Good Historical Movies (period and otherwise)

[Justinian II]

I'm looking for stuff to add to my netflix que, or acquire via various websites (amazon.com, etc) that are actually DECENT historical movies.

It occurred to me that one of them would be that rumored Romanian film SOMEONE mentioned here about one of the Dacian Kings... does anyone know what it is called?

(For that matter, I've heard rumors of one about the Bulgarian Khan Krum and his wars against Byzantium which would be terribly interesting for me, as a Byzantinist...)


Anyway, I fear I don't know of any good ones to suggest in return

[Ibrahim]

try Gettysburg (1993) for uniforms-but that's civil war...all the movies on the ancient world suck-more on special effects and storyline, which tends to by anything but reality.

[Sir Edward]

try Gettysburg (1993) for uniforms-but that's civil war...all the movies on the ancient world suck-more on special effects and storyline, which tends to by anything but reality.

I would have to second gettysburg, but also add Gods and Gererals and Ken Burn's The Civil War if you wanted good netflix picks about the American Civil War. Sorry to say I haven't any suggestions closer to EB time period.

[Dhampir]

also add Gods and Gererals and Ken Burn's The Civil War if you wanted good netflix picks about the American Civil War.

Ken Burns got his history from Shelby Foote, the most famously discredited scholar of the Civil War, so it's a good idea to avoid it at all costs.

Gods and Generals is on the list of all time worst overall movies. Watching it was the only time I ever got up and left a movie and shouted at the screen on my way out.

The best historical movies are generally those made outside the United States and about esoteric subjects. Like "Chronicle of the Burning Years", despite being a propaganda piece of the Algerian government, presents a fairly good picture of the time and is damn entertaining to boot.

[Irishmafia2020]

Yeah, in "Gods and Generals" every single character and soldier speaks dialougue that might be written by Shakespeare, - constantly. Having served in the American military, I have found that the environment is considerably more course and profane than is portrayed in movies. Plus, The Am civil war happened 150 years ago, and most men were semi - literate at best, and even the most well educated would be unlikely to have conversations that sound like well rehearsed public speechs. I only got through the first hour, although I might have enjoyed the movie more if I had muted it.... It seemed more like a fantasy for someone who wants war to be more noble than it is...

[Teleklos Archelaou]

Ken Burns got his history from Shelby Foote, the most famously discredited scholar of the Civil War, so it's a good idea to avoid it at all costs.

Avoid it at all costs? Surely you are smoking something. Probably the most watched documentary ever, it remains at the top of my personal "best uses of the medium of (programmed) television". It's popular history, sure, and doesn't even really fit the general category the initial poster is asking about, but c'mon, it is one of the crowning achievements of the genre in my opinion as an historian.

[Dhampir]

Avoid it at all costs? Surely you are smoking something. Probably the most watched documentary ever, it remains at the top of my personal "best uses of the medium of (programmed) television". It's popular history, sure, and doesn't even really fit the general category the initial poster is asking about, but c'mon, it is one of the crowning achievements of the genre in my opinion as an historian.

"Most watched" does not mean it's good history. He got his information primarily from Shelby Foote's Narrative, which is possibly the most under-researched and ill founded work of lost cause mythology; and that's saying a lot because he is competing with the likes of Douglas Southall Freeman and Edward A. Pollard.

I don't care how artful your presentation is- if Foote is your main source of information, I have no respect for you.

[Emperor Burakuku]

I think the one about the dacian king it's called "Dacii". It's a romanian movie from '66. Here you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmmkns7Ty7E no subtitles though. IMHO there aren't many decent historical movies... but that's just my opinion.

[antisocialmunky]

The fight scenes from Alexander weren't too bad if you can ignore the whole unwashed horde portrayl of all those brown people.

[SwebozGaztiz]

hey the dacii movie looks really really nice!well there it is a good bbc production about hannibal barca, i havent seen it completely but it doesnt looks like your regular hollywood movie, you should try to look for it, there are plenty of videos of that movie in you tube!gladiator is really good!but besides that i think that the old 300, ben hur or spartacus are good choices from what i have read although i havent seen those movies

other suggestion would be kingdom of heaven i really like it i know its not that accurate but its a good movie still!oh also i have read about a polish movie its old and its about a famous medieval battle im sure that is also a good movie, i just need to look for the name...

[Tiberius Nero]

It occurred to me that one of them would be that rumored Romanian film SOMEONE mentioned here about one of the Dacian Kings... does anyone know what it is called?

If you mean "Dacii", it's basically a propaganda film, very loosely based on history; it is interesting per se, for what it is and tries to achieve, but not as a history film. Frankly I don't think I know of any decent historical films; you could try the series "I Claudius" (based on the novel of the same name), which is historical only in the sense that it presents as fact every piece of malicious gossip you can find in Tacitus, Suetonius, Dio Cassius etc about the lives of the first emperors, a bit like a review of our sources with everything found in them represented as true.