10 Best Historical Epics, Ranked (original) (raw)

Historical epics have been at the forefront of filmmaking since the inception of cinema. From Enrico Guazzoni's Quo Vadis? (1912) to Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments (1923), to the highest-grossing movie of all time – Gone with the Wind (1939); historical epics comprise scope, scale, and spectacle to supply cinema with some of its greatest, grandest stories.

The epic form, while perfectly suited for the action/adventure genre, is not necessarily limited. Historical epics can also be comedies, cautionary tales, tragedies, satires, war films, psychological dramas, and period pieces. No matter the sub-genre, these films provide a tool for unlocking the past; be it by way of exploring critical turning points in time or spotlighting underrepresented groups throughout history, historical epics are genre-defying experiences of the medium.

10 Titanic (1997) Travels Back To 1912

Directed, written, produced, and co-edited by James Cameron, Titanic stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater, respectively – characters of different social classes who, whilst aboard the ill-fated Titanic voyager, fall in love with each other.

Visually impressive and unabashedly grandiose, Titanic marries a simplistic plot with the stylistic excesses of James Cameron's filmography. The movie attains a state of humbling majesty, evoking a sense of emotional awe by overlaying a grand journey of the human spirit to craft one of the most breathtaking maritime disaster movies ever made.

Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and adapted from the 1964 biography written by Aisin Gioro Puyi, the final Emperor of China, The Last Emperor depicts the life of Puyi – from his ascension to the throne through to his imprisonment and subsequent political rehabilitation by the Chinese Communist Party.

Photographed with visual magnificence and stunning cinematography, The Last Emperor is a resplendently gorgeous historical pageant of 20th-Century China. A rare film of great beauty, it offers a peek behind the gate of a lost world, yielding lavish excellence to craft a constantly absorbing, tremendously interesting biopic.

8 Gladiator (2000) Is Grandiose In Scope & Story

Directed by Ridley Scott and written by David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson, Gladiator stars Russell Crowe in the leading role of Maximus Decimus Meridius, a Roman General whose family is murdered by Joaquin Phoenix's Commodus – the embittered, power-hungry son of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Relegated to fighting in gladiator stadiums and reduced to slavery, Maximus rises through the ranks of the arena to avenge the murders of his family.

Full of betrayal, vengeance, and politics, Gladiator is a sword and saddle epic for the ages – mesmerizing in its take on democratic morality and ancient barbarism. Ridley Scott utilizes an age-old formula to craft a ferociously entertaining spectacle thriller with riveting action sequences and visually stunning art direction that captures the magnificence and casual brutality of Ancient Roman culture.

7 Seven Samurai (1954) Soars With Spectacle & Suspense

Directed, edited, and co-written by Akira Kurosawa, Seven Samurai takes place during the Sengoku period of Japanese history, in 1586. The film follows the story of a village of farmers who hire seven samurai to combat bandits who steal their crops.

Seven Samurai is an exceptionally engaging Japanese picture of artistic and technical brilliance. Kurosawa's kinetic cinematography keeps the action sizzling with vigor and wit from start to finish, synthesizing the sensibilities of Japanese culture and tradition with the American/Western cinematic narrative to craft a timeless classic; a masterpiece; one of the greatest movies ever made.

6 Apocalypse Now (1979) Is Haunting & Hallucinatory

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and loosely based on the 1899 novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Apocalypse Now stars Martin Sheen as Captain Willard, a veteran assassin tasked with terminating Colonel Kurtz, a once-promising officer accused of murder and who is presumed insane, played by Marlon Brando.

Apocalypse Now is a magnificent piece of cinema that plays as an indelible statement on the lunacy of war. Coppola captures a harrowing masterwork, bursting with malarial, mystical images, to craft one of the most potent examinations of war and masculinity to ever grace the medium.

5 Doctor Zhivago (1965) Is A Masterwork Of Melodramatic Romanticism

Directed by David Lean, Doctor Zhivago stars Omar Sharif in the titular role of Yuri Zhivago—a physician and poet whose life is altered by the Russian Revolution and subsequent Civil War during the events of World War I. Julie Christie stars as Yuri's love interest, Lara Antipova, with Alec Guinness, Geraldine Chaplin, Tom Courtenay, and Ralph Richardson in supporting roles.

Emotionally resonant and absorbingly artistic, Doctor Zhivago succeeds with a story of the struggle to retain the human spirit amidst a world that grows increasingly hostile and violent. Beautifully shot with sweeping cinematography, David Lean's epic historical romance drama deserves to be experienced by everyone at least once in their lifetime. Sure, it's old-fashioned and sappy—but it's impossible not to swoon.

4 Ben-Hur (1959) Is A Brazingly Bold Biblical Epic

Directed by William Wyler, Ben-Hur stars Charlton Heston in the titular role of Judah Ben-Hur, a Palestinian Jew battling the Roman Empire in 26 A.D., during the time of Christ. A remake of the 1925 silent film, it was adapted from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, by Karl Tunberg.

Clocking in at fifteen minutes shy of four full hours, Ben-Hur is a stunning complex of mighty setting, filled with thrilling action by horses and men, panoramic observation, and enthralling usage of dramatic sound. What Wyler accomplishes, narratively and technically, is the work of a film genius; Ben-Hur represents a superb blending of the motion picture arts by a master craftsman.

3 Barry Lyndon (1975) Is A Cynical Cinematic Masterpiece

Written and directed by Stanley Kubrick, Barry Lyndon stars Ryan O'Neal in the titular role of Redmond Barry 'Lyndon,' an 18th-century Irish rogue who marries into money and climbs the social ladder to assume the aristocratic position of his wealthy widow's late husband.

Technically precise and narratively complex, Barry Lyndon is an exuberant interplay of comedy, romance, and poignancy. The wonderfully dry and witty narration delivered by Michael Horder heightens the film into a meditation on man's ultimate powerlessness. Kubrick laces every frame with exquisite detail to deliver one of the most stunning. sumptuous, graphically driven motion pictures of all time.

2 Schindler's List (1993) Is A Stunning Procedural Of Abject Horror

Directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Thomas Keneally's 1982 novel, Schindler's List stars Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist credited with saving the lives of over one thousand Polish-Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in his (covertly) anti-productive factories.

Using every ounce of his breathtaking technical expertise, Spielberg captures a story of human horror beyond imagination. A near-documentary, Schindler's List is meticulously designed and choreographed, with a stunning show of emotion from the winningly urbane Liam Neeson, opposite equally perfect performances from Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes. Few films possess the power to insinuate themselves so deeply into the consciousness of their audience; Schindler's List succeeds in bringing a terrible chapter of history back to life​​​​.

1 Lawrence Of Arabia (1962) Is Cinema's Magnum Opus Of Historical Epics

Based on the life of T. E. Lawrence, adapted from his 1926 autobiography Seven Pillars Of Wisdom, Lawrence Of Arabia stars Peter O'Toole in the titular role, opposite a supporting performance from Alec Guinness as Prince Faisal. The film recounts Lawrence’s time in the Ottoman Empire during the First World War, depicting his involvement in the Arab National Council and his attacks on Aqaba and Damascus.

The historical epic to end all historical epics. Lawrence of Arabia is an intensely captivating portrait of one of history's most fascinatingly complex and controversial figures. Laden with breathtaking scenery and gorgeous cinematography, director David Lean and photographer Freddie Young frame every shot with awe-inspiring ambition and grandeur. Running nearly 4 hours long, Lawrence Of Arabia is a supremely engrossing film of truly epic proportions.