The 20 best movies to learn history

We know; sometimes, delving into the story can be a real feat. Many dates to remember, many events to relate to each other... and, above all, very little time to be able to read about it all.

If you're really interested in learning history but don't have time, or if you're simply passionate about movies, you'll like to know that there are plenty of films that narrate historical events or biographies of famous people, and that can be a good way to start. Let's see what they are.

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Films that will facilitate the study of history

We propose a list of 20 films that will help you better understand some historical moments, and with which you will learn history without even realizing it.

1. Pharaohby Jerzy Kawalerowicz (1966)

For many, the best film about ancient Egypt, despite the fact that the events it narrates take place under a fictitious reign (that of Ramses XIII, a pharaoh who never existed). However, the recreation of ancient Egyptian culture is so exquisite and successful that it is worth viewing. if you want to have a realistic image of how ancient men and women lived, thought and dressed Egypt.

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2. Alexander the Great (Alexander)by Oliver Stone (2004)

A biopic about the Macedonian King Alexander the Great, one of the greatest conquerors the world has ever known. Through Stone's film, we will travel from the protagonist's homeland to the confines of Asia, and all of it very well seasoned with a magnificent soundtrack by Vangelis.

3. Spartacus (Spartacus)by Stanley Kubrick (1960)

The historic slave revolt that put Rome in check, led by the Thracian Spartacus, made into a movie by the great Stanley Kubrick. The film, based on Howard Fast's novel of the same name, is a very correct recreation of Republican Rome in the years before the birth of Christ.

4. The lion in winter (The Lion in winter)by Anthony Harvey (1968)

Excellent English film that portrays the ins and outs of power in 12th century England, as well as like the family quarrels between Ricardo Corazón de León, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine and their children.

5. Alexander Nevsky, by Sergei Eisenstein (1938)

This Soviet tape features the heroic resistance of the Novgorod Republic (in present-day Russia) against the Teutonic Knights. The action takes place in the Middle Ages (13th century), and constitutes a very interesting portrait of Eastern Europe at the time. Once again, the soundtrack enriches the whole, since it was composed by none other than Sergei Prokofiev.

6. The name of the rose (Der name der Rose)by Jean-Jacques Annaud (1986)

Despite the fact that the story takes place in a fictional abbey and the story told is not real, this film, based on the extraordinary novel by Umberto Eco, perfectly reflects what life was like in a monastery medieval. It also offers a very accurate and realistic dissection of the thought of the time, which is why it is an excellent film to delve into the culture of the Middle Ages.

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7. Joan of Arc (Joan of Arc)by Luc Besson (1999)

Probably the most controversial of the filmed biographies of the French saint, since stays away from religious topics and, for the first time, he ventures the possibility that Juana suffered from some disorder. In any case, and controversies aside, the film is a very good testimony of 15th century Europe and the chaos that the Hundred Years War entailed.

8. A man for eternity (A Man for All Seasons)by Fred Zinnemann (1966)

The best film to understand how the religious schism promoted by Henry VIII at the beginning of the 16th century came to be and what it entailed. The film focuses on the biography of Thomas Moore (Thomas More), an English humanist who opposed, first, the monarch's divorce and, later, the change of faith that he wanted to establish.

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9. Kagemusha (shadow warrior), (Kagemusha) by Akira Kurosawa (1980)

The always magnificent Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, author of the also excellent the seven samurai, brings us a drama set in feudal Japan; specifically, in the Sengoku period (16th century). The film allows one to delve into the social reality of Japan at the time.

10. Cromwellby Ken Hugues (1970)

The film chronicles the life of Oliver Cromwell, a politician who led the Parliament of England during the English Revolution and Civil War. The film, which has a luxury cast, is an excellent way to immerse yourself in this crucial moment in the history of England.

11. Dantonby Andrzej Wajda (1983)

The last days of the revolutionary George-Jacques Danton, which focus above all on his antagonism with the bloodthirsty Robespierre. The film is exquisitely set and is very helpful to recognize who is who in the darkest age of the French Revolution.

12. waterloo, by Sergei Bondarchuk (1970)

The great Soviet director takes the reins of this film, which narrates the last great defeat of General Bonaparte. For many critics, it is the best film to understand the decline and fall of the Great Corsican.

13. 12 years of slavery (12 years a Slave)by Steve McQueen (2013)

A free black youth from the northern United States is enslaved as the country inevitably approaches civil war. Essential film to know the reality of American slavery and the social and political context that triggered the Civil War.

14. Nicholas and Alexandra (Nicholas and Alexandra)by Franklin Schaffner (1971)

The love story between Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and Alix of Hesse, who became Empress Alejandra after her marriage. The film focuses on his intimate life, but does not leave aside the political and social events of the moment, such as hunger and misery, the disaster of the war with Japan or the disastrous influence of Rasputin on the couple imperial. Essential film to understand the stages that led to the Russian Revolution.

15. The Grapes of Wrathby John Ford (1940)

Harsh allegation of the shipwreck that was the crack of 29 for many American families. The film, based on the successful novel of the same name by John Steinbeck, narrates the adventures of the Joad family who, due to the prevailing crisis, must emigrate to California in search of a life better.

16. Schindler's List (Schindler's List)by Steven Spielberg (1993)

Possibly the most remembered of the films that revolve around the Jewish Holocaust. Oskar Schindler, a real person, rescued thousands of Jews from death; The film reflects the story of the businessman, with fictional dressings of course, and reflects like no other all the horror that this episode in history entailed.

17. the innocent saintsby Mario Camus (1984)

One of the best testimonies of post-war Spain, Los santos inocentes hace An X-ray of Spanish rural society after the Civil War. The film is based on the homonymous work by Miguel Delibes and perfectly shows the hunger, suffering and humiliation of humble people, subjected to the whims of the landowners.

18. The lives of others (Das Leben der Anderen)by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (2006)

Excellent film that revolves around a spy for the Stasi, the Ministry for State Security of the former German Democratic Republic. The man must spy on a famous intellectual, and we see how, as the film progresses, his way of seeing the mission entrusted to him evolves. In addition to being a beautiful human story, the film is a good testimony of the psychosis and the horror with which the citizens lived.

19. Gandhiby Richard Attenborough (1982)

The story of Mahatma Gandhi, the pacifist leader of the independence of India. The film is a good way to delve not only into the biography of the leader, but also into the situation in colonial India immediately prior to independence.

20. Hotel Rwandaby Terry George (2004)

Set in the Rwandan Civil War, the film reflects the age-old conflict between the Hutu ethnic group, which dominates the country, and the Tutsi. The film focuses on the story of businessman Paul Rusesabagina, who used his influence to save thousands of people, both Tutsi and Hutu, from the massacres that broke out in the country.