30 Diverse Historical Films That Shaped 2016's Narrative

The Last Princess

2016 • 126 min • Box office $39M

Action, Drama, History

During Japan's oppressive colonial rule, Deok-hye, the last Princess of the Joseon Dynasty, is sent to Japan. She longs for home while trying to hold onto her royal dignity. After several unsuccessful attempts, Deok-hye finally tries to return to Korea…

6.7

7.1

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Beyond Valkyrie: Dawn of the 4th Reich

2016 • 100 min

Action, War, History

This intense World War II thriller follows an Allied special ops team tasked with rescuing Adolf Hitler after the failed Operation Valkyrie. When the mission goes wrong, the team must now join forces with unlikely allies to prevent a group…

5.4

5.2

17+

Stream on

Ukraine on Fire

2016 • 95 min

Documentary, History

Oliver Stone's film presents the Euromaidan protests and the removal of Viktor Yanukovych as a conspiracy orchestrated by the West, with Russian backing.

6.0

6.2

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I Called Him Morgan

2016 • 91 min

Music, Documentary, History

Kasper Collin's documentary blends jazz history with a true-crime narrative, using extensive archival footage and new interviews to recount the tragic story of trumpeter Lee Morgan and his common-law wife Helen. In 1972, Helen murdered him in a New York…

7.2

7.3

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The Glassblower

2016 • 89 min

Drama, History, TV Movie

In 1890, Marie challenges tradition by becoming the first woman to work as a glassblower in the small German town of Lauscha. Her glass ornaments unexpectedly find popularity in America, opening up a new market for her craft.

6.5

6.6

The Last Family

2016 • 124 min

Drama, History

Beksiński is a gentle man who secretly fears spiders, even though he has intense sexual fantasies and creates unsettling dystopian art. He's a devoted family man, striving for the well-being of his wife Zofia, his anxious son Tomasz, and their…

7.1

7.4

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Afterimage

2016 • 98 min

Drama, History

In 1945, with Stalin's control over Poland tightening, renowned painter Wladislaw Strzeminski defies the demands of social realism in his art. He faces persecution, losing his position at the University and being removed from museums. Supported by former students, he…

6.6

7.0

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Airlift

2016 • 126 min • Budget $4M • Box office $32M

Drama, History, Action

In August 1990, when Iraq invades Kuwait, a detached Indian businessman unexpectedly becomes the voice for over 170,000 Indian citizens left stranded in the region.

7.1

7.9

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The Broken Crown

2016 • 113 min • Budget $869K • Box office $1M

Drama, History

Spain is gripped by a relentless pursuit of power, and the fate of the empire rests on the mental state of one woman.

6.5

6.6

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To Walk Invisible

2016 • 120 min

Drama, History

To Walk Invisible explores the lives of the Brontë sisters, highlighting their journey from a modest background to becoming celebrated novelists. The film recounts how these exceptional women overcame societal limitations to create some of the most important works in…

7.2

7.4

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Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe

2016 • 106 min

Drama, History

Before Dawn follows the years of exile experienced by renowned Austrian Jewish writer Stefan Zweig. It depicts his internal conflict as he grapples with how to respond to the tumultuous events in war-torn Europe, and his quest to find a…

6.6

6.7

The Death of Louis XIV

2016 • 115 min • Box office $17K

Drama, History

August 1715. During a walk, Louis XIV experiences a leg pain. In the following days, the king continues with his duties, but struggles to sleep and develops a high fever. He eats very little and grows progressively weaker. This marks…

6.5

6.8

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Marie Curie

2016 • 95 min

Drama, History

This is the story of Marie Curie during her most eventful five years. From 1905, when she and Pierre Curie travel to Stockholm to receive the Nobel Prize for their discovery of radioactivity, to 1911, when she wins a second…

5.1

5.6

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The Devil's Mistress

2016 • 111 min

Drama, History, Romance

Salzburg, Germany, 2000. In a conversation with a journalist, aging Czech actress Lída Baarová recounts her dramatic ascent to stardom in 1930s Berlin and her intense affair with Joseph Goebbels, the Third Reich's Minister of Propaganda.

6.0

5.9

14+

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Bilal: A New Breed of Hero

2016 • 109 min • Budget $30M • Box office $1M

Animation, Action, Adventure

A thousand years ago, a young boy with aspirations of becoming a great warrior is taken from his home along with his sister and brought to a distant land. He finds himself in a world dominated by greed and injustice,…

6.8

7.5

13+

Stream on

+14

Hidden Figures

2016 • 127 min • Budget $25M • Box office $235M

Drama, History

This is the story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson – exceptional African-American women who worked at NASA and were essential to the success of the historic John Glenn orbital flight. These pioneering women broke barriers and…

8.1

7.8

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O.J.: Made in America

2016 • 467 min

Documentary, Crime, History

This is the story of O.J. Simpson, from his fame to his downfall. His highly publicized murder trial brought deep racial divisions in America to the forefront, exposing a nation struggling with its own fractures.

8.4

8.9

17+

Smoke & Mirrors

2016 • 123 min • Budget $5M • Box office $2M

History, Thriller

This is the story of deception and disguise, inspired by real events and the fascinating life of Francisco Paesa, a prominent figure in recent spy history.

6.5

6.8

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The Dancer

2016 • 108 min • Budget $8M • Box office $2M

Drama, History

Loïe Fuller, a Midwestern American, rose to fame at the Folies Bergère at the start of the 1900s, becoming a celebrated figure of the Belle Epoque. She revolutionized dance and lighting with her innovative Serpentine Dance. However, her complex relationship…

6.5

Stream on

All the Way

2016 • 132 min

Drama, History, TV Movie

This film chronicles Lyndon B. Johnson's remarkable eleven-month period in power, beginning with his ascension to the presidency following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It follows his determined efforts to secure passage of the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act…

6.7

7.2

14+

Stream on

1898: Our Last Men in the Philippines

2016 • 130 min • Budget $6M

War, Drama, History

In 1898 Philippines, fifty Spanish soldiers arrive in the village of Baler to reestablish a fort. With the war against Filipinos and their American allies nearing defeat, the small garrison faces an eleven-month siege and ultimately becomes the last to…

6.5

17+

Stream on

Operation Chromite

2016 • 111 min • Budget $12M • Box office $49M

History, Drama, War

During the critical Battle of Incheon in the Korean War, a group of soldiers fight.

5.8

6.2

Genius

2016 • 104 min • Box office $5M

History, Drama

New York, 1920s. Max Perkins, a renowned literary editor, is responsible for launching the careers of iconic authors like Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. When a massive, 1,000-page manuscript by an unknown writer arrives on his desk, Perkins believes…

6.5

13+

Stream on

+13

In This Corner of the World

2016 • 130 min • Box office $19M

Drama, Animation, Romance

Japan, 1943, World War II. Young Suzu journeys from her village near Hiroshima to Kure, a naval port, to marry and live with her husband's family. Her resourcefulness blossoms as she adapts to a life of hardship, quickly becoming essential…

7.9

7.8

13+

Stream on

Eddie the Eagle

2016 • 106 min • Budget $23M • Box office $46M

Comedy, Drama, History

This is the inspiring true story of Michael "Eddie" Edwards, a British ski-jumper who defied expectations with unwavering self-belief. Despite being written off by many, Eddie partnered with a unconventional coach to challenge the status quo. He captured the world's…

7.2

7.3

13+

Stream on

Patriots Day

2016 • 133 min • Budget $45M • Box office $50M

Action, Crime, Drama

Following a horrific terrorist attack, Police Sergeant Tommy Saunders joins survivors, first responders, and investigators in a desperate effort to find the Boston Marathon bombers before they attack again.

7.1

7.3

17+

Stream on

+11

Ben-Hur

2016 • 125 min • Budget $100M • Box office $94M

Action, History, Adventure

A nobleman is wrongly convicted and spends years as a slave. He eventually escapes to exact revenge on his closest friend, who betrayed him.

5.8

5.7

13+

Stream on

+10

Sully

2016 • 96 min • Budget $60M • Box office $240M

Drama, History

In January 2009, Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger successfully landed a disabled plane on the Hudson River, saving all 155 people on board. While celebrated as a hero for his extraordinary skill, an investigation began that posed a serious threat to…

7.2

7.4

13+

Stream on

The Founder

2016 • 115 min • Budget $15M • Box office $24M

Drama, History

This is the true story of how Ray Kroc, an Illinois salesman, encountered Mac and Dick McDonald, who were operating a successful burger restaurant in Southern California during the 1950s. Kroc was drawn to their efficient food preparation and recognized…

7.1

7.2

13+

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13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

2016 • 144 min • Budget $50M • Box office $69M

War, Action, History

During a violent attack on a U.S. Compound in Libya, an American Ambassador is killed. A security team is left trying to understand the unfolding chaos.

7.3

17+

Stream on

+10