What is YOUR favourite historical film?
An exciting new poll from BBC History Extra
BBC History Extra have announced an exciting new venture – to find out what is the Greatest Historical Movie of all time!
They asked 20 historians, including myself, to name our 5 favourite historical films, which were then collated into a longlist. Some may be obvious inclusions, others a bit left-field.
So, the historians have chosen, but now, YOU have the chance to vote for YOUR 5 favourite films, with the film with the most vote chosen as the GREATEST HISTORICAL MOVIE of all time.
CLICK HERE to view every entry and place your vote.
These were MY 5 picks, with my reasoning:
Schindler’s List (1993)
Haunting viewing that captures, as well as a film can, the absolute terror of Nazi Germany and the unspeakable suffering of the Jewish community.
Schindler’s List is an important film, perhaps even THE most important film. With a world so often in turmoil, Steven Spielberg’s emotive masterclass directly challenges the viewer and reminds us of the danger of allowing evil to take root.
The liquidation of the ghetto, in particular, is uncomfortable viewing, as it should be. The further removed from the Holocaust we are, this film is, in a word, necessary.
Donnie Brasco (1997)
The mob has been depicted on film for as long as movies have been made, but few have come near portraying the peril of being immersed in organised crime, all the while exploring the complex bond between men of different generations.
An anxious watch, Donnie Brasco’s gripping screenplay has its roots in one intrepid FBI agent’s years undercover in the New York Mafia, an investigation that brought the mob to its knees. Al Pacino’s hunched embodiment of the desperate, even pathetic, low-ranking soldier Lefty Ruggiero is arguably his finest work.
Gladiator (2000)
Are you not entertained? Yes, yes I was, and so were millions around the globe. The very embodiment of an historical epic, Gladiator is Oscar-winning storytelling at its finest. Russell Crowe’s intense Maximus carries the viewer on an explosive journey through ancient Rome, accompanied by a rousing musical score.
Historical truth may be an afterthought and the script rather unsophisticated, but Gladiator is an exhilarating and emotional experience – and its legacy continues to echo through eternity.
Ali (2001)
Muhammad Ali earned the epithet ‘The Greatest’ for his exploits in the ring, but his fame far transcended mere sport.
Visually beautiful with a soaring contemporary soundtrack that helps transport the viewer back to the 1960s and 70s, Ali not only faithfully depicts the boxer’s in-ring career, but follows his transformation into a social and political titan, that invited detestation in his own day but bequeathed a legacy that cannot hope to be replicated. A film of utmost importance as a vehicle to understand the Civil Rights Movement.
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
A Ridley Scott blockbuster that must rank as one of most ahistorical, Kingdom of Heaven is rife with questionable casting and forced plot devices.
Nevertheless, this introspective Crusade-era epic enlightens a modern audience about Jerusalem’s historical and religious magnetism, and the contemporary power struggle that continues to shape the political map today, unfortunately with similar levels of wanton violence and inflexibility.
The underlying message of honour and the need for coexistence is hugely appealing, Orlando Bloom’s passive messenger perhaps less so.
My favorite is "Lawrence of Arabia". Very hard to choose 4 more as so many excellent films. Perhaps "A Man For All Seasons". "Master and Commander", "The Lion in Winter" and "The Last of the Mohicans".
Mine has to be Braveheart
I know how incorrect the film was in every aspect but I love it
And my love for the film made me research it
Then research the kings of England then I was absolutely hooked on history