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7.2k voters

The Best Historical Drama Movies Of All Time

Updated March 5, 2021 125.1k votes 7.2k voters 275.3k views198 items

List RulesYour favorite historical drama films, regardless of box office gross or popularity.

Here is a list where movie fans, like you, get to rank the best historical drama movies and period pieces of all time below. So what makes a good historical drama movie? Some would say period-accuracy is most important while others may assert plot and emotion should be priorities. Sometimes a great performance can overcome a flawed historical drama. These differing opinions are why it is difficult to rank the best historical drama movies of all time.

Do your due diligence and vote up your favorite historical dramas and historical action movies. These are the top films in the historical fiction, drama genre, meaning that each and every one of these is either tells a story from history or is a period piece. We have included details such as cast, year, director, and more. This list of historical drama films also contains plot summaries and miscellaneous information. Once you look below, you'll find that this is much more than just a top 100 period piece movies list. But which of these are the best historical fiction movies to watch?

Many of these top historical drama movies are available for streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime. Don't agree with this list? Feel free to rerank it to your heart's desire. You can either copy the historical drama films or add your own. This list, though, contains the best historical drama movies of all time, as voted on by fans of the films. Make sure to rock the vote by voting up the greatest dramatic history movies on this list (according to you). Historical drama movie titles that can be clicked on for more information about the film. After you've voted for your favorites, share the list on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social networks. Aside from this list of the best historical drama movies, you can also take a look at the Best Family Drama Movies, The Best R-Rated Drama Movies, and the Best PG-13 Rated Drama Movies.

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2,955
815
Schindler's List
Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes
Released: 1993
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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2
834
104
Saving Private Ryan
Tom Hanks, Matt Damon
Released: 1998
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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12 Small - But Accurate - Details From 'Saving Private Ryan'#3 of 50 The 50 Highest Grossing '90s Movies, Ranked
3
3,089
1,142
Gladiator
Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix
Released: 2000
Directed by: Ridley Scott
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Gladiator Might Be One of The Most Historically Inaccurate Movies Ever#53 of 246 The Best Rainy Day Movies
4
1,822
548
Glory
Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington
Released: 1989
Directed by: Edward Zwick
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5
2,160
737
Tombstone
Val Kilmer, Kurt Russell
Released: 1993
Directed by: Kevin Jarre, George P. Cosmatos
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6
2,351
811
Black Hawk Down
Ewan McGregor, Tom Hardy
Released: 2001
Directed by: Ridley Scott
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7
2,140
812
Dances with Wolves
Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell
Released: 1990
Directed by: Kevin Costner
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8
2,743
1,061
Braveheart
Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau
Released: 1995
Directed by: Mel Gibson
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#62 of 372 'Old' Movies Every Young Person Needs To Watch In Their Lifetime#16 of 450 The Best Movies For Guys
9
2,390
969
The Patriot
Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger
Released: 2000
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
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#12 of 12 The 12 Most Inaccurate War Movies Ever Made#2 of 13 These Are The Most Historically Inaccurate Movies Of All Time
10
2,115
511
The Last of the Mohicans
Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe
Released: 1992
Directed by: Michael Mann
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#31 of 400 The Best Western Movies Ever Made#92 of 105 The Best Valentine's Day Movies
11
1,449
645
Patton
George C. Scott, Karl Malden
Released: 1970
Directed by: Franklin J. Schaffner
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#16 of 553 The Best '70s Movies#121 of 456 The Most Quotable Movies of All Time
12
1,298
523
Gettysburg
Martin Sheen, Tom Berenger
Released: 1993
Directed by: Ronald F. Maxwell
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#7 of 58 The Best '90s Western Movies#35 of 95 Great Period Movies Set in the 19th Century
13
837
387
The Longest Day
Sean Connery, John Wayne
Released: 1962
Directed by: Darryl F. Zanuck, Ken Annakin, Bernhard Wicki, Andrew Marton, Gerd Oswald
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#4 of 221 The Greatest World War II Movies of All Time#133 of 549 The Greatest Epic Movies Ever Made

14
1,736
938
Gone with the Wind
Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh
Released: 1939
Directed by: Sam Wood, George Cukor, Victor Fleming
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15
870
440
Heartbreak Ridge
Clint Eastwood, Mario Van Peebles
Released: 1986
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
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#165 of 305 The Funniest '80s Movies#45 of 75 The Best Movies About Historical Battles
16
1,364
734
Ben-Hur
Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins
Released: 1959
Directed by: William Wyler
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17
1,637
743
Troy
Brad Pitt, Eric Bana
Released: 2004
Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
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18
1,855
911
Gangs of New York
Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio
Released: 2002
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
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222
39
Apollo 13
Tom Hanks, Bryce Dallas Howard
Released: 1995
Directed by: Ron Howard
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20
1,021
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Tora! Tora! Tora!
Jason Robards Jr., Martin Balsam
Released: 1970
Directed by: Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda, Kinji Fukasaku
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#691 of 1,189 Every Oscar Winning Film Ever#18 of 374 The 50+ Best War Movies Ever Made, Ranked
21
1,630
1,041
Lincoln
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Daniel Day-Lewis
Released: 2012
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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22
928
453
Lawrence of Arabia
Omar Sharif, Peter O'Toole
Released: 1962
Directed by: David Lean
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#10 of 46 Movies That Won Best Picture at the Oscars and Golden Globes#19 of 92 The Very Best Oscar-Winning Movies For Best Picture
23
1,702
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The King's Speech
Helena Bonham Carter, Colin Firth
Released: 2010
Directed by: Tom Hooper
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#1 of 14 Pretty Good Movies About Historical Royals#3 of 46 35+ Great Political Movies Based on True Stories

24
689
357
All Quiet on the Western Front
Fred Zinnemann, Lew Ayres
Released: 1930
Directed by: Lewis Milestone
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#39 of 45 The Most Controversial Movies of All Time#16 of 46 Every Single Movie On Rotten Tomatoes With 100% Approval, Ranked
25
1,319
881
Casablanca
Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart
Released: 1942
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
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