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

Pssst, want to check out the 100 All-Time Best Movies for History Buffs list in our new look?

  1. 4 -

    Ben-Hur

    1959, in 22 top lists Check
  2. 5 -

    The Ten Commandments

    1956, in 12 top lists Check
  3. 6 -

    Spartacus

    1960, in 19 top lists Check
  4. 9 -

    Troy

    2004, in 3 top lists Check
  5. 11 -

    Clash of the Titans

    1981, in 3 top lists Check
  6. 12 -

    Alexander

    2004, in 0 top lists Check
  7. 14 -

    El Cid

    1961, in 1 top list Check
  8. 16 -

    The Adventures of Robin Hood

    1938, in 17 top lists Check
  9. 21 -

    Robin and Marian

    1976, in 0 top lists Check
  10. 22 -

    Robin Hood

    1991, in 0 top lists Check
  11. 23 -

    Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

    1991, in 3 top lists Check
  12. 27 -

    Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes

    1972 — a.k.a. Aguirre, the Wrath of God, in 18 top lists Check
  13. 30 -

    1492: Conquest of Paradise

    1992, in 0 top lists Check
  14. 32 -

    The Mission

    1986, in 6 top lists Check
  15. 33 -

    The Last of the Mohicans

    1992, in 9 top lists Check
  16. 35 -

    The Man Who Would Be King

    1975, in 5 top lists Check
  17. 36 -

    Lawrence of Arabia

    1962, in 40 top lists Check
  18. 37 -

    The Four Feathers

    1939, in 1 top list Check
  19. 38 -

    A Passage to India

    1984, in 5 top lists Check
  20. 41 -

    Mutiny on the Bounty

    1935, in 6 top lists Check
  21. 43 -

    Barry Lyndon

    1975, in 24 top lists Check
  22. 45 -

    Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

    2003, in 8 top lists Check
  23. 46 -

    Gunga Din

    1939, in 7 top lists Check
  24. 48 -

    Revolution

    1985, in 1 top list Check
  25. 64 -

    La rivière du hibou

    1961 — a.k.a. Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, in 1 top list Check
  26. 67 -

    Dances with Wolves

    1990, in 18 top lists Check
  27. 73 -

    The Dirty Dozen

    1967, in 8 top lists Check
  28. 77 -

    Das Boot

    1981 — a.k.a. The Boat, in 15 top lists Check
  29. 88 -

    Apollo 13

    1995, in 6 top lists Check
  30. 94 -

    The Right Stuff

    1983, in 13 top lists Check
Remove ads
Show all 100 movies

Last updated on Jan 7, 2012; source