Best Movie Genres The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked  

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

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Moviegoers 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 priorities. These differing opinions are why it is difficult to rank the best historical drama movies of all time.

Do you due diligence and vote up your favorite historical dramas. These are the top films in the historical 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. Original trailers for the movies included when available.

Many of these hit 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 upvoting the greatest movies on this list (according to you).  List of historical drama films includes 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. 

All sorts of directors have taken on Historical drama movies. Examples include Orson Welles, Martin Scorsese, and Robert Redford.

list ordered by

1
763 254
Schindler's List is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
wiabux added 1993 Schindler's List is a 1993 American epic historical period drama, directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg and scripted by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the novel Schindler's Ark by Thomas ...more

2
883 266
Gladiator is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
2000 Gladiator is a 2000 American-British epic historical drama film directed by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Möller, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, ...more

3
499 163
Black Hawk Down is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
wiabux added 2001 Black Hawk Down is a 2001 American-British war film directed by Ridley Scott. It is an adaptation of the 1999 book of the same name by Mark Bowden based on his series of articles published in ...more

4
587 223
Braveheart is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
Jim_In_Texas added 1995 Braveheart is a 1995 epic historical medieval war drama film directed by and starring Mel Gibson. Gibson portrays William Wallace, a 13th-century Scottish warrior who led the Scots in the First ...more

5
391 135
Tombstone is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
RobLein added 1993 Tombstone is a 1993 American western film directed by George P. Cosmatos, written by Kevin Jarre and starring Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer, with Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Michael ...more

6
388 275
Lincoln is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
wiabux added 2012 Lincoln is a 2012 American epic historical drama film directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as United States President Abraham Lincoln and Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln. The ...more

7
402 145
Dances with Wolves is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
cynde added 1990 Dances with Wolves is a 1990 American epic western film directed, produced by, and starring Kevin Costner. It is a film adaptation of the 1988 book of the same name by Michael Blake and tells ...more

8
422 220
300 is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
ElijahKaganer added 2006 300 is a 2006 American fantasy war film based on the 1998 comic series of the same name by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley. Both are fictionalized retellings of the Battle of Thermopylae which took ...more

9
460 258
The King's Speech is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
2010 The King's Speech is a 2010 British historical drama film directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. Colin Firth plays King George VI who, to cope with a stammer, sees Lionel Logue, an ...more

10
522 249
The Patriot is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
wiabux added 2000 The Patriot is a 2000 American epic historical fiction film directed by Roland Emmerich. Peaceful farmer Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) is driven to lead the his own group of men during the ...more

11
350 191
Gone with the Wind is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
cynde added 1939 Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American epic historical romance film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel. It was produced by David O. Selznick of Selznick International ...more

12
297 151
Inglourious Basterds is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
cynde added 2009 Inglourious Basterds is a 2009 German-American war black comedy film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Mélanie Laurent, Michael ...more

13
354 203
Gangs of New York is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
2002 Gangs of New York is a 2002 American fictionalized historical drama film set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of Lower Manhattan in 1863. The film was directed by Martin ...more

14
285 195
Casablanca is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
cynde added 1942 Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and based on Murray Burnett and Joan Alison's unproduced stage play Everybody Comes to Rick's. The film stars ...more

15
359 190
Ben-Hur is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
Ferry73 added 1959 Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic historical drama film, directed by William Wyler, produced by Sam Zimbalist for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Hugh ...more

16
416 239
Kingdom of Heaven is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
2005 Kingdom of Heaven is a 2005 epic historical drama directed and produced by Ridley Scott and written by William Monahan. It stars Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Jeremy Irons, David Thewlis, Brendan ...more

17
292 144
Patton is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
RobLein added 1970 Patton is a 1970 American epic biographical film about U.S. General George S. Patton during WWII. It stars George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Michael Bates and Karl Michael Vogler. It was directed by ...more

18
317 110
Glory is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
Jim_In_Texas added 1989 Glory is a 1989 American drama film directed by Edward Zwick and starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes and Morgan Freeman. The screenplay was written by Kevin Jarre, based on ...more

19
324 198
Spartacus is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
wiabux added 1960 Spartacus is a 1960 American epic historical drama film directed by Stanley Kubrick. The screenplay by Dalton Trumbo was based on the novel Spartacus by Howard Fast. It was inspired by the life ...more

20
210 57
The Last of the Mohicans is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
LisaMcCaffrey added 1992 The Last of the Mohicans is a 1992 historical epic film set in 1757 and produced by Morgan Creek Pictures. It was directed by Michael Mann and based on James Fenimore Cooper's novel of the same ...more

21
266 98
Troy is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
Roland Keszeg added 2004 Troy is a 2004 American epic film written by David Benioff and directed by Wolfgang Petersen. It is loosely based on Homer's Iliad. Achilles leads his Myrmidons along with the rest of the Greek ...more

22
287 225
Gandhi is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
Ferry73 added 1982 Gandhi is a 1982 epic biographical film which dramatises the life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the leader of India's non-violent, non-cooperative independence movement against the United ...more

23
321 211
The Passion of the Christ is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
wiabux added 2004 The Passion of the Christ is a 2004 American epic biblical drama film directed by Mel Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus Christ. It depicts the Passion of Jesus largely according to the ...more

24
274 190
Robin Hood is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
idowrite added 2010 Robin Hood is a 2010 action film written by Brian Helgeland and directed by Ridley Scott. Robin Hood, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett will open the 2010 ...more

25
265 185
Elizabeth: The Golden Age is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best Historical Drama Movies of All Time, Ranked
wiabux added 2007 Elizabeth: The Golden Age is a 2007 sequel to the 1998 film Elizabeth, directed by Shekhar Kapur and produced by Universal Pictures and Working Title Films. It stars Cate Blanchett in the title ...more