(Ancient Greece circa 4th century BC)
I like Colin Farrell as an actor and Alexander the Great made conquering the known world cool before anyone knew it was cool. Alexander was one of the only movies ever made about the Macedonian general/king, and for the most part, I thought it was a well made film. I didn't care for the soundtrack or the conflicting, outlandish accents constantly being thrown at me, but I did like the fact that the story was narrated by Ptolemy I Soter, Alexander the Great's distant cousin and general - and Cleopatra VII's oldest Ptolemaic ancestor. I'm not a huge fan of Oliver Stone's directing style, but he does some good things in Alexander, especially in the battle sequence in which the Macedonians take their forces just beyond the Hindu Kush to fight the native Indians and their massive war elephants. Powerful scene with Alexander and his horse, Bucephalus, raring back against the Indian commander and his raring war elephant. Oliver Stone only focused on certain aspects of Alexander the Great's conquests, and I only wish that he'd included the conquest of Egypt when the Macedonian king was seen as a liberator by the Egyptians, and when he subsequently named the city of Alexandria after himself.
(Renaissance France circa late 16th century)
Queen Margot isn't really the type of historical I usually go for, but it contains all the elements that make the Renaissance period so interesting. The daughter of Catherine de Medici, Margot, has been arranged to marry Henri de Navarre in a loveless marriage. Elements such as court intrigue and backstabbing for political gain provide a backdrop against the infamous St. Bartholemew's Massacre in which French Catholics slaughtered French Protestants in the streets of Paris. Unfortunately, history seems to repeat as the same sort of thing is still going on in Northern Ireland. There are a few reasons I like La Reine Margot so much. The film stars several renowned French actors, including Daniel Auteuil (The Widow of St. Pierre), Jean-Hughes Anglade (Killing Zoe), Pascal Greggory (The Nest), Vincent Perez (The Crow: City of Angels), Asia Argento (Marie Antoinette), and Isabelle Adjani (Diabolique) as the snooty but multi-layered Queen Margot. The costumes are detailed and rich, and the story, while slow-developing at times, is intriguing and complicated. Anyone who studies the Renaissance and political families such as the Medici and the Borgias will find themselves into this one.
(late 19th century Victorian England)
I'm not sure if the average audience considers From Hell to be a horror of a historical, but I consider it the latter. After all, the film focuses on the murders of Jack the Ripper in the East End of Victorian London. I consider Jack the Ripper to be a historical figure, as he was the world's first seriall killer, stalking his prostitute victims in 1888. The primary reason that this movie makes the list is because of Johnny Depp, in the role of Ripper-case detective Frederick Abberline. Though he's an American actor, his East End accent is spot on and he does a great job as the opium and absinthe-addicted inspector, tracking every movement of the serial killer. Directors Allan and Albert Hughes (Menace II Society, Dead Presidents) are known more for their prodominately African-American films (except the more recent The Book of Eli), but they do a great job of casting here, as their actual English actors speak great East End accents (except Heather Graham, whose Mary Kelly character is of Irish descent). The film keeps you guessing as to the true identity of the Ripper up until the very end, and good lines are exchanged in the realization of such: Jack the Ripper - "One day, people will say that I gave birth to the 20th century." Inspector Abberline while aiming his gun at the Ripper - "You're not going to see the 20th century." Awesome.
(late 18th century England)
Much like Brotherhood of the Wolf, leather gloves, petticoats, flintlock pistols and three-pointed hats rule the period comedy-drama in which the title characters rob from the rich to give to...well, themselves. Scottish actor Robert Carlisle (28 Weeks Later) and English actor Jonny Lee Miller (Dracula 2000, Hackers) play yin and yang partners in Plunkett (Carlisle) & Macleane (Miller), one a rugged vagabond and the other a down-on-his-luck pretty boy with connections to the aristocracy. Liv Tyler and Alan Cumming (Titus, Get Carter) are great supporting characters, expecially Cumming, who plays an effeminate, libertine in Lord Rochester who finds himself probably more partisan to the cause of the robbers than he should be, considering his noble title. The film is stylistically done, and I think another reason why it ended up so high on my list is that it reminds so much of Brotherhood of the Wolf, especially in the costume department (the two films take place right around the same time and fashion in Europe, as it still does today, spread among most of the countries).
11. Cleopatra (1963)
(Ancient Egypt, mid to late first century BC)
I usually don't care for older movies. The only exceptions are The Warriors, The Godfather and Godfather II, and of course, Cleopatra. I think the thing I like most about the 1963 version is the extremely well-written dialogue, especially between Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor) and Julius Caesar (Rex Harrison), and then Cleopatra and Mark Antony (Richard Burton). The over-budgeted film was well worth its layover, as for the time, the costumes and props turned out to be outstanding. Much like the first two Godfather films, I feel that Cleopatra was made well before its time. Yes, Liz Taylor was far too pretty to play Cleopatra. Yes, the Roman kilts and boots were far too short. But besides a those few slip-ups and the few historical inaccuracies, Cleopatra is an amazing movie. And besides those first two Godfather films, Cleopatra is the only movie over three hours long that I've managed to watch in one sitting. All in all, it's a worthwhile way to spend 320 minutes of your life.
(pre-Spanish colonization Mesoamerica)
Apocalypto is a phenomenal film about the fall of the Mayan civilization, spoken entirely in the native Mayan tongue. This of course is one of the reasons I love Mel Gibson-directed films. He does the same with Passion of the Christ, in which all his actors spoke the languages they would've spoken at that time (Jesus and the disciples speak Aramaic, the Jewish contingent speak Hebrew, and the Roman governor and his legions speak Latin). Apocalypto is simply a great story, taut and intense with solid acting performances from painted-up, bone-pierced Mayans. Rudy Youngblood (seen above) plays Jaguar Paw, a loyal son, father, and husband who places his family above all when he escapes captors and disease to get back to them. His methods of fighting the opposition are clever and innovative, and the gore seen in the destruction of his rival Mayan tribes are more than justified. Apocalypto is a break from the norm as a historical film, and I honestly can't wait for Mel Gibson's next directing endeavor (assuming he's not totally blacklisted from Hollywood).
(14th century East Asia)
Musa the Warrior is a well-written movie, full of rich characters with complicated relationships. Unlike so many other films these days, this one is dominated by expressions (that sometimes say far more than words). The film follows a band of Korean diplomats, soldiers, and slaves after they are banished to the Gobi desert by the Chinese Ming Dynasty. The Ming are an enemy of the Yuan Dynasty, the portion of China conquered by the Mongol Empire. Genghis Khan's grandson, Kubilai, conquered upper China and placed his own men in charge, establishing his Mongol/Chinese court with Mongols and Chinamen alike. The star of the film, Yeosol (seen above) is a freed slave, amazingly skilled with a spear as his love/hate relationship with Ming Princess Furong (Ziyi Zhang, Hero, House of Flying Daggers) plays out for most of the film. A given element in Asian historical dramas is the good ol' love triangle, played out here between Yeosol, Princess Furong, and Korean general Choi Jung. The latter can't stand Yeosol, but his sergeant, skilled archer Jinlip, finds friendship with the slave/turned spear-wielder. The Mongol general, who's hot on the trail of the Princess, also likes what he sees in Yeosol, as he wants to incorporate him into the Yuan Mongol army. The final battle between the Koreans and the Yuan is an amazing, heartbreaking one in which warriors sacrifice to fight for the weak and innocent, and Princess Furong reminds me of a Helen of Troy sort of character, the battle transpiring basically because of her.
(World War I era France)
Yet another quirky but endearing film by French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie, City of Lost Children), A Very Long Engagement takes all the best elements of Amelie, including actress Audrey Tautou, and mixes it with a historical war film to tell quite the romantic mystery. Tautou's character, the polio-ridden Mathilde, is lovesick in the worst way, as her lover, Manech, never returned home from the World War I. She soon begins to conduct an investigation into Manech's whereabouts, if he even survived. After all, during the war, five soldiers are condemned to die due to their self-mutilation as an avenue for returning home. Manech is one of them. But so is Angel Bassignano, a Corsican pimp back in the real world whose favorite girl of ill-repute, Tina Lombardi (Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose, Public Enemies), is conducting her own investigation - but in very different way than Mathilde. I like the fact that Corsican characters are used in the film, as the French-speaking Italian island is the stretch of land that produced none other than Napoleon Bonaparte (actually born Napoleone Buonaparte but he changed his name slightly in order to sound more French). The film is also riddled with Mathilde's endearing superstitions. In one instance, while sulking for Manech on her bed, she says to herself that if her dog, Chickpea, enters her room before she's called to dinner by her aunt and uncle, Manech is still alive, giving her the hope she so desperately clings to. This is heart-breaking love story on many levels, and not just for Mathilde and Manech. Jodie Foster, who is fluent in French, plays a crucial role in Jeunet's film, a director who's not exactly known for employing American actors (except for Ron Perlman in The City of Lost Children).
(10th century AD)
Based on the Michael Crichton novel, Eaters of the Dead, The 13th Warrior follows Ahmed Ibn Fadlan, an Arabic poet turned emissary who fatefully crosses paths with the mighty Vikings along the Volga River in Russia, led by their brand new king, Buliwyf. The movie never states which Scandinavian country the Vikings hail from, but the being that Fadlan's travels bring him to Eastern Europe, the only Northmen to venture that far inland into Europe were the Rus, or the Swedish Vikings. Thanks to the Norse oracle, Ahmed is fated to accompany the Vikings on a journey back to their homeland. There, they are to combat the Wendol, a cannibalistic, cave-dwelling, Neanderthal-type people ravaging the Swedish mainland with their painted faces and bearskin headdresses. Ahmed eventually learns the Swedish language through night after night of listening to it, and he quickly sees himself from a poet to a warrior. The relationship between the Vikings and the Arab is an interesting one, as the Rus are almost compelled to respect Ahmed and his dedication to Allah. The end is classic, as the Vikings recite their Valhallian prayer as the Arab joins in. Religious tolerance seems to be a sublte theme of the film, as does amicable international relations. Though the Rus, one in particular, wears a Roman gladiator's helmet (totally inaccurate), The 13th Warrior is still a well-written film and from what I hear, an even better book. I owned it, but lost it in a move.
(2nd century Roman Empire)
Though I've only seen it once, Centurion gets such a high rating in my countdown simply because it's awesome. It contains all the elements I like in a good historical - Romans, tough Celtic women, an intense chase across the highlands of Scotland, and Imperial Guards. The Roman costumes are authentic, as is the blue war paint often worn by the Celtic tribes, namely the ones in the movie - the Picts. The tough tribe is led by Etain, a gifted tracker on the trail of Quintus Dias and small troupe of legionnaries who they've just defeated in battle. The cinematography is nicely done in hues of blue and gray, and the gore is in most cases justified. The complicated aspects of this film are that the Romans, the primary subject, are not seen as the good guys even though we're almost compelled to root for Quintus Dias (Michael Fassbender, 300, Inglourious Basterds). Funny thing is, the Picts aren't seen as the good guys either, nor is Etain, even though her tongue was cut out by the Romans at an early age. I'm not sure if director Neil Marshall did this on purpose, but it seems to work for him. Fassbender is a tough customer here just as he is in 300, and I'm looking forward to my second viewing of this Roman era film.
(mid 19th century New York)
Based on the popular 1928 nonfiction book by Herbert Asbury, Gangs of New York traces the daily conflict between the Irish immigrants flooding into New York and self-proclaimed natives holding sway over it. This is course goes down with the backdrop of the Civil War Draft Riots in which a class struggle breaks out across the city, peasant overtaking the privelaged, ala the French Revolution. Leo DiCaprio pulls off a pretty decent Irish accent as Amsterdam Vallon, a young man searching the city far and wide for Bill "The Butcher" Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis), the killer of his father (Liam Neeson). Day-Lewis is by far the best part of the movie, as he is the best villain I've ever seen. He really nails his roles and in this particular one, he became Bill "The Butcher" during the filming, staying in character the entire shoot. Though I don't really care for Cameron Diaz, other supporting characters such as Brendan Gleeson (Troy, Kingdom of Heaven) and John C. Reilly (The Perfect Storm, Stepbrothers), fill the roles of Monk McGinn and Happy Jack Mulraney with much believability. Martin Scorsese makes fine films and Gangs of New York is by far one of his best.
(12th century during the second Crusade)
This is probably the most powerful commentary on religious tolerance that I've ever seen. The Crusades was a complicated time in our world's history, and Kingdom of Heaven does a pretty good job to make some sense of it. Muslim leader Saladin is accurately portrayed, as he was a good ruler who appreciated all religions, allowing them to flourish in the capital city he came to control. This of course can't be said of the Christian Crusaders, whom in the movie looked for any excuse they could find for going to war with the Muslims. Led by Jerusalem's French royal Guy de Lusignan, the Knights Templar continually attack and kill peaceful Muslim caravans unprovoked - simply because they claim that "God wills it." Saladin doesn't fly off the handle at this as much as Jerusalem King Baldwin does. He seeks to keep the peace with the Muslims despite the idiotic husband (Guy) of his regal sister, Sibylla (Eve Green). The star of the film, Balian de Ibelin (Orlando Bloom), of course finds his way into the heart of Sibylla before honoring the pact he made with his father, Godfrey (Liam Neeson), to protect the city of Jerusalem and its inhabitants. The film has a strong storyline and intense battle scenes, and I think one reason I like it so much is that it was directed by Ridley Scott (he and brother Tony are probably my favorite directors). Despite an unrealistic shipwreck in which Balian comes out the only survivor, along with a horse for him to ride on in the Holy Land of course, Kingdom of Heaven is a great historical movie on the scarcely-covered topic of The Crusades.
(1st century AD Roman Empire)
I not only love Gladiator because it's a Roman era epic, but it can be seen in some respects as an example of alternate history. As anyone who studies the Roman Empire knows, Commodus never killed his father, Marcus Aurelius. Commodus didn't die in the arena. Russell Crowe's character, Maximus Decimus Meridius, never existed. In accordance with Roman naming system of praenomens, nomens, and cognomens system, his name would actually been Decimus Meridius Maximus. But, its obvious that screenwriter David Franzoni didn't go for historical accuracy here. If you watch the movie for this reason, you'll not enjoy it. I watch it for the costumes, the action, the cinematography, and for the ending that makes me tear up every time I watch it. Another reason I like it so much is because of the score, written for the movie by Hans Zimmer, and for one of the best scenes and best lines in a movie ever. "Are you not entertained?!"
(5th century in the Grecian city-states)
Before Greece was Greece, it was a collection of independent city-states such as Athens, Macedonia, Mycenae, Corinth, and Sparta. On the verge of being conquered by the invading Persians, Sparta and a few other volunteers from the other city-states went out to meet them in battle and hold them until a war council unified all the Greek territories. Out of this comes the story of the 300 Spartans, the topic on which Frank Miller wrote his graphic novel. Based off of the graphic novel, the 300 film, directed by Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead, The Watchmen), is a very romanticized version of the Peloponessian Wars waged by a tiny Spartan-led force against a massive incursion of Persians. The thing I like the most about 300 is that it comes across like the old Greek myths passed down from one generation to the next - ones in which there exists giant elephants and rhinos, axe-wielding beastmen, monster executioners, and goats who play the reed pipe. No, Persian King Xerxes wasn't 7 feet tall. No, the Spartans weren't scantily-clad with little to no armor protecting their bodies. But the film achieves what it sets out to accomplish, and that is to tell a very real tale in a fantastical way. Great slow motion fight scenes, good dialogue in which lines actually spoken by King Leonidas appear. And did I mention the fight scenes?
1. Brotherhood of the Wolf (Le Pacte des Loups)
(18th century pre-Revolution France)
I say pre-Revolution, but the end of the film introduces the infamous French Revolution, a favorite of mine in terms of historical events. Much like Plunkett & Macleane, Brotherhood of the Wolf displays one of my favorite eras in terms of style as well, when men wore weathered leather gloves and overcoats, high boots lined with studs, and three-pointed hats. French director Christophe Gans proves his amazing knack for cinematography with slow motions fight scenes and sweeping shots of the French countryside. As you'll find in my review of Brotherhood of the Wolf on this blog, the story follows actual events that plagued the peaceful rural province of Gevaudan, events that are still to this day unsolved. The characters are just as colorful as the costumes, and Greggoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan), Jean-Francois Marangias (Vincent Cassel), and Sylvia (Monica Bellucci) are delightful to watch. Like you'll also find in my review, this is a one of a kind film with all the elements I appreciate in an action film, a period piece, and a costume drama. It's a more explosive Queen Margot. It's Plunkett & Macleane in a different country with even edgier characters. It's a film that will simply change all your pre-conceived notions of a historical film.
