Historic Films

A historical period drama (also historical drama, period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical period drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swashbucklers. A period piece may be set in a vague or general era such as the Middle Ages or a specific period such as the Roaring Twenties.

• 1903 – The Great Train Robbery
• 1906 – The Story of the Kelly Gang 

1920’s Historic Films

Year	Franchise	Film	IMFDb	Rotten Tomatoes
1925		Battleship Potemkin	8/10	100%
1928		The Passion of Joan of Arc	8.1/10	98%

1930’s Historic Films

Year	Franchise	Film	IMFDb	Rotten Tomatoes
1933		The Private Life of Henry VIII	7.1/10	100%
1934		Cleopatra	6.8/10	82%
1935		Captain Blood	7.7/10	100%
1935		Mutiny on the Bounty	7.7/10	93%
1939		Gone with the Wind	8.1/10	91%

1950’s Historic Films

Year	Franchise	Film	IMFDb	Rotten Tomatoes
1953		The Naked Spur	7.4/10	100%
1959		Rio Bravo	8/10	100%

1960’s Historic Films

Year	Franchise	Film	IMDb	Rotten Tomatoes
1960		Spartacus	7.9/10	93%
1964		Zulu	7.7/10	96%
1965		The Agony and the Ecstasy	7.2/10	86%
1966		A Man for All Seasons	7.7/10	83%
1968		The Lion in Winter	7.9/10	92%
1969		Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid	8/10	90%

1960’s Historic Series

1968 – The Caesars 

1970’s Historic Films

Year	Franchise	Film	IMDb	Rotten Tomatoes
1970		Waterloo	7.3/10	27%
1973		Papillon	8/10	81%
1975		Barry Lyndon	8.1/10	90%
1975		The Count of Monte Cristo	7/10
1977		The Duellists	7.4/10	92%

1970’s Historic Series

1976 – I, Claudius (TV series)

1980’s Historic Films

Year	Franchise	Film	IMDb	Rotten Tomatoes
1980		The Elephant Man	8.1/10	92%
1985		Flesh and Blood	7/10	87%
1984		Amadeus	8.3/10	93%
1985		The Doctor and the Devils	6.1/10
1986		The Name of the Rose	7.7/10	74%

1990’s Historic Films

Year	Franchise	Film	IMDb	Rotten Tomatoes
1990		Dances with Wolves	8/10	83%
1992		1492: Conquest of Paradise	6.5/10	32%
1992		The Last of the Mohicans	7.7/10	93%
1993		Gettysburg	7.6/10	76%
1993		Tombstone (film)	7.8/10	74%
1995		Braveheart	8.3/10	77%
1996		The Crucible	6.8/10	68%
1998		Elizabeth (film)	7.4/10	82%
1998		Mulan	7.6/10	86%
1999		13th Warrior	6.6/10	33%

1990’s Historic Series

1993 – 2008 Sharpe (TV series)

1998-2003 Hornblower

2000’s Historic Films

Year	Franchise	Film	IMDb	Rotten Tomatoes
2000		Gladiator	8.5/10	77%
2000		The Patriot	7.2/10	61%
2001		A Knights Tale	6.9/10	58%
2002		Gangs of New York	7.5/10	73%
2003		Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World	7.4/10	85%
2003		The Last Samurai	7.7/10	66%
2004		King Arthur	6.3/10	31%
2004		Alexander	5.6/10	16%
2004		Troy	7.2/10	54%
2005		Kingdom of Heaven	7.2/10	39%
2006		300	7.6/10	60%
2006		Apocalypto	7.8/10	66%
2007		Elizabeth: The Golden Age	6.8/10	34%
2007		Pathfinder	5.4/10	10%
2008/9		Red Cliff	7.4/10	91%
2009		Agora	7.2/10	53%
2010		Centurion	6.4/10	61%

2000’s Historic Series

• 1993 – 2008 Sharpe (TV series)
• 2005 – Blackbeard: Terror at Sea, a mini-series
• 2005 – 2007 Rome

2010’s Historic Films

Year	Franchise	Film	IMDb	Rotten Tomatoes
2012		Les Misérables	7.6/10	69%
2014		The Admiral: Roaring Currents	7.1/10	83%
2015		The Revenant	8/10	78%
2019		The Aeronauts	6.6/10	72%

2010’s Historic Series

2011-14 – Borgia

2013 – present Vikings

2016 – 2019 – Medici