Please recommend great historical films for me!!! `

[eenybeeny]

I love historical films. Can you think of any I should watch? We DL them off the net and watch on the laptop. Anyway please tell me the best ones!! I particularly love 1500-1900 but times other than those are good too! Watching The Other Boleyn Girl now.

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Watch 'The Leopard' (Luchino Visconti). A bit later than your preferred time-period (1860s) but a wonderful film.

I will get it! What's it about?

I am really obsessed with the 18th century.

It's about an aristocratic family in Sicily and how it adapts to the social and political changes that come with the Unification of Italy at the time of Garibaldi. The book is fab too.

Better summary here:

Summary
Sicily, in the 1860s. It is a time of social and political upheaval, with a fragmented Italy heading towards unification. The ageing Prince Don Fabrizio of Salina senses that his era is coming to an end, that his aristocratic past will count for little in this new, vulgar present which sees power shifting towards an emerging Bourgeois class. Rather than fight the transition, he plays along with it, knowing that this is the only way he can survive in this new world in which the noble leopard must give way to the common jackal. He does not oppose the decision of his favoured nephew, Tancredi Falconeri, to fight in Garibaldi's army and, when Tancredi returns to Sicily a hero, the Prince contrives to have him marry beneath his rank, to the daughter of a wealthy mayor. At a lavish ball, Don Fabrizio reflects on his own obsolescence and finally accepts that his time has passed.

Here's the book on Amazon.

i liked Micheal Collins years ago. about Ireland.

oooh thanks that looks great! I will def watch it!! And read it. I love a good book.

Will check out Michael Collins too!!

go on keep em coming!!

have you seen Queen Margot/La Reine Margot... ? that one's rather costumey and high drama historical with beautiful isabelle adjani

Dangerous Liaisons with Glenn Close and John Malkovich is absolutely excellent. Completely gripping plot and amazing costumes etc. Supposedly one of the few Hollywood version of a French book/film that is admired by the french themselves.

I also have to admit to liking the Kristen Dunst/Sofia Copolla version of Marie Antoinette, although definitely not everyone's cup of tea (big on style, less big on plot but absolutely still worth seeing purely for costumes)

Madness of King George is ace.

Man for All Seasons = fab

Spartacus = heavy going but worth it

But this is my absolute favourite historical film - actually more of a chase thriller across early nineteenth century France. It's brilliant, and stars the deeply foxy Olivier Martinez.

Madness of King George - brilliant

the lion in winter is bit earlier but good drama nonetheless

and trying to find the one with audrey tautou in it about first world war -a very long engagement - i know its a little later but still v.good.

also second the one on la reine margot - that was very good

I love howards end as think its very evocative of end of last century

A couple more French ones for you: Moliere and Ridicule

damn just posted a long post and it is gone

sigh

will start again!

Firstly thank you for all your suggestions!!!

I have seen of the films mentioned:

Queen Margot and read the book - loved it!! Havent seen the film in years though and DH has never seen it so will watch it again

Lion in Winter - adore all things Eleanor of Aquitaine she was my first heroine!

moliere - very good!

Dangerous Liasons

Marie Antoinette

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Will watch all others as well!!! Any more suggestions please post!

Lady Jane - version with bonham carter and cary elwes

All the versions of Elizabeth 1st...

second the madness of king george

Mrs brown - dench and connelly victoriana

Man for all seasons - paul schofield

Farinelli - last of the castrati

Camille Claudel - Rodin's mistress

Total Eclipse - Verlaine and Rimbaud shennanigans

Wilde - stephen fry as the man

Dh says : zulu, witchfinder general, wyatt earp, tombstone, mutiny on the bounty

i'm enjoying this - its keeping my brain busy whilst sanding the window sills...

Hi Eenybeeny - I don't know why I thought of this film as it was set in the early part of last century. Mind you I suppose that is historical.

Anyway, 'Raise the Red Lantern' (1991) is a Chinese film which is just haunting. It is about the fourth wife of a rich landowner. It was tradition to put red lanterns outside the room of the wife he intended to spend the night with. The husband doesn't figure much in the film. It is more about the power struggles between the four wives.

A beautifully shot film.

I really like the sound of a lot of these!!! Especially the Lady Jane one (didnt even know that existed!) and Raise the Red Lantern - but all of them will be watched I assure you!! I am a historical film addict!

Mongol has just come out - which looks beautiful - life of ghengis khan - haven't seen it yet tho

If you don't mind going waaaay out of your period... the i claudius series is always brilliant to return to. the low budget sets and bad makeup add to the charm. but the acting ... ah! melodrama at its greatest! not strictly historical though...

Also, more recently out of period... Farewell my concubine is one of my all time faves - lots of historical content in there...

ok will stop posting

Get The Wicked Lady with James Mason (swoon) from the 1940s... Obviously all the Jane Austen jobbies.. and the original Wuthering Heights with Larry Olivier (swoon again) and Merle Oberon.

300!!!

Have you seen The Libertine with Johnny Depp? And the various versions of the Musketeers stories - eg The Man in the Iron Mask? What about Vanity Fair (Reese Witherspoon)? Try some historical series too: Clarissa (Sean Bean ), The Forsyte Saga (Damian Lewis et al - just fabulous), Sharpe (Sean Bean again) - all good stuff. Not to mention the bloodthirsty, sexy Rome! And don't forget about Remains of the Day - so good. Chariots of Fire and Gallipoli are both twentieth century stories as well but both great films.

I suppose you have seen Gone with the Wind and La Vita Bella?

The Deer Hunter but thats Vietnam so not that old?

Mrs Brown- Victoria in her old age.

Land and Freedom - great movie about the Spanish Civil War.

All Quiet on teh Western Front - WW1.