Huge thanks for all your feedback on our Top 50 Historical Films list 🎥 We limited our selection to films released in the last 50 years - although one crafty exception from 1963 did tunnel through 👀 - thus no Lawrence of Arabia or Gone With the Wind. Oscar nominations and wins were a big factor in our selection. Did your favourite make the cut? Let us know 👇
Well, movies I miss on this list given that you picked "Napoleon", "Gladiator", "Milk" and some others, are "Spartacus" 1960, "Ben-Hur" 1959, "Downfall", "Das Boot", Akira Kurosawa's "Ran", "Waterloo" 1970, "Gone with the Wind" and maybe even the greatest Western of all time (in my opinion) "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly". But for about 40 of your picks, I agree, especially with the number one spot.
@HistoryHit - TY but why say BS SPOILERS that have nothing to do with ranking the movies e.g 47:14 _"The weird climax to the movie is Marlon Brando's portrayal of an American officer gone rogue running his own army deep in the jungle in a hut of darkness."_
Like so many lists these days, your list is guilty of "recent prejudice." It's a disservice to history movie lovers. "1917" but not "Paths of Glory." Really? Any list that doesn't include "Lawrence of Arabia" as greatest historical movie, war movie, or greatest movie ever made is not an legitimate list. I can count at least twenty movies listed by posters below that were better than those listed, I say, with all due respect and affection.
100% agree.. I mean starting with Appollo13 at 50, you think, hell this list is gunna be epic if that only made it to 50........ but some of those movies after are not great..... and the three you listed should have been nailed on in the lists top 20
Just wanted to post a comment that Ridley Scott keeps on grudging about how he doesn't care about historical accuracy and where the historians can shove it, but when it came to Black Hawk Down it is fairly accurate. It is almost like it is done by someone else, it lacks all of the classic markers of "a Ridley Scott historical movie", which I very sincerely dislike.
Agreed! And "Das Boot", "Come and See", "The Thin Red Line", "The Last Emperor" and the very new "The Zone of Interest"... Making rankings must be tough.
I strongly agree: a great subject, underrated and too little known at the time it was released, powerful script and acting, esp. from Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman, not to mention Andre Braugher (in his first major film role) and John Finn (as drill sergeant major Mulcahy). Broderick is good, but he was a bit out of his depth as Robert Gould Shaw.
Welll Dan, you are just going to have to do a best 100, so you can rank Zulu, Downfall, Das Boot, Two Women, Invictus, Spotlight, Operation Mincemeat, Empire of the Sun, A Brilliant Mind, The Insider, Mutiny on the Bounty, Hope and Glory, Death of Stalin, Stalingrad, The Dambusters, Battle of Britain, Woman in Gold, Gallipoli, Bridge over the River Kwaii, Tora tora tora, Lawrence of Arabia, and the Killing Fields. Great video, thanks!
Lean is not represented here at all. It's hard to fathom that bridge on the river kwai, lawerence of arabia and dr. Zhivago were shot back, to back, to back. Those are the films that Alec Guiness should be remembered for, more than being Obi-Wan.
Two others that were missed were Paths of Glory with Kirk Douglas and, the big miss,The Last Emperor. To cover the end of the Quig dynasty, the Japanese takeover of China, and life in Communist China, all done spectacularly, but in a personal way, was an underrated masterpiece. I learned, and was inspired to learn more about China from this movie than from the three college courses of Asian history I took.
A few honorable mentions; A Bridge Too Far(Should have made the list) Kingdom of Heaven We Were Soldiers Gettysburg Glory(Could have made the list) Thin Red Line(Could have made the list) Black Hawk Down(Could have made the list) Enemy at the Gates Patton Henry V Amistad Lawrence of Arabia Battle of the Bulge Ben-Hur Defiance …just to name a few.lol
No Glory, Downfall, Fury, Tora Tora, Tora, Das Boot, Black Hawk Down, or Stalag 17?! Great list, but could be better. But still, hearing “I am Maximus Decimus Meridius” still gets me.
Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), Downfall (2004), Mutiny on the Bounty (1983), The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008), The Pianist (2002), A Bridge too Far (1977).
1. Lawrence of Arabia 2. Doctor Zhivago 3. Wandsee Conspiracy 4. Amistad 5. Restoration 6. Duchess 7. Young Victotia 8. Khartoum 9. Agony and the ecstasy 10. El Cid 11. Hamilton woman 12. Battle of Britain 13. Lion in winter 14. Moulin Rouge 1952 15. African Queen 16. Dangerous Liaisons 17. Das Boote 18. Downfall 19. The Mission 20. Black Robe 21. Man for all Seasons 22. English Patient 23. Seven Samurai 24. Cry Freedom 25. Last Emperor 26. Mutiny on the Bounty Charles Laughton
No Zulu? Bridge over the River Kwai? Glory? Outlaw King? We Were Soldiers? The Longest Day? Downfall is the best portrayal of Hitler ever, and should be there. Cromwell was an excellent if not fully accurate depiction of the English Civil Wars. Zulu really should have been in this list. Despite being made in the 1960s, it wasn't racist and it had a balanced view of both the British and Zulu forces.
You know what's an underated historical movie that I never see on these types of lists? The Northman by Robert Eggers , great viking film. Think it was pretty historically authentic and I personally loved it
@@countalma9800, It catches the tone of the era and its people, compare that with Braveheart , with Pictish tribal paint and a lack of bridge in a battle called Stirling Bridge. Can't let a bridge interfere with a Hollywood charge.
I think you should have separated the period literary adaptations from adaptations of historical event movies. It seems that 'historical' in this case means any film set in the past (which sort of makes sense but means that a lot of good history movies get excluded)
Last of the Mohicans at 26 is definitely a mistake. The final 30-45 minutes of that movie are probably the most gripping I’ve ever seen. It’s definitely top 10.
How Saving Private Ryan was not 1 or 2 is amazing. I remember going to see the premiere and when the movie let out, an older couple was in front of myself and my date and the gentleman said that's "exactly what it was like."
There are a lot more that deserves to be on that list. Glory, Gettysburg, a thin red line, Land of the Pharaohs, ben hur, Agora, The Lion in Winter, The Name of the Rose, El Cid, 1492: Conquest of Paradise, the seven samurai, The Duellists, Gallipoli and Downfall.
An interesting and well placed top 50. Maybe a nod could be given to The Longest Day, Black Hawk Down, Enemy at the Gate, The Green Mile. Your commentary on the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan was perfect. It was so realistic I couldn't bear to watch it. Apparently that was the universal reaction. And thanks for reminding me of the movie I haven't seen but must watch, Chariots of Fire. 👍
my dad took me (age 15) & my brother (age 13) to see SPR when it was released. I'll never forget the image of a soldier on one of the transports getting a bullet right through his helmet. That was a powerful moment.
Napoleon, Braveheart, Dunkirk, Gladiator, were all full of historical inaccuracies. Where are the good historical movies like Black Hawk Down, The Man Who Never Was, We Were Soldiers, Shadow of My Eye?
Entertaining as it was, Braveheart doesn’t belong on this list, there’s an endless stream of Historians on RUclips that denigrate it for the license it takes with history (including our presenter here), at times passing absurd. Apollo 13 should have been significantly higher on the list. One that is missing that I would recommend is Bridge of Spies, where Mark Rylance won an Oscar for his supporting Role. Otherwise this is a great collection and mostly a very good ranking. Thoroughly enjoyed. I’m surprised at how many of these films I have watched.
actually im a bit disapointed "The Longest Day" is not listed. with the fact, that this movie is made 1963... it was a GIGANTIC project and for me a masterpiece. even until today, even its black and white... a 3 hour masterpiece for its time... i mean you just have to look at the cast for that movie. i love it.
Who exactly took part in this survey? Not one movie made before 1963 is mentioned and there were a lot of great historical movies made back then which are far better than many that were on this list. Missed films include classics such as Stalag 17 (1953), Judgement at Nuremberg (1961), Ben-Hur (1959), Gone with the Wind (1939), Casablanca (1942), and To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).
Here are some movies that deserve at least an honorable mention: * The Big Red One -1980 * The Last Emperor -1987 * Waterloo -1970 * Any Samurai movie directed by Akiro Kurosawa * Death of Stalin - 2017 * Agora - 2009 * Brother Sun, Sister Moon -1972 * Gettysburg -1993 * Tora! Tora! Tora! -1970 If you have not watched these in a long while or have never heard of them; they are definitely worth your time.
The fact that you had Braveheart and Napoleon on this list, but didn't have The Grey Zone, Conspiracy, or the Downfall means that this list is not worth spit.
It is not widely known esp between Americans, but there was a substantial Royal Navy and RAF presence on Omaha and Utah Beaches on D-Day. On Omaha Beach, four battalions of American troops were landed from seven British transport ships and LCA Flotillas. Both of the 2nd and 5th the US Ranger Infantry Battalions were with the Royal Navy, as were the 1st Battalions of 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division and the 1st Battalion of 16th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division. Some of our sister flotillas, including 550 Flotilla on the SS Empire Anvil at the eastern, Colleville end of Omaha Beach, suffered higher casualties. A number of British sailors were killed on Omaha Beach. Many other landing craft, amongst them LCTs for example, were British.” The RAF 21 BDS landed and took casualties on Omaha beach.
I'm not a WWII expert but the way I understand it, DDay was a combined effort of anybody they could send in. My grandfather (being a paratrooper) was sent in behind enemy lines ahead of the day to help set it up. I believe he was in Market Garden but I could be wrong.
I love your sense of humor, Dan! I'm also glad that you can enjoy a movie for its entertainment value even as you recognize it's historical inaccuracies (Braveheart is a prime example)
Thanks for a hugely entertaining video. I loved reliving my memories of many of those films. I did miss Lawrence of Arabia, however. And Patton..the only movie that personally I have ever seen more than twice.
Great work, Dan... I would not have listed 'Gladiator' that high... Also, 'Letters from Iwo Jima' is a very under-rated war-film... Clint Eastwood's masterpiece
Where is ZULU? I also agree that Downfall, with the greatest depiction of Hitler ever filmed and the frightening tension of submarine warfare in Das Boot should put all 3 in the top 20, at least.
Love seeing people list a bunch of great movies that where not made in the past 50 years and be like, "why is it not in the list called the best 50 movies made in the last 50 years"
Great stuff. Many of my all time favorites made this list, I guess "Patton" just missed the 50 yr cut-off. However, a few that should've been added or at least honorably mentioned: "Glory", "Michael Collins", "Tombstone", "Valkyrie", "The Last Samurai", and of course, "Black Hawk Down" (which I would've added over American Sniper)
With the comments at the beginning about Ridley Scott not caring about historical accuracy I thought that this list would actually care about historical accuracy when ranking the films, but nope, I was disappointed.
@@will2777Yeah you're right, my bad. I think it was because Dan Snow kept saying "Best of all time", that I forgot 'all time' really only meant the last 50 years? It's a bit like football, where history only starts once the Prima Donna League began, in 1992! I often feel that the World only began when people aged under 50 were born, the rest of 'us' and 'it' was just an illusion, lol 🤣
It is probably a good thing for Britain that France never got frigates such as the Acheron. The moment I saw it I recognized it as one of America's frigates like "Old Ironsides," USS Constitution. Things might have gone much different if France had had those. It must've been terribly galling to the Admiralty when they had to give the order not to attack American ships without superior numbers. The US Navy is having new frigates built. The 1st 5 will be named for the 5 that are no longer around. I recently watched a video about the Higgins boats. He pointed out that the dropping of the ramp created a machine gunner's dream. Exactly what was depicted.
Lawrence of Arabia should be number 1, massive historical sweeping history epic. Also, leaving out Das Boot, Downfall, Lives of Others, Crouching Tigen Hidden Dragon unforgivable.
I’d say my favourites were Downfall ,The Killing fields, Platoon,Master and Commander,True Grit (new version) , Oppenheimer,Elizabeth, Elizabeth the Golden Age ,Saving Private Ryan, Schindlers List, The Pianist,Gladiator,Tombstone,Flags of our Fathers and The Deer Hunter
Thanks Hugh, I loved this video and i love your channel. I would have liked to have seen Gallipoli (1981) starring Mel Gibson and Mark Lee, which the ending scene depicting The Battle of Lone Pine.
I was happily surprised that "Titanic" didn't end up Number #1. And I agree that "Schindler's List" was a worthy top choice. But I also agree with another commentator that "Downfall" should have been on this list. Still loved the choices and Dan Snow's commentary.
What is this community thinking? How is Napoleon on there, but not Waterloo, Zulu, Downfall, The Last Samurai, Fury, Inglorious Basterds, Black Hawk Down, Gettysburg, Hacksaw Ridge, Kingdom of Heaven, or Glory? I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting too. I think putting Napoleon ahead of Apollo 13 is a crime against humanity, as is Braveheart making it so high onto the list, and Lincoln rating so low.
It should be a crime to leave The Duellists off this list, it's one of the best Napoleonic-era movies and could have made this list with 3 years to spare.
I was a young adult at the time of Apollo 13 and remember seeing the capsule splashing down. Also seeing Jim Lovell at the film’s premiere. Still, every time I watch the film I’m sitting on the edge of my chair wondering if they will make it! Same with the end of Argo.
No "Waterloo"? An astonishing omission. One of the best and most historically accurate movies of all time. To have Gladiator at number 2 and no Waterloo at all is a joke
Good list, surprisingly there's only three of these movies I haven't seen and now we'll make a point of watching. The only one I would have left out is Napoleon and switched it out perhaps with Dr Zhivago.
Two movies you forget was Ben Hur and Moses with Charlton Heston, but a good list. And Schindler’s Liste in the top was the right choice especially in today’s circumstances a good choice👍. And still today the scene you show makes me crying 🥲
Huge thanks for all your feedback on our Top 50 Historical Films list 🎥 We limited our selection to films released in the last 50 years - although one crafty exception from 1963 did tunnel through 👀 - thus no Lawrence of Arabia or Gone With the Wind. Oscar nominations and wins were a big factor in our selection.
Did your favourite make the cut? Let us know 👇
Well, movies I miss on this list given that you picked "Napoleon", "Gladiator", "Milk" and some others, are "Spartacus" 1960, "Ben-Hur" 1959, "Downfall", "Das Boot", Akira Kurosawa's "Ran", "Waterloo" 1970, "Gone with the Wind" and maybe even the greatest Western of all time (in my opinion) "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly". But for about 40 of your picks, I agree, especially with the number one spot.
agree with Schindler's List. Not only for Movies about History but every movie ever made.
@HistoryHit - TY but why say BS SPOILERS that have nothing to do with ranking the movies e.g 47:14 _"The weird climax to the movie is Marlon Brando's portrayal of an American officer gone rogue running his own army deep in the jungle in a hut of darkness."_
Like so many lists these days, your list is guilty of "recent prejudice." It's a disservice to history movie lovers. "1917" but not "Paths of Glory." Really? Any list that doesn't include "Lawrence of Arabia" as greatest historical movie, war movie, or greatest movie ever made is not an legitimate list. I can count at least twenty movies listed by posters below that were better than those listed, I say, with all due respect and affection.
I would’ve chosen Ben Hur,Gettysburg,Prince Of Thieves,Von Ryan’s Express,Escape To Victory,Bedknobs And Broomsticks & The Guns Of Navaronne.
Napoleon did not deserve to be on this list and yes I said it. I think people deserved a better movie about Napoleon Bonaparte.
Yeah, idk about including Ridley Scott's wet fart called Napoleon, but leaving out Waterloo (1970)...
How about the Brando version?
@@powerfrenzy My brother, 1970 is more than 50 years ago.
Isn’t The Great Escape also older though?
@@Lvlyj10 Thats a very good point. They fucked up.
Black Hawk Down, Das Boot, and Downfall deserve to be on this list
Downfall was a good one.
100% agree.. I mean starting with Appollo13 at 50, you think, hell this list is gunna be epic if that only made it to 50........ but some of those movies after are not great..... and the three you listed should have been nailed on in the lists top 20
Just wanted to post a comment that Ridley Scott keeps on grudging about how he doesn't care about historical accuracy and where the historians can shove it, but when it came to Black Hawk Down it is fairly accurate. It is almost like it is done by someone else, it lacks all of the classic markers of "a Ridley Scott historical movie", which I very sincerely dislike.
i like stalingrad to
@@martincote435 Ohf... how could we forget such a great movie... excellent suggestion
Great list, but SHAME ON YOU! for leaving out Downfall.
I would have had that definitely in the top 5
Although Schindler's List would have to be the best movie about the Holocaust ever made.Deserves its place at 1.
Agreed! And "Das Boot", "Come and See", "The Thin Red Line", "The Last Emperor" and the very new "The Zone of Interest"... Making rankings must be tough.
Downfall my friends….. and Titanic??? come on….
Was voted by viewers not history hit
Great list, but frankly disappointed that Glory was not in the top 20. 3 Oscars, fantastic score, great performances.
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Agree,epic film, Denzel Washington top tier actor 👌
I strongly agree: a great subject, underrated and too little known at the time it was released, powerful script and acting, esp. from Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman, not to mention Andre Braugher (in his first major film role) and John Finn (as drill sergeant major Mulcahy). Broderick is good, but he was a bit out of his depth as Robert Gould Shaw.
Yes, Glory
Welll Dan, you are just going to have to do a best 100, so you can rank Zulu, Downfall, Das Boot, Two Women, Invictus, Spotlight, Operation Mincemeat, Empire of the Sun, A Brilliant Mind, The Insider, Mutiny on the Bounty, Hope and Glory, Death of Stalin, Stalingrad, The Dambusters, Battle of Britain, Woman in Gold, Gallipoli, Bridge over the River Kwaii, Tora tora tora, Lawrence of Arabia, and the Killing Fields. Great video, thanks!
Killing Fields was in this list actually but many great movies in your list and in mine were not
Lean is not represented here at all. It's hard to fathom that bridge on the river kwai, lawerence of arabia and dr. Zhivago were shot back, to back, to back. Those are the films that Alec Guiness should be remembered for, more than being Obi-Wan.
You haven't paid attention have you, it says movies of the last 50 years
Don't forget Kingdom of Heaven,- the extended version, otherwise it makes no sense.
@@johnhopkinson7573 "The Great Escape" was released in 1963.
One thing that makes me love Dan Snow is hs admiration and love of 'Last of the Mohicans'. I love it as well and the soundtrack is sublime.
Agreed. Top 10 at least.
It was ear candy, eye candy and emotional AF
Das Boot, Stalingrad (1994 version) Downfall, Battle of Britain. These should all be in there. In the top 15!
A worthy winner, but Master and Commander should have absolutely have been second - outstanding movie
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It was the most underappreciated movie in my life anyway. Thanks ever much
Should have been first!
It would be great to have a film about 'the Seawolf' Cochrane.
I feel like it got poor reviews at the time which was harsh. A solid movie with great performances.
Amistad, Glory, Malcolm X, Gallipoli, Das Boot and more seem to be glaring omissions...
Where is Zulu?
Absolutely should have been high on this list. 👍
No it’s of the last 50 years. Zulu came out 60 years ago.
@@bigmikem1578... I believe it is a top 50?
@@karlsenula9495top 50 of The last 50 years it says. “Zulu” was 60 years ago.
@@bigmikem1578in which case, The Great Escape shouldn’t of been included, made in 1963, making it 1 year older than Zulu, (1964).
A Bridge too Far should also be in this list.
Yes! Finally someone else who recognizes that
Yes! Awesome cast
Two others that were missed were Paths of Glory with Kirk Douglas and, the big miss,The Last Emperor. To cover the end of the Quig dynasty, the Japanese takeover of China, and life in Communist China, all done spectacularly, but in a personal way, was an underrated masterpiece. I learned, and was inspired to learn more about China from this movie than from the three college courses of Asian history I took.
I was waiting for the Last Emperor. Easily one of my favourite movies, so good
YES. I called this out too. How can it not be on a Top 50 list? Top 10 on my list.
Yes, The last Emperor should have been in the top twenty
Last Emperor is dull
Great list, but no Das Boot? Come and See? The Lives of Others? Lawrence of Arabia? Downfall?
Waterloo too 😢
Just watched Come and See the other nigh right here on YT. It was awesome.
No Lives of Others? That's it! I'm out!
Yeah this list is pretty crap. There's a dozen other films that could have taken the place of fucking braveheart and Napoleon.
Lawrence of Arabia is over 50 years old
A few honorable mentions;
A Bridge Too Far(Should have made the list)
Kingdom of Heaven
We Were Soldiers
Gettysburg
Glory(Could have made the list)
Thin Red Line(Could have made the list)
Black Hawk Down(Could have made the list)
Enemy at the Gates
Patton
Henry V
Amistad
Lawrence of Arabia
Battle of the Bulge
Ben-Hur
Defiance
…just to name a few.lol
Nice list. Glory, Amistad and Lawrence definitely shud have made the list over The Queen.
Gettysburg was one of my dads favorite movies, I was surprised it wasn't on this list at all.
You forgot The Longest Day
VERY IMPORTANT, don't watch Kingdom of Heaven, watch Kingdom of Heaven Directors Cut!!! It's sooooo much better.
Dump some of the ridley scott drek in favour of Amistad and Lawrence of Arabia. Lawrence of Arabia could have been 2 or 3.
No Glory, Downfall, Fury, Tora Tora, Tora, Das Boot, Black Hawk Down, or Stalag 17?! Great list, but could be better.
But still, hearing “I am Maximus Decimus Meridius” still gets me.
fury xD
Its also missing Come And See
It's top 50 historical movies though, not top 50 war movies. Too many of those on the list as it is.
"Come and See".
Come and See is one of the most harrowing films of all time.
The Death of Stalin gets no love!
What a surprising and wonderful film. It somehow successfully dances between hilarious and absolutely terrifying. Top notch cast.
Yes, the blackest of black comedies. Great performances.
Probably because it's a comedy, and therefore it's not very accurate and can't be classed as a historical film. I'm just guessing on that point.
@@69coolchrisI mean, Gladiator makes up a lot too.
@matthewcreelman1347 The difference being that Gladiator is a fictional story set around actual historical figures.
Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), Downfall (2004), Mutiny on the Bounty (1983), The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008), The Pianist (2002), A Bridge too Far (1977).
Excellent choice.
The Pianist! Looks like a top 100 needs to be done.
The boy in the striped pyjamas great movie
1. Lawrence of Arabia
2. Doctor Zhivago
3. Wandsee Conspiracy
4. Amistad
5. Restoration
6. Duchess
7. Young Victotia
8. Khartoum
9. Agony and the ecstasy
10. El Cid
11. Hamilton woman
12. Battle of Britain
13. Lion in winter
14. Moulin Rouge 1952
15. African Queen
16. Dangerous Liaisons
17. Das Boote
18. Downfall
19. The Mission
20. Black Robe
21. Man for all Seasons
22. English Patient
23. Seven Samurai
24. Cry Freedom
25. Last Emperor
26. Mutiny on the Bounty Charles Laughton
No Schindler’s list
@@gianlucapinelli6807 Iadded what he had not listed
25 Grave of the Fireflies
The Wanassseeb Conspiracy was gripping.
Where TF is Lawrence of Arabia? I don't care what anyone would say, hands down greatest historical film of all-time.
No Zulu, Waterloo, Lawrence of Arabia??? What!
No Zulu? Bridge over the River Kwai? Glory? Outlaw King? We Were Soldiers? The Longest Day? Downfall is the best portrayal of Hitler ever, and should be there. Cromwell was an excellent if not fully accurate depiction of the English Civil Wars. Zulu really should have been in this list. Despite being made in the 1960s, it wasn't racist and it had a balanced view of both the British and Zulu forces.
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Zulu was made more than 60 years ago, and whilst it is a great film, it falls outside the 50-year purview, same with bride over the river kwai.
We Were Soldiers not being on here is crazy.
@@JDothan that's quite true, my personal favourite Vietnam movie.
Um, The Great Escape was made in 1963, one year earlier.@@t.wcharles2171
Ridley Scott telling historians that "they weren't there either" will always be legendary ie: Gladiator
Pity this is restricted to 50 years because otherwise 'Lawrence of Arabia' would be in the top 5.
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It seems people who saw that movie didn't vote. This list feels like a product of people in their 30's , restricted to commercial and amateur
Was it? It had The Great Escape from 1963.
Ill Met By Moonlight 1957, A Night to Remember and Dunkirk both 1958, the last two being far better than more recent telling of the same events.
Others that definitely deserve a consideration; Tora Tora Tora, the longest day, A bridge too far, we were soldiers, and Das Boot among many others.
*YES*!! DAS BOOT!!! How could that not make it?!
No Downfall, no Das Boot, no The Lives of Others.
List value in free fall.
The Lives of Others, is my second, all time favourite.
Judging by this list it seems that the last 20 years have given us better historical movies than the previous 80 years.
You know what's an underated historical movie that I never see on these types of lists? The Northman by Robert Eggers , great viking film. Think it was pretty historically authentic and I personally loved it
I watched it already, so it can't be underrated :) real gem.
It is not historically authentic. It’s historical fantasy. But it’s an interesting and very well crafted film.
@@countalma9800is brave heart not a historical fantasy
@@countalma9800, It catches the tone of the era and its people, compare that with Braveheart , with Pictish tribal paint and a lack of bridge in a battle called Stirling Bridge. Can't let a bridge interfere with a Hollywood charge.
really? I thought the director was known for his research into making his films fairly authentic@@countalma9800
I think you should have separated the period literary adaptations from adaptations of historical event movies. It seems that 'historical' in this case means any film set in the past (which sort of makes sense but means that a lot of good history movies get excluded)
Whenever you have any list there are always things left out, but on the whole this was a good list and an entertaining one.
Lawrence of Arabia, Waterloo, Das Boot, Spartacus
Last of the Mohicans is still my all time favorite movie… but, thank you! This was incredible!
Pretty sure Apocalypse Now was 1978, probably a typo showing it as 1998.
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*1979. I caught that too lol.
I can't take this seriously when you have the utter disaster that is Napoleon included ahead of Waterloo 1970.
He didn’t rank the list,the subscribers did‼️
you missed Waterloo, Blackhawk down, master and commander, Zulu, kingdom of heaven, a bridge too far, breaker Morant, patton
Master and Commander is number 8
No oscar noms for Kingdom of Heaven.
Last of the Mohicans at 26 is definitely a mistake. The final 30-45 minutes of that movie are probably the most gripping I’ve ever seen. It’s definitely top 10.
How Saving Private Ryan was not 1 or 2 is amazing. I remember going to see the premiere and when the movie let out, an older couple was in front of myself and my date and the gentleman said that's "exactly what it was like."
There are a lot more that deserves to be on that list. Glory, Gettysburg, a thin red line, Land of the Pharaohs, ben hur, Agora, The Lion in Winter, The Name of the Rose, El Cid, 1492: Conquest of Paradise, the seven samurai, The Duellists, Gallipoli and Downfall.
I was hoping to see The Lion in Winter on the list. Peter O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn are seared in my mind.
Das boot, didn’t make the list? That’s crazy. Should be top 5.
You have Napoleon on the list, but not Downfall? Sorry, but that's just materially wrong.
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Hoping to see The Duellists somewhere on here!
I did not, in fact, see the Duellists on here
Right? How was it missed?
@@battlejitney2197, Because not enough people chose it.
Great picks. Faves for me include White Fang, The Fighting Seabees & Empire of the Sun.
I love this. Dan and his Father have such a passion for history and it really shows. thank you for taking the time to present this.
Tombstone, Harriet, Glory, Selma, Waterloo, Immortal Beloved, Cry Freedom, Hidden Figures, Sophie Scholl, Loving, Hacksaw Ridge, The Untouchables...
Immortal Beloved is pure romance novel fantasy. Only a woman would pick that one.
Women exist and in the past too.
Yes I was entertained Dan…but no Lawrence of Arabia A film that eclipses virtually everything on this list!
Love Dan Snow.
He's so knowledgeable and puts it in an easy to understand way.
Also he's gorgeous XX
An interesting and well placed top 50. Maybe a nod could be given to The Longest Day, Black Hawk Down, Enemy at the Gate, The Green Mile.
Your commentary on the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan was perfect. It was so realistic I couldn't bear to watch it. Apparently that was the universal reaction.
And thanks for reminding me of the movie I haven't seen but must watch, Chariots of Fire. 👍
Black Hawk Down! Sooooo much better choice than Gladiator.
so realistic? so you where there?
my dad took me (age 15) & my brother (age 13) to see SPR when it was released. I'll never forget the image of a soldier on one of the transports getting a bullet right through his helmet. That was a powerful moment.
Dan Snow. Feels like it's been an Age.
of empires
The Last Duel was much better than Napoleon.
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Waterloo and War and Peace from a long time ago are immensely better than Napoleon.
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Napoleon, Braveheart, Dunkirk, Gladiator, were all full of historical inaccuracies. Where are the good historical movies like Black Hawk Down, The Man Who Never Was, We Were Soldiers, Shadow of My Eye?
Napoleon shouldn't be anywhere on this list.
That movie wasn't even that entertaining as popcorn flick.
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Entertaining as it was, Braveheart doesn’t belong on this list, there’s an endless stream of Historians on RUclips that denigrate it for the license it takes with history (including our presenter here), at times passing absurd. Apollo 13 should have been significantly higher on the list. One that is missing that I would recommend is Bridge of Spies, where Mark Rylance won an Oscar for his supporting Role. Otherwise this is a great collection and mostly a very good ranking. Thoroughly enjoyed. I’m surprised at how many of these films I have watched.
"Bridge of Spies" was terrifying in its depiction of its time. It definitely deserved to be here. Maybe in place of "Dances With Wolves".
actually im a bit disapointed "The Longest Day" is not listed. with the fact, that this movie is made 1963... it was a GIGANTIC project and for me a masterpiece. even until today, even its black and white... a 3 hour masterpiece for its time... i mean you just have to look at the cast for that movie. i love it.
Who exactly took part in this survey? Not one movie made before 1963 is mentioned and there were a lot of great historical movies made back then which are far better than many that were on this list. Missed films include classics such as Stalag 17 (1953), Judgement at Nuremberg (1961), Ben-Hur (1959), Gone with the Wind (1939), Casablanca (1942), and To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).
The Lion in Winter, because it is so evocative of medieval times and is about the Plantagenets who we hear almost nothing about.
Lawrence of Arabia too
Here are some movies that deserve at least an honorable mention:
* The Big Red One -1980
* The Last Emperor -1987
* Waterloo -1970
* Any Samurai movie directed by Akiro Kurosawa
* Death of Stalin - 2017
* Agora - 2009
* Brother Sun, Sister Moon -1972
* Gettysburg -1993
* Tora! Tora! Tora! -1970
If you have not watched these in a long while or have never heard of them; they are definitely worth your time.
The fact that you had Braveheart and Napoleon on this list, but didn't have The Grey Zone, Conspiracy, or the Downfall means that this list is not worth spit.
At first I was like "why isn't Saving Private Ryan" number one?! Then yeah... Schindler's List laps it easily
I would definitely add DOWNFALL. Great list and commentary.
I haven't watched the Oscars in years, but I was absolutely thrilled when this video showed up in my feed.
It is not widely known esp between Americans, but there was a substantial Royal Navy and RAF presence on Omaha and Utah Beaches on D-Day. On Omaha Beach, four battalions of American troops were landed from seven British transport ships and LCA Flotillas. Both of the 2nd and 5th the US Ranger Infantry Battalions were with the Royal Navy, as were the 1st Battalions of 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division and the 1st Battalion of 16th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division.
Some of our sister flotillas, including 550 Flotilla on the SS Empire Anvil at the eastern, Colleville end of Omaha Beach, suffered higher casualties. A number of British sailors were killed on Omaha Beach. Many other landing craft, amongst them LCTs for example, were British.” The RAF 21 BDS landed and took casualties on Omaha beach.
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I'm not a WWII expert but the way I understand it, DDay was a combined effort of anybody they could send in. My grandfather (being a paratrooper) was sent in behind enemy lines ahead of the day to help set it up. I believe he was in Market Garden but I could be wrong.
Great list but Gettysburg and Tora, Tora, Tora should have been somewhere on there.
Great Channel great list what about Waterloo Patton and the original Midway keep up the great work
I was thrilled that one of my favorites "Master And Commander" was Number 8 on the list.
👍 me too.
Lawrence of Arabia, Das Boot, Zulu, Death of Stalin and The good, the bad and the ugly should all have been on that list.
The Longest Day and Gettysburg is missing.
I love your sense of humor, Dan! I'm also glad that you can enjoy a movie for its entertainment value even as you recognize it's historical inaccuracies (Braveheart is a prime example)
Thanks for a hugely entertaining video. I loved reliving my memories of many of those films. I did miss Lawrence of Arabia, however. And Patton..the only movie that personally I have ever seen more than twice.
Great work, Dan... I would not have listed 'Gladiator' that high... Also, 'Letters from Iwo Jima' is a very under-rated war-film... Clint Eastwood's masterpiece
Loved this list!
Where is ZULU? I also agree that Downfall, with the greatest depiction of Hitler ever filmed and the frightening tension of submarine warfare in Das Boot should put all 3 in the top 20, at least.
Love seeing people list a bunch of great movies that where not made in the past 50 years and be like, "why is it not in the list called the best 50 movies made in the last 50 years"
True and title alludes to1974-2024 films...... BUT The Great Escape is included at number 49 in ranking and that was a 1963 film
spoil sport...
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hence the additional movies.!
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Oof, omission of Das Boot is a big whiff.
It was... But otherwise pretty cool list
@@yago8672 yea. Absolutely. Gives a lot of homework to watch, haha
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Dan..thoroughly enjoyed the list...some took me down memory lane❤😊
Great stuff. Many of my all time favorites made this list, I guess "Patton" just missed the 50 yr cut-off. However, a few that should've been added or at least honorably mentioned: "Glory", "Michael Collins", "Tombstone", "Valkyrie", "The Last Samurai", and of course, "Black Hawk Down" (which I would've added over American Sniper)
Seen Most of these - Great List. Thanks.
Kings Speech is one of my favourite films.
With the comments at the beginning about Ridley Scott not caring about historical accuracy I thought that this list would actually care about historical accuracy when ranking the films, but nope, I was disappointed.
A good list, however I am surprised that Zulu (1964), and Waterloo (1970) didn't make the top 50?
I would think they would be within the 50 year limit right?
@@will2777Yeah you're right, my bad. I think it was because Dan Snow kept saying "Best of all time", that I forgot 'all time' really only meant the last 50 years?
It's a bit like football, where history only starts once the Prima Donna League began, in 1992!
I often feel that the World only began when people aged under 50 were born, the rest of 'us' and 'it' was just an illusion, lol 🤣
@@will2777Just realised, The Great Escape was on this list, yet it is even older than the two that I suggested above; it was made in 1963!
It is probably a good thing for Britain that France never got frigates such as the Acheron. The moment I saw it I recognized it as one of America's frigates like "Old Ironsides," USS Constitution. Things might have gone much different if France had had those. It must've been terribly galling to the Admiralty when they had to give the order not to attack American ships without superior numbers. The US Navy is having new frigates built. The 1st 5 will be named for the 5 that are no longer around.
I recently watched a video about the Higgins boats. He pointed out that the dropping of the ramp created a machine gunner's dream. Exactly what was depicted.
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Lawrence of Arabia should be number 1, massive historical sweeping history epic. Also, leaving out Das Boot, Downfall, Lives of Others, Crouching Tigen Hidden Dragon unforgivable.
No Downfall, Das Boot or Lawrence of Arabia. Fail!
I’d say my favourites were Downfall ,The Killing fields, Platoon,Master and Commander,True Grit (new version) , Oppenheimer,Elizabeth, Elizabeth the Golden Age ,Saving Private Ryan, Schindlers List, The Pianist,Gladiator,Tombstone,Flags of our Fathers and The Deer Hunter
You sir are a treasure. Love HH. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Hugh, I loved this video and i love your channel. I would have liked to have seen Gallipoli (1981) starring Mel Gibson and Mark Lee, which the ending scene depicting The Battle of Lone Pine.
Downfall, Battle of Britain, Come and See, Longest Day just to name a few?
Wow, no “Bridge Too Far”? I know you historians have a real thing for that movie.
I was happily surprised that "Titanic" didn't end up Number #1. And I agree that "Schindler's List" was a worthy top choice. But I also agree with another commentator that "Downfall" should have been on this list. Still loved the choices and Dan Snow's commentary.
What is this community thinking? How is Napoleon on there, but not Waterloo, Zulu, Downfall, The Last Samurai, Fury, Inglorious Basterds, Black Hawk Down, Gettysburg, Hacksaw Ridge, Kingdom of Heaven, or Glory? I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting too.
I think putting Napoleon ahead of Apollo 13 is a crime against humanity, as is Braveheart making it so high onto the list, and Lincoln rating so low.
You should be ashamed of yourselves for putting Braveheart and Napoleon on that list.
It should be a crime to leave The Duellists off this list, it's one of the best Napoleonic-era movies and could have made this list with 3 years to spare.
I was a young adult at the time of Apollo 13 and remember seeing the capsule splashing down. Also seeing Jim Lovell at the film’s premiere. Still, every time I watch the film I’m sitting on the edge of my chair wondering if they will make it! Same with the end of Argo.
No "Waterloo"? An astonishing omission. One of the best and most historically accurate movies of all time. To have Gladiator at number 2 and no Waterloo at all is a joke
Good list, surprisingly there's only three of these movies I haven't seen and now we'll make a point of watching. The only one I would have left out is Napoleon and switched it out perhaps with Dr Zhivago.
Good job, but a few of my favorites, The expendables (1940) The Sand Pebbles, Lawrence of Arabia, Zulu.
I vote for The Life Of Brian.
Some legendary films here and brilliantly presented 👏🏻
If you have The Great Escape (1963), Zulu, The Battle of Britain and Waterloo, all made after, should be on the list.
I great congratulate you for great discovering the mind,s talk.
Two movies you forget was Ben Hur and Moses with Charlton Heston, but a good list. And Schindler’s Liste in the top was the right choice especially in today’s circumstances a good choice👍. And still today the scene you show makes me crying 🥲