This movie isn't about validating anyone's worldview. It begins with Confucius in his later years, during a time of exile, and flashes back to his time as a young man, a teacher, a husband, and a philosopher in the 5th century BCE. Spartacus (1960) d. Stanley Kubrick . Burton played a British officer who may or may not be a double agent to lead a team that is mostly British save for Eastwood, who happens to be the lone American and ultimately the only man Burton can truly trust. Spartacus isn't innocent of this, but it tells an accurate story of the practice of slavery, the marketing and training of gladiators, and social divisions in Rome that gave rise to the actual slave rebellion on which this film is based. Records still exist of an entire Roman legion marching north to teach the troublesome Picts a lesson, never to be heard from again. Vintage movies about ancient times were usually about Rome and always involved certain famous historic characters that general audiences would already recognize. “Quality” and “movie… Written by John Huston and directed by Howard Hawks, Sergeant York features Cooper in his finest performance and was a major box office hit. Movies about ancient history don't always get it all right, but there's a lot to be said for how they recreate the background, setting, and people. The modern Gladiator is actually a condensed version of this with some major plot changes and characters missing and replaced with others. To me, accuracy when making a Top 10/Top 100 all time list is extremely important. There's a lot of media about the Warring States Period in China, ranging from the fantastic in movies like Hero to more realistic depictions of the historic reality, like in Red Cliff. These movies don't get everything right, but there's a lot to be said for how they recreate the background, setting, and people of bygone civilizations. This includes their intention to wipe out the Picts completely and dominate the whole island of Briton. 15 Best Movies With Accurate Depictions Of Ancient History (Including Agora) 15 Confucius (2010) 14 Agora (2009) 13 The History of the World, Part 1 (1981) 12 Centurion (2010) 11 The Trojan Women (2004) #100. Comments: ... Use arrows to rank one item in Best Movies About the Ancient World vs another. You’ll be hard pressed to see an accurate historical enactment on the movie screen. The movie retained some criticism for romanticizing the life of the titular character with a few extra action scenes and stories of military involvement, which wasn't historic, but such changes are typical with modern adaptations. Meanwhile, the military sends a burned out army captain (Martin Sheen) to go upriver to “exterminate” Kurtz “with extreme prejudice,” leading to his own brush with madness. Read More: Best Family Movies on Amazon Prime. About this list: I have tried to focus on movies taking place in mainland China. Barb And Star Go To Vista Del Mar: Which Character Is Your Soulmate, Based On Your Zodiac Sign. If you can't beat them by force, overwhelm them with culture, and ultimately, bribe them. The story is ridiculous, but it's the setting that's really brilliant, getting mundane details like costumes, makeup, city decor, and daily chores mostly correct. ... Let’s face it: even thirty titles isn’t really enough as the war movie genre has no shortage of great entries and obviously this list should not be taken as the be-all and end-all compendium of best war movies ever. Re: Best ancient war movie? By Emma Carey and The Esquire Editors. Coppola’s troubled production has become one of Hollywood’s most storied behind-the-scenes tales, as the shooting was plagued by typhoons, civil war in the Philippines, Brando arriving on set overweight and unprepared, and Sheen suffering a near-fatal heart attack. A list of 10 films compiled on Letterboxd, including The Warlords (2007), Hero (2002), Battle of the Warriors (2006), Fearless (2006) and Ip Man (2008). The Fall of the Roman Empire is much more accurate when it comes to Roman politics, the end of the reign of Marcus Aurelius, and of course, the fall of the Roman Empire itself. Updated on December 18th, 2020 by Kristy Ambrose: There is no peace for history buffs or movie lovers, and the combination of the two means we have to update this list to include a few more rare and wonderful finds. After a certain amount of time passes, the line between history and legend becomes a little fuzzy. This 1982 feature tells a story from the other side of the September 1950 Battle of Incheon, in which Douglas MacArthur led 40,000 troops in an amphibious landing. The popularity of the film spawned a less accomplished sequel, Force Ten From Navarone (1977), with Robert Shaw and Harrison Ford taking over for Peck and Niven. > The 30 Best War Movies of All Time The 30 Best War Movies of All Time. All the latest gaming news, game reviews and trailers. It's funny because it's true. The Romans had been trying to conquer northern Briton for some time, and the total loss of an entire legion, virtually gone without a trace, soured the Empire on the idea in the future. 2. Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) . Even the gladiator collecting unemployment insurance from a saucy civil servant played by Bea Arthur? For those who don't know who Barrabas is, this movie will is educational without being preachy about it. 10 Best Jekyll And Hyde Movies, Ranked According To IMDb, 15 Best Movies With Accurate Depictions Of Ancient History (Including Agora), Top 10 Films Set In Ancient Rome, Ranked According To Rotten Tomatoes, Monty Python's Life Of Brian's 10 Funniest Scenes, 5 Timeless Comedies (& 5 That Have Grown Less Relevant), some major plot changes and characters missing, Top 10 Historical Dramas About The Enlightenment, Twilight: 10 Strongest Male Characters, Ranked By Power, Disney: 5 Good Characters Fans Hated (& 5 Villains They Loved), 10 Trilogies Where The First Movie Is Best, According To IMDb, The Dark Knight: 5 Ways Batman And Joker Are The Best Hero-Villain Duo (& 5 Alternatives), Zack Snyder’s Justice League: 10 Ways Batman Was Different From The Original Movie, Iron Man Trilogy: 10 Other Movies & TV Shows Starring The Cast, 5 Ways Ethan Hunt Is Tom Cruise's Best Role (& 5 Better Alternatives), Avengers: The 5 Tallest (& 5 Shortest) Actors In The MCU Cast, Spider-Man: Homecoming Characters Ranked From Least To Most Likely To Win The Hunger Games, MCU: 10 Characters Who Deserved To Be In The Series Longer, MCU's Nebula: 10 Most Hilarious Memes That Would Make Even Nebula Laugh, The 10 Oldest Actors Cast To Play Teenagers, Puss In Boots & 9 Other Animated Cat Heroes In Movies, 5 Musical Movies That Truly Feel Like The Show (& 5 That Miss Their Cue), High School Musical: 10 Scenes That Live Rent-Free In Every Fan's Head, Guardians Of The Galaxy: 10 Most Hilarious Drax Memes. a war movie based on christian crusades involving the holy city of jerusalem. :)1. 3. All Quiet on the Western Front. War movies released during wartime rarely have time to reflect. Even in 1979, this movie faced a lot of controversy for its flippant depiction of the beginnings of Christianity, and the jokes about gruesome practices, like crucifixion, or diseases, like leprosy, are still a lot to stomach. The Greatest War Movies: ... (including Best Picture), winning only Best Sound. Thanks. Of course, there is plenty of tense action all throughout, from warding off a German patrol boat to the final effort to take out the guns before a fleet of Allied ships are destroyed. Agora doesn't just recreate the ancient city of Alexandria, including specific places like temples and government buildings, but also the social norms and politics of the time. Meanwhile, an American soldier (William Holden) mounts a daring escape, only to face a court martial when the military discovers that he’s an enlisted man impersonating an officer. 50. The main characters include slaves, prostitutes, lecherous old men, and crooks of all classes, as opposed to noble characters, like Jesus and Julius Ceasar. The major reversal in the plot is based on the prevailing theory that a guerilla attack wiped most of them out, leaving any survivors to struggle for survival in the cold northern woods. Kristy Ambrose has been writing professionally since 2010. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, movies about Rome were the superhero franchises of the day. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from the University of Victoria. Braveheart (1995) They had high budgets, starred members of the Thespian elite, and were directed by the biggest names in the business. The Dirty Dozen - … After this look at the best historical movies, check out these fantastic behind-the-scenes photos from some of the world's most iconic films and learn the true story of Wladyslaw Szpilman and The Pianist . This includes Alexander's doting mother Olympias, his mentor Old Ptolomy, and his father King Philip. Sadly, no. The Aeneid, Virgil's poem that was written hundreds of years after the Iliad and the Oddysey, contains many similar accounts told by Trojan refugees scattered across the Mediterranean. Here’s the list of top Roman movies ever. The Best Movies About Historical Battles Letters from Iwo Jima. 9) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) 1) Kingdom of Heaven (2005) 2) Gladiator (2000) 3) The Eagle (2011) 4) Tristan & Isolde (2006) 5) Dragon Heart (1996) 6) Last Knights 7) Hamlet (1990) 8) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) Costumes, locations, sets, and other details were painstakingly recreated to make this look real. During this era, from about 200 C.E., China was divided into several different states, with one ambitious Emporer and his minister doing their best to conquer and unite all of them. There have been brilliant films set in contemporary Rome, the culture of ancient Rome is completely different, and with the exception of a few popular landmarks, the setting is unlike any other in history. That leads to a do-or-die mission to destroy the bridge after Guinness succumbs to pressure and leads its construction. Guinness played an obsessive British officer imprisoned in a Japanese POW camp who engages in a battle of wills with the camp commander (Sessue Hayakawa) over building said bridge over the Kwai. Even though fate was lined squarely against him, Coppola’s extraordinary will – some might call it megalomania – saw production through to completion, resulting in one of the great masterpieces of the decade. This massive World War II epic boasted three directors, a huge all-star cast and Goliath producer Darryl F. Zanuck for a multifaceted telling of the D-Day Invasion of Normandy. RELATED: 10 Most Expensive TV Series Ever Made. The Longest Day (1962) G | 178 min | Action, Drama, History. The Guns of Navarone is an action movie that actually thrives on the strong performances from its three leads without resorting to meaningless explosions. On the contrary, the grisly murder of Hypatia is actually sanitized in the film. To spice up this list, we’ve added Wolmido —one of North Korea’s most popular war movies. Another great film centered around World War II. The plot then tricks the viewer by putting Christ in the opening scene, as if this is yet another spiritual movie, but then veers back to Brian again. Scott famously refused the Oscar on the grounds that he wasn’t in competition with other actors – a perfect compliment to the iconoclastic character he portrayed. depicts the king salah ud din of west asia 126 points - added 10 years ago by guest - 5 comments . Since then, the ancient world, on film, has branched out to include comedies, war stories, and serious dramas. George C. Scott delivers one of the best performances of his career as General George S. Patton, a controversial military leader who believes he has been a warrior in many past lives and is destined for greatness in this life. From war movies to biopics and beyond, you'll find some of the best historical movies ever made in the gallery above. From biopics, to satires, and moving thrillers. The film includes several real historic figures and follows the authentic events of the time, along with recreating details, like battle standards, armor, and clothing. The movie recreates certain specific, important events that include many of Alexander's famous battles against the Persian Empire and more subtle historic mysteries, like exactly who murdered King Philip and why. NEXT: Top 10 Historical Dramas About The Enlightenment. Check it out! RELATED: Monty Python's Life Of Brian's 10 Funniest Scenes. 1960s-1 . RELATED: Top 10 Films Set In Ancient Rome, Ranked According To Rotten Tomatoes. From peacetime to frontlines, from coming home to left behind: Rotten Tomatoes presents the 100 best-reviewed war movies of all time, ranked by Adjusted Tomatometer with at least 20 reviews each. A comic predecessor the Mel Brooks flick, this movie broke new ground in cinema for several reasons, and not only for its realistic portrayal of daily Roman life. These tales are not taken from the Iliad, which ends with the death of Hector before the Trojan Horse incident, but take place after the battle and depict the fate of the survivors. Time of Roman Empire, around 71 BC . Her inspiration comes from gamers, beachcombers, foodies and of course her fellow travelers. She dabbles in various genres, including everything from short blog posts to serialized novels. Despite virtually dozens of characters spread across five separate invasion points, The Longest Day does an excellent job of making sure the audience can both follow and connect to everything that’s going on. The videos in my playlists are uploaded by many wonderful people who take a lot of time and effort to make these videos available for us to enjoy. Directed by the master of epic movies David Lean, The Bridge on the River Kwai ranks as one of the greatest movies ever made and contains one of Alec Guinness’ finest performances. Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus featured Kirk Douglas in the title role of a slave rising up against his Roman masters. Most of the criticism aimed at this film focuses on the casting and script, but the depictions of certain events, places, and people are on point for the time. Not all of this movie is about ancient history, but the segment that takes place in classical Rome is the most memorable and uses historical facts as part of the joke. Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton share top billing in this high-octane action thriller about a team of Allied special forces given the impossible task of infiltrating an impenetrable Nazi fortress in order to rescue a captured American general (Robert Beatty). By David Fear , Keith Uhlich , Joshua Rothkopf and Phil de … Best historical war Movies. Certainly one of the most realistic depictions of World War I, Lewis Milestone’s All Quiet on the Western Front was a powerful anti-war epic that dared to show the horrific realities of combat and won the 1929/30 Academy Award for Best Picture. 1. The go-to source for comic book and superhero movie fans. Among the long list of stars were Robert Mitchum, Henry Fonda, Rod Steiger, John Wayne, Sean Connery, and Red Buttons. Despite the fact that China’s been through a lot of conflicts, it doesn’t make as many quality war movies as you may expect. Back when the Biblical sword and sandal epic was popular, writers were looking for any angle they could find to make their own movies from snippets of scripture. Whether or not the Trojan War actually happened doesn't really dent the historical accuracy of this film, which is primarily a depiction of the aftermath of war in the ancient world. Obviously, the realistic parts of this film aren't the ones that include Grendel or the golden dragon, although these images to appear in the story, but the recreation of an ancient Danish feast-hall and other customs related to marriage and kingship reflects the authentic cultural norms of the time. A one-stop shop for all things video games. The Longest Day. We've compiled a list of the top 5 Chinese war movies. Modern production studios are frequently turning to the ancient world to tell new stories, proving the genre never died. 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