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Recommended Historical Epics
Gone With The Wind (4 Disc Collector's Edition Box Set) [1939]Gone With The Wind (4 Disc Collector's Edition Box Set) [1939]
Buy new: £8.98 / Used from: £4.06
The most popular film of all time. Dated now but the beautiful technicolor images still shine. Rating: 4/5
Ben Hur (4 Disc Special Edition) [1959]Ben Hur (4 Disc Special Edition) [1959]
Buy new: £8.98 / Used from: £18.71
The daddy of epics. Arguably the most spectacular film ever made, deservedly winning 11 Oscars. Rating: 5/5
Spartacus (Special Edition) [1960]Spartacus (Special Edition) [1960]
Buy new: £19.99 / Used from: £1.99
Kirk Douglas' answer to Ben-Hur was this story of a slave leading a revolt against the Roman empire. Rating: 4/5
El Cid [1961]El Cid [1961]
Buy used from: £9.80
An unusual setting, medieval Spain, distinguishes this Anthony Mann epic. Rating: 4/5
Lawrence of Arabia - Two Disc Set [1962]Lawrence of Arabia - Two Disc Set [1962]
Buy new: £3.99 / Used from: £4.00
Probably the most critically acclaimed epic ever and the pinnacle of director David Lean's wonderful career. Rating: 5/5
Mutiny On The Bounty [1962]Mutiny On The Bounty [1962]
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £4.88
Marlon Brando's performance was maligned at the time but this epic remake (the original was made in 1935) still enthrals. Rating: 4/5
Cleopatra (3 Disc Special Edition) [1963]Cleopatra (3 Disc Special Edition) [1963]
Buy used from: £6.99
A very long film (over 4 hours!) that does drag in places but is worth the effort due to the sheer opulence of the production. Rating: 3/5
Doctor Zhivago [1965]Doctor Zhivago [1965]
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £3.98
An epic with an emphasis on romance, depicting the Russian revolution and the birth of the communism. Rating: 4/5
Barry Lyndon [1975]Barry Lyndon [1975]
Buy new: £3.97 / Used from: £8.77
An overlooked gem from Stanley Kubrick, Barry Lyndon is an quirky epic that has a truly mesmerising quality. Rating: 5/5
Gandhi (2 Disc Special Edition) [1982]Gandhi (2 Disc Special Edition) [1982]
Buy new: £5.98 / Used from: £5.72
Slightly preachy it may be, but Ben Kingsley's performance in the title role is extraordinary. Rating: 4/5
Ran [1985]Ran [1985]
Buy new: £4.99 / Used from: £5.49
Shakespeare's King Lear translated to feudal Japan by the legendary Akira Kurosawa. Rating: 5/5
The Last Emperor [1987]The Last Emperor [1987]
Buy new: £6.18 / Used from: £5.95
A biopic of China's last emperor that was the first film to be shot inside Beijing's Forbidden City. Rating: 4/5
Dances with Wolves (Three Disc Special Edition) [1991]Dances with Wolves (Three Disc Special Edition) [1991]
Buy used from: £17.70
Kevin Costner directs and stars in this truly epic western about the end of the Native American culture. Rating: 5/5
Braveheart - Definitive Edition [1995]Braveheart - Definitive Edition [1995]
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £5.99
Mel Gibson's Scottish epic is ridiculed a bit these days but it's certainly rousing entertainment, despite the historical inaccuracies. Rating: 4/5
Titanic (4 Disc Deluxe Collector's Edition) [1997]Titanic (4 Disc Deluxe Collector's Edition) [1997]
Buy new: £4.67 / Used from: £3.37
It's a film people love to hate but Titanic absolutely succeeds as a tragic melodrama. Rating: 5/5
The Patriot [2000]The Patriot [2000]
Buy new: £3.97 / Used from: £3.49
Not the most respectable of epics but this American Civil War tale is enjoyable popcorn entertainment. Rating: 4/5
Gladiator (3 Disc Extended Special Edition) [2000]Gladiator (3 Disc Extended Special Edition) [2000]
Buy new: £18.55 / Used from: £5.92
A great revival of the sword-and-sandal genre for the new millennium. Rating: 5/5
Cold Mountain [2004]Cold Mountain [2004]
Buy new: £3.89 / Used from: £1.34
An underrated Civil War romance in the mould of Gone With the Wind from the late Anthony Minghella. Rating: 4/5
Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut (2 Disc Special Edition) [2004]Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut (2 Disc Special Edition) [2004]
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £11.68
A controversial choice, but watch it with an open mind and it's an overwhelming experience. Rating: 4/5
Kingdom Of Heaven (4 Disc Special Extended Director's Cut) [2005]Kingdom Of Heaven (4 Disc Special Extended Director's Cut) [2005]
Buy new: £29.99 / Used from: £17.95
The director's cut makes Kingdom of Heaven an epic for the ages. Avoid the shorter theatrical version. Rating: 5/5