Liberal Arts Colleges

Modern history has the benefit of being captured on film, whether it’s images from the Depression or footage from the Iraq War. But older eras are necessarily harder to bring to life, despite visual evidence of what life was like during, say, the medieval period. The films on this list are great representations of medieval history because they breathe new life into an era that often feels dead or impossibly alien to modern students and movie-goers; they’re also just good movies. Give them a look.

1. The Passion of Joan of Arc: Carl Theodor Dryer’s gorgeous silent film about Joan of Arc remains one of the best of the era as well as a haunting portrait of her trial and death in 1431. A perfect starting point for history buffs looking for great movies.
2. El Cid: Spanish military hero and Valencia governor Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, aka El Cid, lived from 1040-1099. He gets the big-screen treatment in this 1961 epic from Anthony Mann starring Charlton Heston as the titular hero.
3. The Adventures of Robin Hood: Robin Hood is one of the most enduring heroes of English folklore, and this 1938 film starring Errol Flynn as the peasant hero remains one of the best. The story is set during the reign of Richard the Lionheart, who was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199.
4. A Man for All Seasons: Fred Zinneman’s adaptation of Robert Bolt’s acclaimed play won multiple Oscars, including best picture and best actor for Paul Scofield as Sir Thomas More. The film follows More’s ethical battle and his decision to stand for his faith and refuse to support King Henry VIII’s decision to position himself as the Supreme Head of the Church of England just so he could divorce his first (of many) wives. For his choice, More was executed in 1535.
5. The Lion in Winter: Set during the Christmas of 1183, The Lion in Winter finds England’s King Henry II (Peter O’Toole) and Queen Eleanor (Katharine Hepburn) dueling over which of their sons should inherit the throne. Hepburn won an Oscar for her performance in this modern classic.
6. The Seventh Seal: A landmark of world cinema, Ingmar Bergman’s riveting drama is set circa 1350 and revolves around a medieval knight (Max von Sydow) who plays a game of chess with the physical personification of Death (Bengt Ekerot) who has come to collect him. The premise and style have been imitated ever since, but nothing can top the original.
7. The Name of the Rose: Based on Umberto Eco’s novel, the film is set in the early 1300s and revolves around a mysterious death being investigated by a Franciscan monk (Sean Connery). The film did mixed business in the U.S. but was a much bigger hit in Europe.
8. A Knight’s Tale: I readily admit that this one plays pretty loosely with history, not least in the way it pairs Queen tunes with jousting scenes. But Heath Ledger makes a winning hero in Brian Helgeland’s tale of a squire in the 1370s who masquerades as a knight to win the love of a noblewoman. Plus, come on: knight movies need more rock music.
9. The Return of Martin Guerre: This French film from 1982 is based on real events from the mid-1500s in which a French villager leaves for war, only to have his identity taken by another man who later claims to be the long-lost soldier. (Trailer here.)
10. Henry V: Kenneth Branagh’s debut feature is a gritter and bloodier version of Henry V than usual, especially when compared with Laurence Olivier’s version from 45 years earlier. It’s a gripping, gritty adaptation of Shakespeare’s play about King Henry V, who ruled England from 1413 until his death in 1422. Not one to miss.
11. Alexander Nevsky: Directed by Sergei Eisenstein, one of the pioneers of Russian cinema, this film revolves around Prince Alexander, who led the Russian people to victory against the attempted invasion of Novogorod by Teutonic Knights in the 1200s. The fight climaxes with the Battle of the Ice, which was fought on top the frozen Lake Chudskoe.
12. The Decameron: Based on the writing of Giovanni Boccaccio, which is said to have inspired Chaucer, this Italian film from Pier Paolo Pasolini is a humorous, sex-filled narrative set against peasant life in the 1300s. The film also won a jury prize at the Berlin International Film Festival.
13. The War Lord: This 1965 film stars Charlton Heston as a Norman knight in the 11th century tasked with defending a village. The narrative is noted for being one of Hollywood’s first major attempts to depict the polarizing force of feudal culture on relationships; up until then, most movies tended to gloss over this aspect of the era’s politics.
14. Becket: One of the most lauded films of 1964, Becket follows the spiritual evolution of Thomas Becket (Richard Burton), whose growing conflict with King Henry II (Peter O’Toole) led to his ultimate death. A great movie to pair with A Man for All Seasons, which deals with similar issues, or with The Lion in Winter, in which O’Toole also played Henry II.
15. Richard III: Shakespeare’s play about Richard III, who only ruled England from 1483-1485, has been adapted many times, but Laurence Olivier’s 1955 version is considered definitive, as well as one of the best filmic adaptations of Shakespeare, period. A fantastic film for movie lovers and history buffs alike.