Download historical movies in one click! Best history films list
Historical film is a film that reconstructs the events of the distant past, showing us what history teaches people. Typically, the history film is shot with a high budget, and strikes the spectator by a large-scale involvement, sublime buildings, a lot of ancient symbols and the careful casting of the actors, because not every actor can play a leader, a person who went down to history due to numerous feats. Thanks to modern technologies now the director of a historical movie can realistically convey the story, the whole world of antiquity and majesty.
Genre History
Red Tails
Genres: History
Starring: Nicholas Kromka, Steve Pemberton, Jeremy Renner, Ray Xifo, Art LaFleur
A crew of African American pilots in the Tuskegee training program, having faced segregation while kept mostly on the ground during World War II, are called into duty under the guidance of Col. A.J. Bullard.
Guan yun chang
Genres: History
Starring: Jeff Maguire, Jac Flanders, Sebastian Maniscalco, David Beatty, Jael Elizabeth Steinmeyer
This historical martial arts film adapted from the story of Guan Yu crossing five passes and slaying six generals in Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In AD 200 during the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao eliminates his political opponents Dong Cheng and others, before turning his attention towards rival warlords Liu Bei and Yuan Shao. To avoid fighting a war on two fronts, Cao Cao decides to attack Liu Bei first. Liu Bei flees north to join Yuan Shao, while his family is captured by the enemy. Liu Bei's sworn brother Guan Yu (Donnie Yen), surrenders to Cao Cao to uphold his oath of brotherhood and preserve his honor. Cao Cao knows he's a great warrior & hopes that Guan Yu will continue serving him. Meanwhile, Guan Yu is secretly in love with his sworn brother's concubine Qilan, but is afraid to express his feelings to her. Qilan reproaches Guan Yu for serving Cao Cao...
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Genres: History
Starring: Kerry Washington, Ryan Crocker, Ian Alexander Martin, Maxwell Neck, Brendan Saul
In 19th-century China, seven year old girls Snow Flower and Lily are matched as laotong - or "old sames" - bound together for eternity. Isolated by their families, they furtively communicate by taking turns writing in a secret language, nu shu, between the folds of a white silk fan. In a parallel story in present day Shanghai, the laotong's descendants, Nina and Sophia, struggle to maintain the intimacy of their own childhood friendship in the face of demanding careers, complicated love lives, and a relentlessly evolving Shanghai. Drawing on the lessons of the past, the two modern women must understand the story of their ancestral connection, hidden from them in the folds of the antique white silk fan, or risk losing one another forever.
The Mill and the Cross
Genres: History
Starring: Nevada Brandt, Danielle Bessler, Sean Connery, Sienna Miller, Bernice Stegers
Not Available
Texas Killing Fields
Genres: History
Starring: Robert Schooley, Justin Haythe, Don Bluth, Jake Steinfeld, Ken Duken
A serial killer shifts his focus from hunting female victims to stalking the two detectives attempting to end his reign of terror in this tense crime thriller inspired by actual events. When a secluded Texas marsh becomes the dumping ground for a murderous maniac who preys on young females, local homicide detective Mike Souder Sam Worthington teams up with transplanted New York City detective Brian Heigh Jeffrey Dean Morgan to put an end to the vicious killing spree. Meanwhile, the cunning psychopath quickly turns the tables on his pursuers with a tantalizing series of carefully placed clues. But when the elusive killer makes the fateful mistake of abducting a young girl Chloë Grace Moretz, he severely underestimates the detectives determination to bring her home alive. ~
Hell and Back Again
Genres: History
Starring:
What does it mean to lead men in war? What does it mean to come home? Hell and Back Again is a cinematically revolutionary film that asks and answers these questions with a power and intimacy no previous film about the conflict in Afghanistan has been able to achieve. It is a masterpiece in the cinema of war.
United
Genres: History
Starring: Rachel Montez Collins, Torin Sixx, Deborah Lacey, Franco Melone, Justin Fletcher
United is based on the true story of Manchester United's legendary "Busby Babes", the youngest side ever to win the Football League and the 1958 Munich Air Crash that claimed eight of the their number. The film draws on first-hand interviews with the survivors and their families to tell the inspirational story of a team and community overcoming terrible tragedy.
Xinhai geming
Genres: History
Starring: Thomas Drewson, Peter Farrelly, Court Young, Cassie Shea Watson, Thomas Drewson
A historical drama based on the founding of the Republic of China when nationalist forces led by Sun Yat-sen overthrew the Qing Dynasty.
War of the Arrows
Genres: History
Starring: Matthias Schoenaerts, Charles Robinson, Graeme Millington, Peter Fitz, Rebecca Hart
Not Available
The Flowers of War
Genres: History
Starring: Gary Oldman, Kevin Hood, Michael E. Capuano, Gary Oldman, Kevin Hood
In 1937 China, during the second Sino-Japanese war, a mortician, John ( ) arrives at a Catholic church in Nanjing to prepare a priest for burial. Upon arrival he finds himself the lone adult among a group of convent girl students and prostitutes from a nearby brothel. When he finds himself in the unwanted position of protector of both groups from the horrors of the invading Japanese army, he discovers the meaning of sacrifice and honor.
Pathfinders: In the Company of Strangers
Genres: History
Starring: Richard Anderson, Bruce Headlam, David Carr, Brian Stelter, Brian Stetler
Untold and lost history. A true story of the American Pathfinders, the volunteer paratroopers whose deadly mission was to land 30 minutes before the Normandy invasion, locate and mark strategic "drop zones" and set up the top-secret navigation equipment needed to guide the main airborne assault on D-Day.
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Genres: History
Starring:
IF A TREE FALLS is a rare behind-the-curtain look at the Earth Liberation Front, the radical environmental group that the FBI calls America's 'number one domestic terrorist threat.' With unprecedented access and a nuanced point of view, the documentary tells the story of Daniel McGowan, an ELF member who faced life in prison for two multi-million dollar arsons against Oregon timber companies. The film employs McGowan's story to examine larger questions about environmentalism, activism, and terrorism.
Secretariat
Genres: History
Starring: Richard Heap, Matthieu Ly, Kathy Catrambone, Violet Chisholm Valiani
Housewife and mother Penny Chenery agrees to take over her ailing father's Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge. Against all odds, Chenery -- with the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin -- manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in twenty-five years.
Hors-la-loi
Genres: History
Starring: Michael Handelman, Yaffit Hallely, Michael Lawson, Barbara Niven, Daniel Parker
After loosing their family home in Algeria, three brothers and their mother are scattered across the globe. Messaoud joins the French army fighting in Indochina; Abdelkader becomes a leader of the Algerian independence movement in France and Saïd moves to Paris to make his fortune in the shady clubs and boxing halls of Pigalle. Gradually, their interconnecting destinies reunite them in the French capital, where freedom is a battle to be fought and won.
Made in Dagenham
Genres: History
Starring: Patrick Tatopoulos, Danielle Munro, Igor Chistol, Jean-Marie Juan, Flora MartÃnez
In 1968, the Ford auto factory in Dagenham was one of the largest single private employers in the United Kingdom. In addition to the thousands of male employees, there are also 187 underpaid women machinists who primarily assemble the car seat upholstery in poor working conditions. Dissatisfied, the women, represented by the shop steward and Rita O'Grady, work with union rep Albert Passingham for a better deal. However, Rita learns that there is a larger issue in this dispute considering that women are paid an appalling fraction of the men's wages for the same work across the board on the sole basis of their sex. Refusing to tolerate this inequality any longer, O'Grady leads a strike by her fellow machinists for equal pay for equal work. What follows would test the patience of all involved in a grinding labour and political struggle that ultimately would advance the cause of women's rights around the world.
The King's Speech
Genres: History
Starring: Mickey Liddell, Orlando Wells, Roland Düringer, Tobias Moretti, Chulpan Khamatova
Tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stammer and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war.
También la lluvia
Genres: History
Starring: Caleb Carr, Keith Temple, Rachid Sabitri, Sue Kelvin, Verona Joseph
Spanish director Sebastián, his executive producer Costa and all his crew are in Bolivia, in the Cochabamba area, to shoot a motion picture about Christopher Columbus, his first explorations and the way the Spaniards treated the Indians at the time. Costa has chosen this place because the budget of the film is tight and here he can hire supernumeraries, local actors and extras on the cheap. Things go more or less smoothly until a conflict erupts over the privatization of the water supply. The trouble is that one of the local actors, is a leading activist in the protest movement.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Genres: History
Starring: Juan Jose Dubon, Morten Ilseng Risnes, Sarah Bintu Sakor, Isaka Sawadogo, Kristine Rui Slettebakken
In 1994, a group of scientists discovered a cave in Southern France perfectly preserved for over 20,000 years and containing the earliest known human paintings. Knowing the cultural significance that the Chauvet Cave holds, the French government immediately cut-off all access to it, save a few archaeologists and paleontologists. But documentary filmmaker, Werner Herzog, has been given limited access, and now we get to go inside examining beautiful artwork created by our ancient ancestors around 32,000 years ago. He asks questions to various historians and scientists about what these humans would have been like and trying to build a bridge from the past to the present.
Territories
Genres: History
Starring: Andrew Bicknell, Lois Duncan, Hilary Angelo, Cameron Pearson, Andrew Bicknell
Five friends returning from a marriage in Canada return home to the United States. Not far from the border, two customs officers stop them to check their identity. Suspicious, they take their time especially with Jalil, a man of Arab origin. The situation worsens when a customs officer finds a small bag of marijuana in the luggage. Then things degenerate rapidly: a customs officer grabs the little dog that's part of the group and slits open its belly to be sure it's not a mule. When Gab makes a move, he's shot. The customs officer orders the surviving friends to undress and put on orange coveralls. Gradually, it dawns on the four tourists that they are in the hands of former torturers from Guantanamo.
Alleged
Genres: History
Starring: Steven J. Mihaljevich
Alleged is a romantic drama based on events occurring behind the scenes and outside the courtroom of the famous Scopes "Monkey Trial" of 1925. Charles Anderson, a talented young reporter, feels trapped working for his deceased father's weekly newspaper and living in a tiny town (Dayton, TN) in steep decline. Seeing the "Monkey Trial" as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to break into the journalistic big leagues, Charles manages to insert himself into the middle of the "Trial of the Century." Once in the midst of this staged event, however, he is torn between his love for the more principled Rose, his fiancée, and the escalating moral compromises that he is asked to make as the eager protégé of H.L. Mencken, America's most colorful and influential columnist.
Yip Man 2
Genres: History
Starring: Nicole McCree, W.D. Richter, Adriana Maggs, Steve Cochrane, Jonny Harris
Ip Man 2 is a 2010 Hong Kong biographical martial arts film loosely based on the life of Ip Man, a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun. A sequel to the 2008 film Ip Man, the film was directed by Wilson Yip, and stars Donnie Yen, who reprises the leading role. Continuing after the events of the earlier film, the sequel centers on Ip's movements in Hong Kong, which is under British colonial rule. He attempts to propagate his discipline of Wing Chun, but faces rivalry from other practitioners, including the local master of Hung Ga martial arts.
Des hommes et des dieux
Genres: History
Starring: Tino Insana, Catherine Schell, Marco Zapata, Jaime Sierra, Victor DiNapoli
Under threat by fundamentalist terrorists, a group of Trappist monks stationed with an impoverished Algerian community must decide whether to leave or stay.
Sacrifice
Genres: History
Starring: Randy Walker, Brian Boland, Adèle Reinhardt, Michel Charette, Anik Vermette
Sacrifice (Orphan of Zhao Family): To save the only child of the Zhao Family, whose whole clan is massacred at the hands of a nefarious minister, a doctor sacrifices his own son, and later becomes intent on seeking vengeance against the minister after the child grows up. For generations, the Zhao family has wielded power, even extending over the king. In a well-planned coup, their mortal enemy TU'AN GU (Wang Xue Qi) slaughters the entire clan, determined to wipe out their influence forever. However, a solitary Zhao baby survives the massacre, and is hidden and taken home by CHENG YING (Ge You), the doctor who delivered him, to live with his WIFE (Hai Qing) and their own newborn baby. Set on revenge, and raising the Zhao child as his own, Cheng Ying bides his time, enrolling himself and the Zhao orphan (whom he calls Cheng Bo) into the service of the Tu'an Gu household. Tu' an Gu grows very fond of Cheng Bo and makes Cheng Bo his godson...
Die Xue Gu Cheng
Genres: History
Starring: Jorge DomÃnguez, Louise Brooks, Alfredo Duran, Robert Cushman, Rafael DÃaz-Balart
Not Available
Holy Rollers
Genres: History
Starring: Bill Nunn, James Blackwell, Vic Browder, Kristina Copeland, Derek Green
Inspired by a true story of a young Hasidic man who was lured into the world of international drug trafficking in the late 90s.
Centurion
Genres: History
Starring: Vic Tablian, Mitsuko Mori, Marc Forster, Khaled Hosseini, Erica Zodtner
Britain, A.D. 117. Quintus Dias, the sole survivor of a Pictish raid on a Roman frontier fort, marches north with General Virilus' legendary Ninth Legion, under orders to wipe the Picts from the face of the Earth and destroy their leader, Gorlacon.
The Social Network
Genres: History
Starring: Don Wadsworth, Kate Maberly, Joe Hansard, Geoff Clements, Yony Leyser
On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history... but for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications.
Fortress of War
Genres: History
Starring: Kirby Brumfield, Bernard Eylenbosch
The film shows the heroic defense of the Brest Fortress, which had taken upon the first strike of German fascist invaders on June 22 1941. Story describes the events of the first days of the defense. The film tells about three main resistance zones, headed by the regiment commander, Pyotr Mikhailovich Gavrilov, the commissar Efim Moiseevich Fomin and the head of the 9th frontier outpost, Andrey Mitrofanovich Kizhevatov. Many years later veteran Alexander Akimov again and again recalls the memories of the time, when he, then a 15 year old Sasha Akimov was deeply in love with the beautiful Anya and suddenly found himself in the middle of the bloody events of war.
Jin yi wei
Genres: History
Starring: Hank Garrett, Ed Crick, Regina Lund, Julia Lindig, Lars Rudolph
A kung fu thriller set during the Ming Dynasty and centered on a secret service agent (Donnie Yen) in the emperor's court who is betrayed and then hunted by his colleagues.
Rózyczka
Genres: History
Starring: Milos Forman, Chang-dong Lee, Yong-taek Kim, Nae-sang Ahn, Hira Kim
Pressured by his superiors to disgrace public intellectual Warczewski, a professor and respected writer whom they believe to be a "camouflaged Zionist," rough security-services colonel Rozek enlists his sexy but naive girlfriend, Kamila, to insinuate herself into the distinguished older man's life and report on his every move. Not particularly interested in serving communism but eager to please her domineering lover, Kamila accepts the mission, reporting under the code name "Little Rose." As quick scenes contrast Kamila's crude pleasures with Rozek and her more refined experiences with Warczewski, it becomes clear that the more time the unschooled young woman spends with the professor, the more she comes to have true feelings for him.
We can enumerate such subgenres of a history movie as costume dramas, historical dramas, war films, medieval historic movie or "periodic" films, covering a large period of history in the form of a large, panoramic spectacle. Often, a historic film has something in common with an adventure movie. The recipe of a historical film is simple: take a real historical or imagined event, mythic, legendary or heroic personality; add the extravagant scenery, splendid costumes; shoot it with a wonderful and spectacular scale (high budget films) and with elements of drama, accompanying with a fascinated music. Often these films are more spectacular version of the biographical film. Biblical films also belong to this genre.