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| Scene from Lawrence of Arabia (1962) ranked second in historical movies. |
Welcome to our Reel
Fives pre-launch movie rankings for the
best historical movies of all time. After an extensive online search, we found
31 published rankings for historical. Reel Fives has taken all of those
rankings and aggregated them into definitive rankings for the top 90 historical
movies of all time. For each ranked list of top movies for the historical film
genre we found online, we have taken the top five ranked films. The original
sources of rankings on top historical movies are included at the bottom of this
post and include rankings of the best historical movies created by movie experts
as well as historical movie rankings from polling sites.
History has some great stories to
tell and film can hone on the ones worth telling. By nature, history demands
knowledge of the past and context. Schindler’s
List (1993), the all-time best historical film (also
ranked sixth best war film of all time), tells story
of a Nazi general who no longer believes in his mission. The powerful film
captures one story of one of the worst genocides in history. Lawrence of Arabia (1962), ranked
second, captures the life of T.E. Lawrence, a British WWI soldier, who helped
Great Britain in their defeat the Ottoman Empire. Braveheart (1995), ranked fourth, won five Oscars including Best
Picture and Best Director for bringing the Scottish revolt against King Edward
I of England to the big screen. Saving
Private Ryan (1998), ranked fifth, takes place during WWII. Gone With the Wind (1939), tied for
eighth, chronicles the life of Scarlet O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) during the
American Civil War. All of these movies show how war affects an individual and
those stories create compelling plotlines for the historical genre.
While wars provide great historical
context, not all historical films tell war stories. Three astronauts become trapped
in space after a routine space flight in Apollo
13 (1995), tied for eighth. The mission takes place in 1970 and the
American public has lost interest in space exploration—until the situation
become dire as it did. Mission control works with the crew to devise a strategy
to get them home. Titanic (1997), tied
for tenth, also tells a story of survival. When the Titanic hits a giant
iceberg, the ship begins to sink into the freezing North Atlantic Ocean on
April 15, 1912. The real life Titanic was billed an unsinkable ship prior to
its departure from England. The film won two Oscars including Best Picture,
Best Director, and Best Cinematography. Pride
& Prejudice (2005), tied for tenth, takes place in England during the
beginning of the 19th century. Jane Austin wrote the novel in 1813,
centering it on a woman who falls for a man who exemplifies everything she
despises. They overcome their own prejudice in the name of love. These three
films exemplify the multitude of stories captured in historical films.
Historical movies cross other
genres through their plotlines, but remain in their historical period. We were
pleased to see this mix in the rankings. History has the power to inform
audiences of the past, but audiences must be careful to discern between fact
and creative licensure. Overall, the rankings had few surprises, as films who
were ranked highly in other genres, were also ranked highly in this genre.
| Top 92 Historical Movies Based on 31 Published Rankings | |
| Percent of online top fives movies appear in shown | |
| 1 . Schindler's List (1993): 41.9% | |
| 2 . Lawrence of Arabia (1962): 32.2% | |
| 3 . Gladiator (2000): 32.2% | |
| 4 . Braveheart (1995): 29.0% | |
| 5 . Saving Private Ryan (1998): 22.5% | |
| 6 . Ben-Hur (1959): 22.5% | |
| 7 . Spartacus (1960): 12.9% | |
| 8 (tied). Gone with the Wind (1939): 9.67% | |
| 8 (tied). Apollo 13 (1995): 9.67% | |
| 10 (tied). Glory (1989): 6.45% | |
| 10 (tied). Pride & Prejudice (2005): 6.45% | |
| 10 (tied). The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928): 6.45% | |
| 10 (tied). Titanic (1997): 6.45% | |
| 14 . Last of the Mohicans (1992): 6.45% | |
| 15 . Elizabeth (1998): 6.45% | |
| 16 (tied). Atonement (2007): 6.45% | |
| 16 (tied). Gangs of New York (2002): 6.45% | |
| 18 . The King's Speech (2010): 6.45% | |
| 19 . The Ten Commandments (1956): 6.45% | |
| 20 . Das Boot (1982): 6.45% | |
| 21 (tied). The Other Boleyn Girl (2008): 3.22% | |
| 21 (tied). The Count of Monte Cristo (2002): 3.22% | |
| 21 (tied). The Secret Garden (1993): 3.22% | |
| 21 (tied). Barry Lyndon (1975): 3.22% | |
| 21 (tied). Quo Vadis (1951): 3.22% | |
| 21 (tied). Shakespeare In Love (1998): 3.22% | |
| 21 (tied). Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001): 3.22% | |
| 21 (tied). The Right Stuff (1983): 3.22% | |
| 21 (tied). Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): 3.22% | |
| 21 (tied). Band of Brothers (2001): 3.22% | |
| 21 (tied). Sense and Sensibility (1995): 3.22% | |
| 21 (tied). Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970): 3.22% | |
| 33 (tied). Get on the Bus (1996): 3.22% | |
| 33 (tied). 300 (2006): 3.22% | |
| 33 (tied). Empire of the Sun (1987): 3.22% | |
| 33 (tied). The Untouchables (1987): 3.22% | |
| 33 (tied). The Pianist (2002): 3.22% | |
| 33 (tied). Zulu (1964): 3.22% | |
| 33 (tied). The Journey of Natty Gann (1985): 3.22% | |
| 33 (tied). Ladyhawke (1985): 3.22% | |
| 33 (tied). A Knight's Tale (2001): 3.22% | |
| 33 (tied). The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959): 3.22% | |
| 33 (tied). Bloody Sunday (2002): 3.22% | |
| 33 (tied). Seven Samurai (1954): 3.22% | |
| 33 (tied). The Robe (1953): 3.22% | |
| 46 (tied). Ivan the Terrible, Part II (1958): 3.22% | |
| 46 (tied). The Remains Of The Day (1993): 3.22% | |
| 46 (tied). Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972): 3.22% | |
| 46 (tied). ndiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989): 3.22% | |
| 46 (tied). Tangled (2010): 3.22% | |
| 46 (tied). Troy (2004): 3.22% | |
| 46 (tied). From Here to Eternity (1953): 3.22% | |
| 46 (tied). Quills (2000): 3.22% | |
| 46 (tied). The Patriot (2000): 3.22% | |
| 46 (tied). Quiz Show (1994): 3.22% | |
| 46 (tied). Bugsy Malone (1976): 3.22% | |
| 46 (tied). Battleship Potemkin (1925): 3.22% | |
| 46 (tied). The Crucible (1996): 3.22% | |
| 46 (tied). Casablanca (1942): 3.22% | |
| 46 (tied). Gandhi (1982): 3.22% | |
| 46 (tied). Land of the Pharaohs (1955): 3.22% | |
| 46 (tied). Patton (1970): 3.22% | |
| 46 (tied). Ivan the Terrible, Part I (1945): 3.22% | |
| 64 (tied). The Man in the Iron Mask (1998): 3.22% | |
| 64 (tied). Back Home (2001): 3.22% | |
| 64 (tied). Generation Kill (2008): 3.22% | |
| 64 (tied). Argo (2012): 3.22% | |
| 64 (tied). Medium Cool (1969): 3.22% | |
| 64 (tied). A Moment of Innocence (1996): 3.22% | |
| 64 (tied). All the President's Men (1976): 3.22% | |
| 64 (tied). Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975): 3.22% | |
| 64 (tied). The Great Escape (1963): 3.22% | |
| 64 (tied). A Royal Affair (2012): 3.22% | |
| 64 (tied). Kingdom of Heaven (2005): 3.22% | |
| 64 (tied). Blood Diamond (2006): 3.22% | |
| 76 (tied). The Mission (1986): 3.22% | |
| 76 (tied). Newsies (1992): 3.22% | |
| 76 (tied). Anna Karenina (2012): 3.22% | |
| 76 (tied). The Social Network (2010): 3.22% | |
| 76 (tied). Alexander (2004): 3.22% | |
| 76 (tied). 12 Years a Slave (2013): 3.22% | |
| 76 (tied). Texas (1994): 3.22% | |
| 76 (tied). Forrest Gump (1994): 3.22% | |
| 76 (tied). Black Hawk Down (2001): 3.22% | |
| 76 (tied). Citizen Kane (1941): 3.22% | |
| 76 (tied). Young Mr. Lincoln (1939): 3.22% | |
| 76 (tied). JFK (1991): 3.22% | |
| 76 (tied). The Dreamers (2003): 3.22% | |
| 76 (tied). Battle of Algiers (1966): 3.22% | |
| 76 (tied). The English Patient (1996): 3.22% | |
| 76 (tied). Becket (1964): 3.22% | |
| 76 (tied). Amadeus (1984): 3.22% | |
| Historical Movie Ranking Sources | |
| iMDb | List of top 4906 (link) |
| Good Movies Lists | List of top 50 (link) |
| Film School WTF | List of top 100 (link) |
| Listverse | List of top 10 (link) |
| Flickchart | List of top 789 (link) |
| American Film Institute | List of top 10 (link) |
| Film Crave | List of top 500 (link) |
| The Top Tens | List of top 174 (link) |
| Metacritic | List of top 296 (link) |
| AMC | List of top 16 (link) |
| Ranker | List of top 75 (link) |
| Entertainment.ie | List of top 10 (link) |
| These Fantastic Worlds | List of top 10 (link) |
| About Entertainment | List of top 8 (link) |
| Stories of USA | List of top 20 (link) |
| Hub Pages | List of top 10 (link) |
| Filmspotting | List of top 5 (link) |
| All Women Stalk | List of top 8 (link) |
| The Script Lab | List of top 10 (link) |
| List Challenges | List of top 50 (link) |
| Eliza Lloyd | List of top 10 (link) |
| History: Preserved | List of top 14 (link) |
| WBAB | List of top . (link) |
| Haley Whitehall | List of top 10 (link) |
| Ad Hoc | List of top 15 (link) |
| View Kick | List of top 10 (link) |
| eBay | List of top 10 (link) |
| Entertainment.ie | List of top 10 (link) |
| Flickchart | List of top 3737 (link) |
| Latin Post | List of top 5 (link) |
| Hello Beautiful | List of top 5 (link) |
Identifying the top movies is our mission.
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