big events and long arcs.

Napoleon

1. Napoleon

History War Romance Biographical History 19th Century Wars
6.3
20232h 38min

Overview

An epic that details the checkered rise and fall of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and his relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his wife, Josephine.

Themes

Public life versus private life, Ambition versus loyalty, Romantic entanglements shaping leadership, Exile and brief restoration, Alliances and political maneuvering, Military mastery under pressure

Available on

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

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

2. The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

Romance Drama History Romantic Epic Historical Drama
7.3
20182h 4min

Overview

Free-spirited writer Juliet Ashton forms a life-changing bond with the delightful and eccentric Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, when she decides to write about the book club they formed during the occupation of Guernsey in WWII.

Themes

Memory and loss, Wartime resilience, Literature as refuge, Personal obligation vs desire, Hidden histories, Community bonds under pressure

Available on

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

The Ottoman Lieutenant

3. The Ottoman Lieutenant

Romance Drama War Romantic Epic Historical Drama
6.4
20171h 51min

Overview

Lillie, a determined American woman, ventures overseas to join Dr. Jude at a remote medical mission in the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey). However, Lillie soon finds herself at odds with Jude and the mission’s founder, Woodruff, when she falls for the titular military man, Ismail, just as the war is about to erupt.

Themes

Duty vs desire, Cross-cultural tension, Resource scarcity pressure, Romance amid crisis, Care under war, Authority vs compassion

Available on

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

The Last: Naruto the Movie

4. The Last: Naruto the Movie

Action Romance Animation Epic Action Romantic Epic
7.6
20141h 54min

Overview

Two years after the events of the Fourth Great Ninja War, the moon that Hagoromo Otsutsuki created long ago to seal away the Gedo Statue begins to descend towards the world, threatening to become a meteor that would destroy everything on impact. Amidst this crisis, a direct descendant of Kaguya Otsutsuki named Toneri Otsutsuki attempts to kidnap Hinata Hyuga but ends up abducting her younger sister Hanabi. Naruto and his allies now mount a rescue mission before finding themselves embroiled in a final battle to decide the fate of everything.

Themes

Power and control, Duty vs loyalty, Trust under manipulation, Rescue mission ethics, Moon as looming threat, Legacy burden

Available on

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

Australia

5. Australia

Adventure Romance Drama Adventure Epic Romantic Epic
6.6
20082h 45min

Overview

Set in northern Australia before World War II, an English aristocrat who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man in order to protect her new property from a takeover plot. As the pair drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape, they experience the bombing of Darwin by Japanese forces firsthand.

Themes

Duty vs desire, Trust under pressure, Land ownership conflict, Economic monopoly, Racial prejudice and kinship, War disruption and evacuation

Available on

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

Tristan & Isolde

6. Tristan & Isolde

Drama Romance Historical Drama Romantic Epic
6.8
20062h 5min

Overview

An affair between the second in line to Britain's throne and the princess of the feuding Irish spells doom for the young lovers.

Themes

Forbidden romance, Tribal fragmentation, Rival intrigue, Political marriage, Loyalty vs desire, Unity under pressure

Available on

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

Memoirs of a Geisha

7. Memoirs of a Geisha

Drama Romance History Historical Drama Historical Event
7.3
20052h 26min

Overview

In the years before World War II, a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a maid in a geisha house.

Themes

Class inequality, Social mobility, Exploitation and debt, Performance and reputation, Mentorship dynamics, Wartime disruption

Available on

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

A Knight's Tale

8. A Knight's Tale

Adventure Drama Romance Action Adventure Epic
7.0
20012h 13min

Overview

William Thatcher, a knight's peasant apprentice, gets a chance at glory when the knight dies suddenly mid-tournament. Posing as a knight himself, William won't stop until he's crowned tournament champion—assuming matters of the heart don't get in the way.

Themes

Class inequality, Deception and disguise, Social mobility, Honor under scrutiny, Loyalty and friendship, Competition pressure

Available on

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

The Man Who Cried

9. The Man Who Cried

Romance Drama Music War Romantic Epic
6.1
20001h 36min

Overview

A young refugee travels from Russia to America in search of her lost father and falls in love with a gypsy horseman.

Themes

Displacement and longing, Persecution and danger, Forbidden romance across borders, Renaming and assimilation pressure, Survival through performance, Art as refuge

Available on

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

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

10. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Adventure Drama Action Romance Martial Arts Action
7.9
20002h

Overview

Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are led to an impetuous, physically-skilled, teenage nobleman's daughter, who is at a crossroads in her life.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Duty vs personal desire, Honor and chivalry, Intergenerational conflict, Loyalty and betrayal, Power over artifacts

Available on

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