History: 92

Napoleon (2023), an epic historical drama film directed and produced by Ridley Scott and written by David Scarpa, explores the story of Napoleon Bonaparte, chronicling his ascent to power and his relationship with his wife, Joséphine Bonaparte. Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, the film begins with young army officer Napoleon witnessing the execution of Marie Antoinette by guillotine in 1793. Later that year, Revolutionary leader Paul Barras entrusts Napoleon with managing the Siege of Toulon, where he successfully repels British ships using artillery. ...

Vikings: Valhalla (2022–2024) is a sequel to History’s Vikings, filmed in County Wicklow, Ireland, and created by Jeb Stuart for Netflix. Taking place a century after the events of Vikings, tensions run high between the Viking and English royals, leading to a violent climax. Amidst these conflicts, Leif Erikson, Freydís Eiríksdóttir, and Harald Hardrada embark on a grand voyage, traversing seas and war zones from Kattegat to England and beyond. Their journey is one of struggle for survival and pursuit of fame. Ultimately, the series portrays the culmination of the ...

The Gilded Ae (2022–2024) is an American historical drama television series created and written by Julian Fellowes for HBO that takes place during the titular era, the boom years of the 1880s in New York City. Originally announced in 2018 for NBC, it was later announced in May 2019 that the show had been moved to HBO. The show premiered on January 24, 2022. In 1882, a young woman enters New York City’s strict social scene and becomes entangled in the ongoing disputes between the nouveau riche Russell family and the established van Rhijn-Brook family. These two families reside on ...

An American historical action film, The Northman (2022), directed and co-written by Robert Eggers and Sjón respectively, portrays the return of King Aurvandill to the fictional island of Hrafnsey in AD 895. Accompanied by his wife, Queen Gudrún, and son, Prince Amleth, father and son partake in a ritual led by Aurvandill’s jester, Heimir. During the ceremony, Heimir reveals to Amleth that his future is predetermined and he must seek revenge for his father’s death rather than face dishonor. The following day, a treacherous coup by Amleth’s uncle Fjölnir ...

An historical thriller film, The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021), was written, directed and produced by Joel Coen. It is based on William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth. After leading King Duncan’s army to victory against the traitorous Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth and Banquo are approached by three witches on the battlefield. They predict that Macbeth will become the Thane of Cawdor (already holding the title of Glamis) and eventually be king. Meanwhile, Banquo’s descendants will also rule as kings. In response to the prophecy, King Duncan orders the execution of ...

An biographical comedy-drama film The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021), directed by Will Sharpe and written by Simon Stephenson and Will Sharpe, follows the journey of Louis Wain after his father’s death in 1881. As the only male and eldest brother, Louis takes on the role of breadwinner for his family consisting of five sisters and his mother. Despite being offered a full-time job as an illustrator at The Illustrated London News by editor Sir William Ingram, Louis declines in pursuit of composing music and ...

A historical action drama, The Last Duel (2021), directed by Ridley Scott and written by Nicole Holofcener, tells the story of French squires Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris during the Caroline War. Divided into three chapters, each chapter presents the same story from a different perspective. In summary, after serving in the war, Jean and Jacques pledge loyalty to Count Pierre d’Alençon, who has been appointed as Jean’s overlord by King Charles VI. Seeking financial gain, Jean marries Marguerite de Thibouville under the assumption that her father, ...

Ammonite (2020), a romantic drama film written and directed by Francis Lee, loosely follows the life of British palaeontologist Mary Anning, portrayed by Kate Winslet. In the 1840s, Mary and her ailing mother Molly run a small shop in Lyme Regis, Dorset. Every morning, she heads to the beach at low tide to search for fossils for the shop – with ammonites being her most common discovery. Upon returning, she assists her mother in cleaning and polishing eight animal figurines. One day, geologist Roderick Murchison visits their shop with his wife Charlotte and expresses ...

The  biographical drama film The Professor and the Madman (2019), directed by Farhad Safinia and written by Safinia and Todd Komarnicki, is based on Simon Winchester’s 1998 book The Surgeon of Crowthorne. Set in 1872 London, the movie follows retired United States Army surgeon William Chester Minor, who suffers from hallucinations where he is persecuted by a soldier he had branded for desertion. In one of these episodes, he accidentally kills an innocent man ...

Ciro Guerra’s drama film Waiting for the Barbarians (2019) follows the story of the Magistrate, who rules an outpost on the desert frontiers of an unnamed Empire. For years, his careful management has maintained peace with only minor misunderstandings. However, everything changes with the arrival of Colonel Joll, acting on a mysterious plan from the empire’s center. Despite the Magistrate’s attempts to understand and befriend Joll, their relationship remains antagonistic. The Colonel insists on brutally interrogating an innocent man and his nephew for suspected sheep theft. He is determined to follow ...

The epic historical film, The King (2019), directed by David Michôd, is based on various plays from William Shakespeare’s Henriad. Hal, also known as Henry, Prince of Wales, is the eldest son of King Henry IV of England. He has a distant relationship with his father and shows no interest in inheriting the throne. Instead, he spends his time drinking, engaging in promiscuous behavior, and making jokes with his friend John Falstaff in Eastcheap. However, things change when Henry IV reveals that Hal’s younger brother Thomas will be the new successor to ...

Based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 French historical novel, Les Misérables (2019) is a British television series that tells the story of Jean Valjean’s struggles to escape Inspector Javert. The series, directed by Tom Shankland and adapted by Andrew Davies, features a talented cast including Dominic West, David Oyelowo, and Lily Collins. Produced by the BBC and supported by ...

The film Outlaw King (2018) follows the story of Robert the Bruce, a Scottish king in the 14th century during the Scottish Wars of Independence. In 1304, while outside of Stirling Castle under siege, Robert and other Scottish nobles including John Comyn surrender to Edward I of England. Edward demands their homage as a condition for regaining their land. Robert then engages in a sparring match with Edward’s son, Prince Edward, and is later married to Elizabeth de Burgh, who happens to be Edward’s goddaughter. Lord James Douglas also arrives, seeking to reclaim his ancestral lands but is rejected due to his family’s alleged treason. As the King and ...

Mary Magdalene (2018) is a biblical drama film, telling the story of its titular character. Set in Judea during 33 AD, Mary is a young woman from the village of Magdala by the Sea of Galilee. Strong-willed and determined to break away from societal norms that limit women to being wives and mothers, she longs for freedom. However, her rejection of a marriage proposal from family friend Ephraim leads her brother Daniel and father Elisha to believe she is possessed by a demon. As a result, they arrange an exorcism. In search of help, Elisha turns to Jesus – a healer who has become renowned among the local Jewish population for his teachings on love, peace, and ...

Andrew Hyatt wrote and directed the American biblical drama film, Paul, Apostle of Christ (2018). Having strong influence as a Christian leader, Paul finds himself imprisoned in Mamertine Prison in Rome, posing a threat to Nero’s power. The newly appointed prefect of the prison, Mauritius Gallus, accuses him of setting fire to half of Rome and, under Nero’s decree, condemns him to death. In a weary and physically beaten state, Paul is greeted by Luke who has snuck into the prison after meeting with Aquila and Priscilla. As they both recognize that Paul’s time on Earth is limited, Luke asks him for help ...

The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) is a comedic-drama biopic about author Charles Dickens. Directed by Bharat Nalluri and written by Susan Coyne, the film is based on Les Standiford’s non-fiction book of the same title. Set in 1843, four years after Dickens’ successful novel Oliver Twist, the story follows his struggles with financial difficulties following the failure of his last three books. Despite being rejected by publishers, he decides to write and self-publish a new book to improve his financial ...

Tulip Fever (2017), a historical romantic drama directed by Justin Chadwick and written by Deborah Moggach and Tom Stoppard, is based on Moggach’s novel of the same name. It follows the story of Sophia, an orphan raised in a Dutch convent during the time of tulip mania in the 17th century. She is offered a marriage proposal from Cornelis, a much older spice merchant, which allows her to leave the convent and provide dowries for her sisters to emigrate to New Amsterdam. ...

Sofia Coppola’s film The Beguiled (2017) is a Southern Gothic psychological thriller, based on Thomas P. Cullinan’s novel of the same name from 1966. It is the second adaptation of Cullinan’s novel, following Don Siegel’s 1971 film. Set during the Civil War in Virginia, it follows Martha Farnsworth who runs a girls’ school with only five students and one teacher, Edwina Morrow, remaining after almost everyone has left including the slaves. While searching for mushrooms in the woods, pupil Amy ...

Taboo (2017) is a BBC television drama series that premiered on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 7 January 2017 and on FX in the United States on 10 January 2017. The eight-episode series, created by Steven Knight and Tom Hardy along with his father, Chips Hardy, is based on a story written by the two Hardys. After spending twelve years in Africa, adventurer and merchant James Delaney returns to England following his father’s death in 1814. Set against the backdrop of ...

Silence (2016) is an epic historical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Shūsaku Endō. The story follows two devout Portuguese Catholic priests, Sebastião Rodrigues and Francisco Garupe, who embark on a journey to Japan in 1633. Their mission: to uncover the truth behind their mentor Father Cristovão Ferreira’s abrupt end of correspondence. Despite hearing rumors of Ferreira’s apostasy, the determined Jesuit missionaries press on, facing brutal anti-Christian purges in their search for their friend and ...