Historical Films
The historical drama is a film genre in which stories are based upon historical events and famous people. Some historical dramas are docudramas, which attempt an accurate portrayal of a historical event or biography, to the degree that the available historical research will allow. Other historical dramas are fictionalized tales that are based on an actual person and their deeds, such as Braveheart, which is loosely based on the 13th century knight William Wallace's fight for Scotland's independence.
Due to the sheer volume of films included in this genre and in the interest of continuity, this list is primarily focused on films pertaining to the history of Near Eastern and Western civilization. For films pertaining to the history of East Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia, please refer also to the list of historical drama films of Asia.
Read more about Historical Films: Films Set in Prehistory, Films Set in Antiquity (until The Fall of The Roman Empire in The West), Late Antiquity/Early Middle Ages (5th To 10th Centuries), High and Late Middle Ages (1000-1453), Early Modern (1454-1700), Films Set in The 18th and 19th Centuries, Films Set in The Early/mid 20th Century, Films Set in The Later 20th Century, Films Set in The 21st Century
Famous quotes containing the words historical and/or films:
“Reason, progress, unselfishness, a wide historical perspective, expansiveness, generosity, enlightened self-interest. I had heard it all my life, and it filled me with despair.”
—Katherine Tait (b. 1923)
“The cinema is not an art which films life: the cinema is something between art and life. Unlike painting and literature, the cinema both gives to life and takes from it, and I try to render this concept in my films. Literature and painting both exist as art from the very start; the cinema doesn’t.”
—Jean-Luc Godard (b. 1930)