Top of the best historical films of all time

Movies are not the best source of information about historical events. After all, every writer and director for the sake of fashion and entertainment offers his version of what happened a century or even a millennium ago. However, regardless of the reliability of some movies are recognized masterpieces, and they are definitely worth a look. We bring to your attention the top 10 best historical films.

"Spartacus"

This work of the famous director Stanley Kubrick is a classic of the genre of peplum and, of course, worthy to enter the top of the best historical films.

The picture "Spartacus", released on screens in 1960, and today looks at one go. This is the great merit of such great actors as Kirk Douglas, Gene Simmons, Lawrence Olivier, Peter Ustinov and others. She also received the recognition of film critics, becoming the winner of the Golden Globe as the best film of the year, as well as four Oscars .

The film tells about the events that took place in ancient Rome 73 years before Christ. Captured Thracian warrior named Spartacus enters the school for gladiators. There he meets the slave Varinia. Once on a visit to the owner of Spartacus comes the consul Mark Licinius Crassus. He orders a duel with a fatal outcome and kills one of his participants. After the battle, Spartacus learns that Crassus bought Varinia and took her with him. Wanting to avenge the murdered comrade and return his beloved, the gladiator raises a riot and escapes with the other slaves to Vesuvius. Once Varinia comes to him, who managed to escape from Crassus. The news of the gladiator's rebellion reaches all corners of the empire. Fugitive slaves join Spartacus, and he leads his army against Rome. After the defeat of the rebels, Crassus orders the crucifixion of Spartacus, but Varinia and their baby manage to escape.

"War and Peace"

Making up the top of the best historical films, one can not help taking away one of the honorable places in the most famous picture of Sergei Bondarchuk. This film epic, consisting of 4 parts, is the most detailed adaptation of the novel of the same name by Leo Tolstoy.

It starred the stars of Soviet cinema Lyudmila Savelieva, Sergei Bondarchuk, Vyacheslav Tikhonov, Irina Skobtseva, Anastasia Vertinskaya, Oleg Efremov, Vladislav Strzhelchik, Vasily Lanovoy and others.

The main task set by the Goskino before the director Bondarchuk was to prove to the whole world that Soviet cinema is in no way inferior to the Western cinema, and with it the filmmakers coped with honor. This is evidenced by the Oscar prize, which in 1968 this film was awarded in the category "Best film in a foreign language".

Cleopatra

Peplum, shot by director Joseph Mankiewicz in 1963, entered history as one of the most expensive. His decoration became an actor's trio: Richard Burton, Rex Harrison and Elizabeth Taylor. The picture received 4 "Oscar", but it became one of the loudest rolling failures in the history of cinematography. Be that as it may, she is worthy to enter the top 10 of the best historical films.

The picture tells how Caesar, who arrived in Alexandria to destroy the commander of Pompey, is involved in a dynastic conflict. Egyptian co-ruler Cleopatra manages to enlist the support of the Roman. She becomes his mistress and gives birth to his son. Caesar returns to Rome and invites Cleopatra to come there. The Egyptian queen arrives in the capital of the empire, having arranged her arrival with such pompousness that causes resentment of the Senate. When Caesar is killed by the conspirators, Cleopatra and Caesarion return to Egypt, fearing for the life of the boy.

After some time, Mark Antony arrives there. He concludes with the tsarina a political and amicable union. Consul Octavian demands that Antony break with Cleopatra. He refuses and enters into an armed struggle with Rome. After the defeat, he decided that Cleopatra was running, pinning herself with a sword. The queen meets Octavian and sees his son's ring. Realizing that Caesarion was killed, and having learned about the death of Mark Antony, Cleopatra dies, putting his hand in a basket with a poisonous snake.

"Joan of Arc"

Another picture, without which it is impossible to imagine the best of the best historical films - is the dramatic drama of Luc Besson with Milla Jovovich in the title role.

The film takes place in the 15th century in France, whose population suffers from the hardships of the Hundred Years War. 19-year-old peasant woman Jeanne sees a sign of God and goes to the Dauphin Charles to ask for an army to expel the British. At the head of the army, she fights with the enemy and saves Orleans. Karl becomes king, but instead of thanking Jeanne, he orders to slam the gate in front of her. So because of the betrayal of the monarch, the girl is captured by the British. She is accused of heresy and burned at the stake.

"Alexander"

In 2004, director Oliver Stone shot a picture, which immediately entered the top of the best historical films of recent decades. The painting "Alexander", in which the main roles were played by Colleen Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, Val Kilmer and other Hollywood stars, tells about the short life of the greatest commander of all time.

The narrative is conducted on behalf of the friend of the protagonist - Ptolemy, who settled in Egypt. He tells how Alexander grew and puffed, how he created his vast empire and how he was overtaken by the last battle in India.

"Elizabeth"

In the top of the best historical films usually include the work of British director Shekhar Kapoor with Australian actress Cate Blanchett as one of the most famous queens of the Middle Ages. The painting received an Oscar, several BAFTA and Golden Globe awards. In addition to Keith Blanchett, Joseph Fiennes, Richard Attenborough, Jeffrey Rush, Fanny Ardan and other famous actors played in the film.

"Gone With the Wind"

This picture simply can not help but enter the top of the best historical films of all time.

"Gone with the Wind" - this is a magnificent adaptation of the eponymous novel by Margaret Mitchell, telling about the touching fate of the brave and relentless Scarlett against the backdrop of the American Civil War. The picture became the laureate of 10 "Oscars" and deserved world recognition.

"Battleship Potemkin"

This "silent" picture of Sergei Eisenstein, filmed in 1925, was repeatedly recognized as the best film of all time. And to this day it is studied in most universities around the world, where they teach directing skills.

In the film, which deserves to lead any top-100 best historical films, A. Antonov, V. Barsky, G. Alexandrov and I. Bobrov starred.

This work of Soviet cinematographers won the prize at the World Exhibition in 1926 in Paris. It is noteworthy that the musical accompaniment to the film was written by Edmund Meisel and Dmitri Shostakovich.

Andrei Rublev

The famous work of Andrei Tarkovsky tells about the life of the people of Russia in the 15th century. It consists of novels, which are cases that the icon painter Andrei Rublev witnessed.

In the film, I. Lapikov, N. Burlyaev and N. Grinko starred.

The film is notable for the fact that it displays the theme of Orthodoxy, which was a very bold step for the Soviet period.

"Kingdom of heaven"

This picture of Ridley Scott tells of the events that took place in Jerusalem and its environs at the end of the 12th century. The film starred O. Bloom, E. Green, L. Neason, J. Irons, E. Norton.

According to the plot of the picture, Baron Gottfried informs the blacksmith Balian that he is his father. He calls his son to his place in Palestine, where the knights-crusaders founded their kingdom. On the way to Jerusalem, Gottfried dies, but declares Balian his heir and knight. In Palestine, the newly-made Baron meets Queen Sibylla. He has to constantly make a choice between his desires and the demands of chivalrous honor. Meanwhile, the conflict between the crusaders and the Egyptian sultan Salah ad-Din flares up, in which Balian has an important role to play.

Top of the best historical films of 2016 and 2017

In the last two years several screens have appeared on the screens, telling about events that took place many centuries or decades ago. The best of them include films:

• "Anthropoid" by Sean Ellis about the Nazi criminal Reinhard Heydrich.
• "Birth of the Nation" by Nate Parker, who tells of one of the uprisings of African slaves in the United States in the early 19th century.
• Operation Chromit about General Douglas MacArthur.
• "Paradise" directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, a Russian emigrant who during the war becomes a member of the movement of the French Resistance.
• "The King's Choice" is a film about how the King of Norway, who all his life performed only the symbolic role of the head of the nation, must face the need to decide whether or not to capitulate to fascist Germany.