Many things are terrible and hard right now, so here, have a list of my 25 favourite historical films!
This isn't necessarily a list of the historical movies I think are objectively best, or most important. They are my personal favourites, the ones I watch over and over, and/or the ones that left me saying "wow" and changed my brain in some way. (I have not included any Shakespeare adaptations or even anything Shakespeare-adjacent, as I'm treating that as its own category, one I've talked about in my newsletter before.) The list below is in alphabetical order. I'm sure I've forgotten something that I'll kick myself over in five minutes.
A Knight's Tale, 2001. Incredibly fun and deeply medieval, not in spite of the anachronisms but because of them.
A Room With a View, 1985. A perfect film. Lines from this movie play in my head as I go about my business. Love everyone in this. Helena Bonham Carter is Lucy to a T. Rupert Graves as Freddy! Daniel Day-Lewis as Cecil! Julian Sands as George! Maggie Smith as Charlotte! I could go on!
Amadeus, 1984. My kid still laughs at me because I panicked when I realized we didn't have this on DVD and were reliant on streaming (I rectified this.) A staple film! It taught me many things about storytelling and continues to do so.
Cry Freedom, 1987. Donald Woods' book about Steve Biko has had a huge influence on my life, and I looked to Woods as a role model when I became an editorial writer. The movie was almost equally influential to me. Denzel Washington and Kevin Kline are amazing in it. It was only made 10 years after Biko's death (and my birth), but since it's telling a true story of a particular moment in time, it was and remains "historical" as far as I'm concerned.
Dangerous Liaisons, 1988. When I think of John Malkovich, I think of this movie, even now. A movie that sets its tone and holds it. But I haven’t rewatched it in years, so I’m overdue. And maybe I’ll find it doesn’t hold up as well as I remember.
Dunkirk, 2017. I went into this one with some trepidation, because my grandpa was among those evacuated from the beach at Dunkirk and told me about what it was like. I think he would have approved of the film. Plus, it's a cool feat of storytelling, with its three interwoven timespans already a touchstone among writers for that kind of plot.
In the Name of the Father, 1993. It strikes me that Daniel Day-Lewis appears on my list a lot. He's great in this, as is Pete Postlethwaite. A movie that gave teen me context for Pogues lyrics and taught me a lot about injustice, colonial institutions and why we don’t trust authority.
Lady Jane, 1986. I love Helena Bonham Carter in A Room With a View, but it's possible I love her in this even more. The perfect portrayal of Jane Grey, especially the moment on the scaffold when she can't find the block. It makes me ugly sob every single time I see it.
Lawrence of Arabia, 1962. Watched this one with my dad growing up, and while it's far from a complete or accurate portrayal of the events it covers, it's gorgeous and fascinating and has some incredible performances from Omar Sharif, Claude Rains, Alec Guinness and, of course, Peter O'Toole.
Marie Antoinette, 2006. A huge influence on my novel The Embroidered Book, and both my novel and the film drew on Antonia Fraser’s biography. Far more true to history than some earlier and more conventional treatments. Another example (to go with A Knight's Tale) of creative uses of anachronism.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, 2003. So perfectly executed – this film is just a delight. The standout performance is Max Pirkis as the teenage midshipman.
Oppenheimer, 2023. I understand why this movie didn't land for some people, and there are a lot of fair critiques of its choices. I see it as a film about how American politics talks about genocide, and I found it riveting, with career-defining performances and really interesting story-telling choices. It has stuck with me.
Orlando, 1992. Probably the movie on the list that has influenced me the most as a writer, equally with the book it adapts. Quentin Crisp is my favourite Elizabeth I. Tilda Swinton is magnificent. I adore everything about this movie.
Poor Things, 2023. An alternate history, but it counts. Weird and wonderful. Emma Stone is brilliant. That's all.
Saving Private Ryan, 1998. Of course. I could make a whole list just of war movies, but this would be near the top of it. Yeah, it’s got US-coloured glasses on, but it shows us D-Day and its aftermath in a way nothing else does, not even The Longest Day, which of course is also great. I definitely had visuals from Saving Private Ryan in my head as I was writing the Ivy chapters of The Tapestry of Time. Another ugly-sob movie.
The Age of Innocence, 1993. Daniel Day-Lewis again! He's so good as Archer, and Michelle Pfeiffer is so good as Olenska. A really faithful and beautiful adaptation of a brilliant novel.
The Duchess, 2008. The film that made me sit up and take note of what a fine actor Keira Knightley is.
The Favourite, 2018. I have an unpublished novel set during Queen Anne's reign in which Robert Harley (played by the always amazing Nicholas Hoult in this film) is a minor character, so I guess I was always the target audience for this, but also, Olivia Colman! And Emma Stone, again. And the soundtrack.
The Green Knight, 2021. I almost didn't include this because the England it portrays is more fantastical than historical, but that's one of the things that makes it so true to the stories it's retelling. I love this weird movie deeply. Dev Patel! Sean Harris! Barry Keoghan!
The Lion in Winter, 1968. Probably my favourite movie, period. Peter O'Toole, again. Katharine Hepburn. Also anachronistic, also deeply medieval. A movie (and play) that reminds us that writing is not real life; it’s writing. Every line is a diamond.
The Name of the Rose, 1986. Another brilliant adaptation of a brilliant book; such a treat to see it come to life. The atmosphere is perfect.
The Northman, 2022. It's probably not a surprise to anyone who's read my work that I am very fond of historical fiction that treats the beliefs of its characters as part of the setting. This is a retelling of the stories that preceded Hamlet, and it actually gave me a new understanding of Hamlet – so it almost violates my "no Shakespeare" rule for this list.
The Remains of the Day, 1993. What a beautiful, patient film about the lives and choices of two people, and one of the sharpest portrayals of British upper class fascism.
The VVitch, 2015. I sat in the theatre fully expecting the female main character to follow the Hollywood beats and pluckily convey the movie's message. I was so delighted when it never happened, and I had to rethink the entire movie, and consider whether I see it as a folk tale, or as a community tragedy about the perpetuation of abuse, or something else. It's a movie that asks the audience to do the work, something that feels like a relief, when so many movies refuse to trust us enough to do that. And, as with others like The Green Knight and The Northman, I love movies that don’t feel as if they’re uneasy in their historical viewpoints.
The Zone of Interest, 2023. A work of genius that everyone should see, immediately if you haven’t already. The best example I know of a movie that tells its story in full collaboration with its audience.
That's the list! I could easily go to 50, but not today. I hope you get a chance to enjoy some of your favourite things this month.