100 All-Time Best Movies for History Buffs

100 All-Time Best Movies for History Buffs's icon

Created by MariusMariusMarius.

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History isn’t marked by years, but events. Being a history buff means looking at the way major ideas or happenings played out and how they had an effect on everything from politics to the economy.
War, invention, discovery, love: the history of the world has been shaped by the way we deal with these things. The movies on this list are great ways to take a closer look at the moments that changed history.

NOTE: The list is constructed out of seven minor lists, as noted below:
#01 - 13: Ancient History
#14 - 29: Medieval Times
#30 - 46: Exploration & Colonization
#47 - 53: The American Revolution
#54 - 68: The American Civil War
#69 - 81: World War II
#82 - 100: The 20th Century

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  1. 8 -

    Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages

    1916, in 24 top lists Check
  2. 26 -

    La passion de Jeanne d'Arc

    1928 — a.k.a. The Passion of Joan of Arc, in 27 top lists Check
  3. 82 -

    All Quiet on the Western Front

    1930, in 19 top lists Check
  4. 41 -

    Mutiny on the Bounty

    1935, in 6 top lists Check
  5. 16 -

    The Adventures of Robin Hood

    1938, in 17 top lists Check
  6. 53 -

    Drums Along the Mohawk

    1939, in 0 top lists Check
  7. 37 -

    The Four Feathers

    1939, in 1 top list Check
  8. 57 -

    Gone with the Wind

    1939, in 31 top lists Check
  9. 46 -

    Gunga Din

    1939, in 7 top lists Check
  10. 25 -

    The Hunchback of Notre Dame

    1939, in 4 top lists Check
  11. 98 -

    The Grapes of Wrath

    1940, in 24 top lists Check
  12. 52 -

    The Howards of Virginia

    1940 — a.k.a. The Tree of Liberty, in 0 top lists Check
  13. 69 -

    The Best Years of Our Lives

    1946, in 29 top lists Check
  14. 1 -

    Quo Vadis

    1951, in 1 top list Check
  15. 58 -

    The Red Badge of Courage

    1951, in 3 top lists Check
  16. 70 -

    The Caine Mutiny

    1954, in 3 top lists Check
  17. 18 -

    Richard III

    1955, in 6 top lists Check
  18. 5 -

    The Ten Commandments

    1956, in 11 top lists Check
  19. 4 -

    Ben-Hur

    1959, in 22 top lists Check
  20. 85 -

    Inherit the Wind

    1960, in 4 top lists Check
  21. 6 -

    Spartacus

    1960, in 19 top lists Check
  22. 14 -

    El Cid

    1961, in 1 top list Check
  23. 64 -

    La rivière du hibou

    1961 — a.k.a. Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, in 1 top list Check
  24. 36 -

    Lawrence of Arabia

    1962, in 40 top lists Check
  25. 72 -

    The Longest Day

    1962, in 6 top lists Check
  26. 84 -

    To Kill a Mockingbird

    1962, in 18 top lists Check
  27. 13 -

    Cleopatra

    1963, in 5 top lists Check
  28. 10 -

    The Fall of the Roman Empire

    1964, in 1 top list Check
  29. 34 -

    Zulu

    1964, in 8 top lists Check
  30. 29 -

    The Agony and the Ecstasy

    1965, in 0 top lists Check
  31. 59 -

    Shenandoah

    1965, in 0 top lists Check
  32. 68 -

    Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo

    1966 — a.k.a. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, in 29 top lists Check
  33. 19 -

    A Man for All Seasons

    1966, in 14 top lists Check
  34. 73 -

    The Dirty Dozen

    1967, in 8 top lists Check
  35. 15 -

    The Lion in Winter

    1968, in 4 top lists Check
  36. 28 -

    Romeo and Juliet

    1968, in 5 top lists Check
  37. 74 -

    Catch-22

    1970, in 5 top lists Check
  38. 75 -

    Patton

    1970, in 13 top lists Check
  39. 95 -

    Woodstock

    1970, in 12 top lists Check
  40. 47 -

    1776

    1972, in 0 top lists Check
  41. 27 -

    Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes

    1972 — a.k.a. Aguirre, the Wrath of God, in 17 top lists Check
  42. 43 -

    Barry Lyndon

    1975, in 24 top lists Check
  43. 35 -

    The Man Who Would Be King

    1975, in 5 top lists Check
  44. 83 -

    All the President's Men

    1976, in 21 top lists Check
  45. 3 -

    I, Claudius

    1976, in 5 top lists Check
  46. 62 -

    The Outlaw Josey Wales

    1976, in 11 top lists Check
  47. 21 -

    Robin and Marian

    1976, in 0 top lists Check
  48. 76 -

    The Big Red One

    1980, in 10 top lists Check
  49. 99 -

    Raging Bull

    1980, in 34 top lists Check
  50. 11 -

    Clash of the Titans

    1981, in 3 top lists Check
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Last updated on Jan 7, 2012; source