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Recommended Historical Epics
Gone With The Wind (4 Disc Collector's Edition Box Set) [1939] [DVD]Gone With The Wind (4 Disc Collector's Edition Box Set) [1939] [DVD]
Buy used from: £17.93
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] [DVD]Ben Hur (4 Disc Special Edition) [1959] [DVD]
Buy used from: £9.44
The daddy of epics. Arguably the most spectacular film ever made, deservedly winning 11 Oscars. Rating: 5/5
Spartacus (Special Edition) [DVD] [1960]Spartacus (Special Edition) [DVD] [1960]
Buy used from: £1.54
Kirk Douglas' answer to Ben-Hur was this story of a slave leading a revolt against the Roman empire. Rating: 4/5
El Cid [DVD] [1961]El Cid [DVD] [1961]
Buy used from: £14.34
An unusual setting, medieval Spain, distinguishes this Anthony Mann epic. Rating: 4/5
Lawrence of Arabia - Two Disc Set [DVD] [1962]Lawrence of Arabia - Two Disc Set [DVD] [1962]
Buy new: £3.98 / Used from: £3.14
Probably the most critically acclaimed epic ever and the pinnacle of director David Lean's wonderful career. Rating: 5/5
Mutiny On The Bounty [DVD] [1962]Mutiny On The Bounty [DVD] [1962]
Buy new: £2.98 / Used from: £1.95
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] [DVD]Cleopatra (3 Disc Special Edition) [1963] [DVD]
Buy used from: £6.60
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] [DVD]Doctor Zhivago [1965] [DVD]
Buy new: £4.88 / Used from: £4.00
An epic with an emphasis on romance, depicting the Russian revolution and the birth of the communism. Rating: 4/5
Barry Lyndon [1975] [DVD]Barry Lyndon [1975] [DVD]
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £4.27
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] [DVD]Gandhi (2 Disc Special Edition) [1982] [DVD]
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £4.13
Slightly preachy it may be, but Ben Kingsley's performance in the title role is extraordinary. Rating: 4/5
Ran [DVD] [1985]Ran [DVD] [1985]
Buy new: £6.98
Shakespeare's King Lear translated to feudal Japan by the legendary Akira Kurosawa. Rating: 5/5
The Last Emperor [DVD] [1988]The Last Emperor [DVD] [1988]
Buy new: £6.98 / Used from: £2.74
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) [DVD] [1991]Dances with Wolves (Three Disc Special Edition) [DVD] [1991]
Buy used from: £12.00
Kevin Costner directs and stars in this truly epic western about the end of the Native American culture. Rating: 5/5
Braveheart - Definitive Edition [DVD] [1995]Braveheart - Definitive Edition [DVD] [1995]
Buy used from: £8.99
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] [DVD]Titanic (4 Disc Deluxe Collector's Edition) [1997] [DVD]
Buy new: £7.98 / Used from: £4.99
It's a film people love to hate but Titanic absolutely succeeds as a tragic melodrama. Rating: 5/5
The Patriot [DVD] [2000]The Patriot [DVD] [2000]
Buy used from: £1.96
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) [DVD] [2000]Gladiator (3 Disc Extended Special Edition) [DVD] [2000]
Buy new: £6.98 / Used from: £3.00
A great revival of the sword-and-sandal genre for the new millennium. Rating: 5/5
Cold Mountain [DVD] [2004]Cold Mountain [DVD] [2004]
Buy used from: £0.35
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] [DVD]Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut (2 Disc Special Edition) [2004] [DVD]
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £5.25
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) [DVD] [2005]Kingdom Of Heaven (4 Disc Special Extended Director's Cut) [DVD] [2005]
Buy new: £5.98 / Used from: £4.54
The director's cut makes Kingdom of Heaven an epic for the ages. Avoid the shorter theatrical version. Rating: 5/5