100 All-Time Best Movies for History Buffs

100 All-Time Best Movies for History Buffs's icon

Created by MariusMariusMarius.

Favorited 56 times, disliked 4 times, added to 67 watchlists.

History isn’t marked by years, but events. Being a history buff means looking at the way major ideas or happenings played out and how they had an effect on everything from politics to the economy.
War, invention, discovery, love: the history of the world has been shaped by the way we deal with these things. The movies on this list are great ways to take a closer look at the moments that changed history.

NOTE: The list is constructed out of seven minor lists, as noted below:
#01 - 13: Ancient History
#14 - 29: Medieval Times
#30 - 46: Exploration & Colonization
#47 - 53: The American Revolution
#54 - 68: The American Civil War
#69 - 81: World War II
#82 - 100: The 20th Century

Remove ads

Filter

  1. 71 -

    Schindler's List

    1993, in 35 top lists Check
  2. 2 -

    Gladiator

    2000, in 25 top lists Check
  3. 68 -

    Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo

    1966 — a.k.a. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, in 28 top lists Check
  4. 79 -

    Saving Private Ryan

    1998, in 28 top lists Check
  5. 81 -

    The Pianist

    2002, in 21 top lists Check
  6. 24 -

    Braveheart

    1995, in 19 top lists Check
  7. 7 -

    300

    2006, in 6 top lists Check
  8. 84 -

    To Kill a Mockingbird

    1962, in 18 top lists Check
  9. 99 -

    Raging Bull

    1980, in 34 top lists Check
  10. 36 -

    Lawrence of Arabia

    1962, in 40 top lists Check
  11. 57 -

    Gone with the Wind

    1939, in 31 top lists Check
  12. 90 -

    Platoon

    1986, in 21 top lists Check
  13. 43 -

    Barry Lyndon

    1975, in 24 top lists Check
  14. 77 -

    Das Boot

    1981 — a.k.a. The Boat, in 15 top lists Check
  15. 67 -

    Dances with Wolves

    1990, in 17 top lists Check
  16. 78 -

    The Thin Red Line

    1998, in 14 top lists Check
  17. 88 -

    Apollo 13

    1995, in 6 top lists Check
  18. 27 -

    Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes

    1972 — a.k.a. Aguirre, the Wrath of God, in 18 top lists Check
  19. 9 -

    Troy

    2004, in 3 top lists Check
  20. 26 -

    La passion de Jeanne d'Arc

    1928 — a.k.a. The Passion of Joan of Arc, in 27 top lists Check
  21. 93 -

    Milk

    2008, in 3 top lists Check
  22. 4 -

    Ben-Hur

    1959, in 22 top lists Check
  23. 39 -

    Gandhi

    1982, in 15 top lists Check
  24. 91 -

    Black Hawk Down

    2001, in 5 top lists Check
  25. 83 -

    All the President's Men

    1976, in 21 top lists Check
  26. 45 -

    Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

    2003, in 8 top lists Check
  27. 98 -

    The Grapes of Wrath

    1940, in 24 top lists Check
  28. 6 -

    Spartacus

    1960, in 19 top lists Check
  29. 42 -

    Empire of the Sun

    1987, in 9 top lists Check
  30. 69 -

    The Best Years of Our Lives

    1946, in 30 top lists Check
  31. 50 -

    The Patriot

    2000, in 2 top lists Check
  32. 75 -

    Patton

    1970, in 13 top lists Check
  33. 82 -

    All Quiet on the Western Front

    1930, in 19 top lists Check
  34. 40 -

    The Last King of Scotland

    2006, in 1 top list Check
  35. 33 -

    The Last of the Mohicans

    1992, in 9 top lists Check
  36. 16 -

    The Adventures of Robin Hood

    1938, in 17 top lists Check
  37. 31 -

    The New World

    2005, in 10 top lists Check
  38. 100 -

    Capote

    2005, in 3 top lists Check
  39. 97 -

    The Last Emperor

    1987, in 15 top lists Check
  40. 54 -

    Glory

    1989, in 5 top lists Check
  41. 23 -

    Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

    1991, in 3 top lists Check
  42. 62 -

    The Outlaw Josey Wales

    1976, in 11 top lists Check
  43. 73 -

    The Dirty Dozen

    1967, in 8 top lists Check
  44. 94 -

    The Right Stuff

    1983, in 13 top lists Check
  45. 87 -

    Malcolm X

    1992, in 7 top lists Check
  46. 5 -

    The Ten Commandments

    1956, in 12 top lists Check
  47. 86 -

    October Sky

    1999, in 0 top lists Check
  48. 35 -

    The Man Who Would Be King

    1975, in 5 top lists Check
  49. 85 -

    Inherit the Wind

    1960, in 4 top lists Check
  50. 20 -

    Elizabeth

    1998, in 5 top lists Check
Remove ads
Show all 100 movies

Last updated on Jan 7, 2012; source