Ancient and Middle Ages on screen
by guisreis | created - 13 Sep 2013 | updated - 2 months ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Year One (2009)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy
After being banished from their tribe, two hunter-gatherers encounter Biblical characters and eventually wind up in the city of Sodom.
Director: Harold Ramis | Stars: Jack Black, Michael Cera, Olivia Wilde, Oliver Platt
Votes: 103,696 | Gross: $43.34M
Palestine, Byblical prehistoric times.
2. Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
PG-13 | 150 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The defiant leader Moses rises up against Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II, setting six hundred thousand slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley, Sigourney Weaver
Votes: 179,300 | Gross: $65.01M
1300-1291 BC.
I did not expect so many historical inaccuracies by great Ridley Scott.
3. Samson (2018)
PG-13 | 110 min | Action, Drama
After losing the love of his life to a cruel Philistine Prince, a young Hebrew with supernatural strength defends his people, sacrificing everything to avenge his love, his people, and God.
Directors: Bruce Macdonald, Gabriel Sabloff | Stars: Taylor James, Billy Zane, Lindsay Wagner, Caitlin Leahy
Votes: 4,970 | Gross: $4.72M
Judah and Gaza, 1170 BC.
4. Troy (2004)
R | 163 min | Adventure, Drama
An adaptation of Homer's great epic, the film follows the assault on Troy by the united Greek forces and chronicles the fates of the men involved.
Director: Wolfgang Petersen | Stars: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Julian Glover
Votes: 570,826 | Gross: $133.38M
Ancient Greece, 12th or 11th centuries BC.
5. Helen of Troy (1956)
Approved | 118 min | Drama, History, Romance
The Iliad's story of the Trojan war, told from the Trojan viewpoint.
Directors: Robert Wise, Raoul Walsh | Stars: Stanley Baker, Rossana Podestà, Brigitte Bardot, Jacques Sernas
Votes: 2,508 | Gross: $6.98M
The same.
6. 300: Rise of an Empire (2014)
R | 102 min | Action, Drama
Greek general Themistocles of Athens leads the naval charge against invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes and Artemisia, vengeful commander of the Persian navy.
Director: Noam Murro | Stars: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Hans Matheson
Votes: 316,051 | Gross: $106.58M
Greece, 490 BC- 480 BC.
7. Hero (2002)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A defense officer, Nameless, was summoned by the King of Qin regarding his success of terminating three warriors.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang
Votes: 187,696 | Gross: $53.71M
China, 227 BC.
8. Three Ages (1923)
Not Rated | 63 min | Comedy
The misadventures of Buster in three separate historical periods.
Directors: Edward F. Cline, Buster Keaton | Stars: Buster Keaton, Margaret Leahy, Wallace Beery, Joe Roberts
Votes: 5,204
Roman Republic, unknown time (one segment; there is also another segment which takes place in an unindentified time and place in an unrealistic pre-historic environment). Watch it here: https://archive.org/details/thethreeagesbusterkeaton#
9. Spartacus (1960)
PG-13 | 197 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
The slave Spartacus survives brutal training as a gladiator and leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic, as the ambitious Crassus seeks to gain power by crushing the uprising.
Directors: Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Mann | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton
Votes: 143,285 | Gross: $30.00M
Roman Republic, Italian Peninsula, from some time before 73 BC until 71 BC.
10. Rome (2005–2007)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Drama, Romance
A down-to-earth account of the lives of both illustrious and ordinary Romans set in the last days of the Roman Republic.
Stars: Kevin McKidd, Ray Stevenson, Polly Walker, Kerry Condon
Votes: 185,510
Rome, 49-31 BC.
11. Cleopatra (1963)
G | 192 min | Biography, Drama, History
Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt experiences both triumph and tragedy as she attempts to resist the imperial ambitions of Rome.
Directors: Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Rouben Mamoulian | Stars: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Pamela Brown
Votes: 37,431 | Gross: $57.78M
Greece, 48 BC and somewhen between 40 and 36 BC, 31 BC; Rome, 47, 45-44, 42, 40 BC, 32 BC (Lepidus's deposition happened only in 36 BF but it is mentioned as happening in 40 BF); Egypt, 48-47, 44, 41-40, and 30 BC; Anatolia (Tarsos), 41 BC.
12. Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar (1999)
Not Rated | 109 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
Inhabitants of the last unconquered village in Gaul (ancient France) use a magical potion to hold their independence from Roman invaders.
Directors: Claude Zidi, Olaf Wijnants | Stars: Christian Clavier, Gérard Depardieu, Roberto Benigni, Michel Galabru
Votes: 45,370 | Gross: $1.64M
Gaul, 46 BC. :o)
13. Life of Brian (1979)
R | 94 min | Comedy
Born on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus Christ, Brian of Nazareth spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.
Director: Terry Jones | Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam
Votes: 421,955 | Gross: $20.05M
Jerusalem, AD 1st century.
14. The Passion of the Christ (2004)
R | 127 min | Drama
Depicts the final twelve hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, on the day of his crucifixion in Jerusalem.
Director: Mel Gibson | Stars: Jim Caviezel, Monica Bellucci, Maia Morgenstern, Christo Jivkov
Votes: 251,339 | Gross: $370.78M
Jerusalem, AD 33.
15. Mary Magdalene (2018)
R | 120 min | Biography, Drama, History
Twelve men heard and spread the message of Jesus. Only one woman understood it.
Director: Garth Davis | Stars: Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tahar Rahim
Votes: 11,568 | Gross: $0.12M
Judea, AD 33.
16. The Edge of Theocracy (2020 TV Movie)
51 min | Comedy
In "The Edge of Theocracy" various "messiahs" weigh in on an investigation of Jesus's legitimacy.
Director: Rodrigo Van Der Put | Stars: Pedro Benevides, Evelyn Castro, Petra Costa, Nathalia Cruz
Votes: 448
17. Gladiator (2000)
R | 155 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed
Votes: 1,621,407 | Gross: $187.71M
Roman Empire (Mauretania, Hispania, Pannonia, and Rome), AD 180 - ?
18. King Arthur (2004)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A demystified take on the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Director: Antoine Fuqua | Stars: Clive Owen, Stephen Dillane, Keira Knightley, Ioan Gruffudd
Votes: 176,165 | Gross: $51.88M
Great Britain, AD 467.
19. First Knight (1995)
PG-13 | 134 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Lancelot falls in love with Guinevere, who is due to be married to King Arthur. Meanwhile, a violent warlord tries to seize power from Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.
Director: Jerry Zucker | Stars: Sean Connery, Richard Gere, Julia Ormond, Ben Cross
Votes: 78,735 | Gross: $37.60M
Great Britain, probably early 6th century.
20. The Vikings (1958)
Not Rated | 116 min | Action, Adventure, History
A slave and a Viking prince fight for the love of a captive princess.
Director: Richard Fleischer | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine, Janet Leigh
Votes: 15,705 | Gross: $7.00M
Great Britain and Norway, 9th century.
21. Pope Joan (2009)
149 min | Drama, History, Romance
A woman of English extraction born in the German city of Ingelheim in the ninth century disguises herself as a man and rises through the Vatican ranks.
Director: Sönke Wortmann | Stars: Johanna Wokalek, David Wenham, John Goodman, Iain Glen
Votes: 9,113
Germany, Netherlands, and Rome, 9th century.
22. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
PG | 91 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table embark on a surreal, low-budget search for the Holy Grail, encountering many, very silly obstacles.
Directors: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones | Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam
Votes: 570,538 | Gross: $1.23M
England, France and Scotland, from 932 until at least 933.
23. L'armata Brancaleone (1966)
120 min | Adventure, Comedy, History
A group of misfits, headed by an incompetent knight named Brancaleone, set out to reach the small town of Aurocastro so that their leader can take possession of the fief.
Director: Mario Monicelli | Stars: Vittorio Gassman, Catherine Spaak, Folco Lulli, Gian Maria Volontè
Votes: 5,278
Italy, 10th or 11th centuries.
24. Macbeth (I) (2015)
R | 113 min | Drama, History, War
Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.
Director: Justin Kurzel | Stars: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jack Madigan, Frank Madigan
Votes: 59,525 | Gross: $1.11M
Scotland, 1032-1057.
25. Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
R | 144 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Balian of Ibelin travels to Jerusalem during the Crusades of the 12th century, and there he finds himself as the defender of the city and its people.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Liam Neeson, Martin Hancock
Votes: 315,506 | Gross: $47.40M
Jerusalem, France, and Sicily, 1184-1187.
26. Robin Hood (2010)
PG-13 | 140 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In twelfth-century England, Robin Longstride and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Matthew Macfadyen, Max von Sydow
Votes: 283,268 | Gross: $105.27M
France and England, 1199.
27. Marco Polo (2014–2016)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In a world replete with greed, betrayal, sexual intrigue and rivalry, "Marco Polo" is based on the famed explorer's adventures in Kublai Khan's court in 13th century Mongolia.
Stars: Lorenzo Richelmy, Benedict Wong, Joan Chen, Remy Hii
Votes: 78,731
Mongol Empire, 1269 and 1270's. Visually nice series but unfortunately with too many inconsistent kung-fu movie scenes which do not fit in the mostly convincing background.
28. Braveheart (1995)
R | 178 min | Biography, Drama, War
Scottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.
Director: Mel Gibson | Stars: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Angus Macfadyen
Votes: 1,091,886 | Gross: $75.60M
Scotland, Rome, and England, 1280-1314.
29. Outlaw King (2018)
R | 121 min | Action, Biography, Drama
A true David vs. Goliath story of how the 14th century Scottish 'Outlaw King' Robert the Bruce used cunning and bravery to defeat the much larger and better equipped occupying English army.
Director: David Mackenzie | Stars: Chris Pine, Stephen Dillane, Rebecca Robin, Billy Howle
Votes: 81,018
Scotland, from 1304 to 1307.
30. The Name of the Rose (1986)
R | 130 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
An intellectually nonconformist friar investigates a series of mysterious deaths in an isolated abbey.
Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud | Stars: Sean Connery, Christian Slater, Helmut Qualtinger, Elya Baskin
Votes: 117,334 | Gross: $7.15M
Northern Italy, early 14th century.
31. Black Death (2010)
R | 102 min | Action, Drama, History
Set during the time of the first outbreak of bubonic plague in England, a young monk is given the task of learning the truth about reports of people being brought back to life in a small village.
Director: Christopher Smith | Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean, Carice van Houten, Kimberley Nixon
Votes: 51,257 | Gross: $0.02M
England, 1348
32. The Pirates (2014)
Not Rated | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A band of pirates and a group of bandits fight to catch a gray whale that has swallowed a royal stamp.
Director: Seok-hoon Lee | Stars: Kim Nam-gil, Son Ye-jin, Yoo Hae-jin, Kim Won-hae
Votes: 4,577 | Gross: $0.38M
Korea, last decade of 14th centrury.
33. The Black Arrow (1948)
Approved | 76 min | Action, Adventure, History
Young nobleman Richard Shelton returns from the War of the Roses to find his father murdered, a fugitive family friend blamed, and his uncle occupying his estates.
Director: Gordon Douglas | Stars: Louis Hayward, Janet Blair, George Macready, Edgar Buchanan
Votes: 447
England, 1480's.
34. The Borgias (2011–2013)
TV-MA | 50 min | Crime, Drama, History
In the fifteenth century, Pope Alexander VI tries to control all power in Italy with the help of his several sons, through murder, intrigue, war, and marriage alliances.
Stars: Jeremy Irons, François Arnaud, Holliday Grainger, Peter Sullivan
Votes: 53,964
Italy, 1492-1500.
35. Mad Love (2001)
R | 115 min | Biography, Drama, History
The love story that transformed Juana, Queen of Spain, into Juana "the Mad". A story of passions, lies and jealousy with a political motive behind.
Director: Vicente Aranda | Stars: Pilar López de Ayala, Daniele Liotti, Rosana Pastor, Giuliano Gemma
Votes: 4,056 | Gross: $0.28M
Crown of Castilla, and Flanders, 1496-1554.
36. The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)
Approved | 138 min | Biography, Drama, History
The biographical story of Michelangelo's troubles while painting the Sistine Chapel at the urging of Pope Julius II.
Director: Carol Reed | Stars: Charlton Heston, Rex Harrison, Diane Cilento, Harry Andrews
Votes: 8,058
Italy, early 16th century.
37. A Invenção do Brasil (2000– )
Stars: Débora Bloch, Selton Mello, Luís Melo, Marco Nanini
Votes: 53
Brazil, early 16th century.
38. Apocalypto (2006)
R | 139 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
As the Mayan kingdom faces its decline, a young man is taken on a perilous journey to a world ruled by fear and oppression.
Director: Mel Gibson | Stars: Gerardo Taracena, Raoul Max Trujillo, Dalia Hernández, Rudy Youngblood
Votes: 331,498 | Gross: $50.87M
Mayan Guatemala, early 16th century.
39. Hans Staden (1999)
92 min | Biography, Drama, History
On the eve of his return to Europe after an extended involuntary stay in 16th-century Brazil, the German sailor Hans Staden is captured by a hostile cannibal Indian tribe. In order to ... See full summary »
Director: Luís Alberto Pereira | Stars: Carlos Evelyn, Ariana Messias, Darci Figueiredo, Beto Simas
Votes: 376
Brazilian Captaincy of São Vicente (modern state of São Paulo), 1554-1557.
40. Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession (1973)
TV-G | 88 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
An ordinary Soviet building manager, living in the 20th century, looks like Tsar of All Rus' - Ivan IV the Terrible (1530 - 1584). He'd never known this, until his neighbor created a time machine.
Director: Leonid Gaidai | Stars: Yuriy Yakovlev, Leonid Kuravlyov, Aleksandr Demyanenko, Saveliy Kramarov
Votes: 18,469
Moscow, 1550's (and 1973).
41. Elizabeth (1998)
R | 124 min | Biography, Drama, History
The early years of the reign of Elizabeth I of England and her difficult task of learning what is necessary to be a monarch.
Director: Shekhar Kapur | Stars: Cate Blanchett, Liz Giles, Rod Culbertson, Paul Fox
Votes: 105,163 | Gross: $30.08M
Britain and Vatican, from 1558 to 1572.
42. Desmundo (2002)
101 min | Drama
The story of Orisbela, a young and religious woman who comes from Portugal to Brazil to marry Francisco de Albuquerque, a rude sugar-cane plantation owner, in 1570.
Director: Alain Fresnot | Stars: Simone Spoladore, Osmar Prado, Caco Ciocler, Berta Zemel
Votes: 537
Brazil, 1570.
43. Seven Samurai (1954)
Not Rated | 207 min | Action, Drama
Farmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima, Yukiko Shimazaki
Votes: 367,031 | Gross: $0.27M
Japan, 1587.
44. Boris Godunov (1986)
130 min | Drama, History
Based on the Alexander Pushkin's play, epic story about Tsar Boris Godunov, who reigned over Russia between 1598 and 1605.
Director: Sergey Bondarchuk | Stars: Sergey Bondarchuk, Alyona Bondarchuk, Gennadi Mitrofanov, Valeriy Storozhik
Votes: 288
Russia, Lithuania and Poland, 1598-1605.
45. Blood of My Blood (2015)
106 min | Drama, History
Balancing between the past and the present, the darkness and the light, within the musky stone walls of Santa Chiara's 17th-century convent prison in Bobbio, a sinful Sister and a cultivated night owl Count are somehow linked together.
Director: Marco Bellocchio | Stars: Roberto Herlitzka, Pier Giorgio Bellocchio, Lidiya Liberman, Alba Rohrwacher
Votes: 1,175
Northern Italy (Bobbio, Emilia-Romagna), XVIIth century.
46. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)
PG | 96 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
When journalist April O'Neil discovers an ancient scepter with magical powers, the Turtles must cow-a-bunga their way back to 17th century Japan to rescue her from the evil clutches of Lord Norinaga.
Director: Stuart Gillard | Stars: Elias Koteas, Paige Turco, Stuart Wilson, Sab Shimono
Votes: 36,457 | Gross: $42.66M
Japan, a moment in the first two decades of XVII century.
47. O Caçador de Esmeraldas (1979)
115 min | Adventure
Mid 17th century Portugal, in a deep financial crisis, decided to extend Brazilian territory to the west, where it was believed that there was gold and precious stones to be discovered. ... See full summary »
Director: Oswaldo de Oliveira | Stars: Jofre Soares, Glória Menezes, Roberto Bonfim, Tarcísio Meira
Votes: 39
São Paulo, from 1672 to a year not after 1681.
48. Black Plague (2002 Video)
R | 115 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
In 1348, with the horrors of the Black Death haunting Europe, English soldiers return home from war with a French nobleman as hostage. When people in their home village soon after begin to ... See full summary »
Director: Alberto Sciamma | Stars: Lena Headey, David La Haye, Jason Flemyng, Christopher Fairbank
Votes: 962
49. The Assassins (2012)
Not Rated | 107 min | Drama, History
Set in the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history, the story focuses on Cao Cao in his old age, exploring the areas of military tactics, love, and the relationship between father and son.
Director: Linshan Zhao | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Liu Yifei, Hiroshi Tamaki, Alec Su
Votes: 2,123
50. Asesinato en la Universidad (2018 TV Movie)
Thriller
A historian tries to investigate and clarify what happened with the murder of the Augustinian priest and friar Antonio de Román in the 16th century.
Director: Iñaki Peñafiel | Stars: Leonor Watling, Patrick Criado, Daniel Grao, Macarena Sanz
Votes: 112
51. Assassin's Creed (2016)
PG-13 | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Callum Lynch explores the memories of his ancestor Aguilar de Nerha and gains the skills of a Master Assassin, before taking on the secret Templar society.
Director: Justin Kurzel | Stars: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson
Votes: 208,956 | Gross: $54.65M
52. Assassin's Creed: Lineage (2009)
Not Rated | 36 min | Short, Action, Adventure
When the Duke of Milan is brutally murdered, the Assassin Giovanni Auditore is dispatched to investigate. The answers he uncovers implicate Italy's most powerful families reaching all the way back to the Vatican itself.
Stars: Romano Orzari, Manuel Tadros, Jesse Rath, Devon Bostick
Votes: 4,719
53. The Eagle (2011)
PG-13 | 114 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In Roman-ruled Britain, a young Roman soldier endeavors to honor his father's memory by finding his lost legion's golden emblem.
Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland, István Göz
Votes: 74,084 | Gross: $19.49M
54. Risen (2016)
PG-13 | 107 min | Action, Drama, History
In 33 AD, a Roman Tribune in Judea is tasked to find the missing body of Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead.
Director: Kevin Reynolds | Stars: Joseph Fiennes, Tom Felton, Peter Firth, Cliff Curtis
Votes: 30,863 | Gross: $36.87M
55. The First King (2019)
TV-MA | 123 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Romulus and Remus, two shepherds and loyal brothers, end up taking part to a journey that will lead one of them to be the founder of the greatest nation ever seen. However, the fate of the chosen one will pass from killing his own brother.
Director: Matteo Rovere | Stars: Alessandro Borghi, Alessio Lapice, Fabrizio Rongione, Massimiliano Rossi
Votes: 5,937
56. Kaamelott: First Installment (2021)
120 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
The sequel on the big screen to the cult series of Alexandre Astier, an offbeat version of the legend of the Knights of the Round Table. Hidden in Rome, King Arthur plans his comeback to oppose the army of his former friend Lancelot.
Director: Alexandre Astier | Stars: Alexandre Astier, Lionnel Astier, Antoine de Caunes, Alain Chabat
Votes: 4,094
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