Now, that narrows things down quite a bit., but you still have to decide which historical movie is for you. Netflix has quite a few period pieces about British royals. There’s also a few films set around World War II. Then there’s a movie about a Chilean poet on the run, one about African American singers in the 1950s, a harrowing tale about a young Cambodian girl during the Vietnam War, and a movie about popes — two of ’em.
Click through the slideshow to find out more about 7 historical movies on Netflix, watch their trailers, and see which one is the right fit for you. Is it going to be Denzel Washington’s Oscar-nominated role as a civil rights activist or a bunch of people from Downton Abbey reuniting as a literary society — choice is yours.
Cadillac Records
We start off with a little music history. Beyoncé playing Etta James might be enough to hook you in for this one, but overall Cadillac Records is about black musicians in the 1950s and ’60s — James, Chuck Berry (Mos Def), Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright) — who were part of Leonard Chess’ (Adrien Brody) Chess Records.
The Duchess
If you like soapy drama in olden times, The Duchess is for you. It’s about Georgiana Cavendish (Keira Knightley), who was Duchess of Devonshire in the late 18th century. It mostly follows her affair with the politician Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper) and her marriage to the Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes), which basically becomes a throuple when another woman, Lady Bess Foster (Hayley Atwell) joins in.
Elisa and Marcela
Elisa and Marcela
is inspired by the true story of Elisa Sánchez Loriga (Natalia de Molina) and Marcela Gracia Ibeas) Greta Fernández). The couple had the first same-sex marriage in Spain in 1901 when Elisa disguised herself as a man, so they could marry and live together.Elizabeth
Elizabeth
tells the story of Queen Elizabeth I’s (Cate Blanchett) ascent to the throne following the death of her half-sister Mary Tudor (Kathy Burke). The film has a lot to do with the turmoil between Catholics and Protestants at the time, as well as Elizabeth’s decision not to marry or have children. The sequel, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, is available on Netflix, too.First They Killed My Father
Based on her memoir of the same name, First They Killed My Father tells the story of Loung Ung, who was a child in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime. During this time time, Ung was separated from her family and forced to train as a child soldier. With her book and this film, she tells the story of what she and so many others went through.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society did not actually exist, but the historical backdrop of the film was real. The story, based on a novel of the same name, is about an English writer who visits a literary society in German-occupied Guernsey island during World War II. So, you get some history, but plenty of romance involving literature and letter writing.
The Imitation Game
The Imitation Game stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing, a mathematician and scientist, who worked as a codebreaker for the British government during World War II. The film also touches on Turing’s sexuality and his conviction for gross indecency for being gay.
The Iron Lady
Meryl Streep took on the look and distinctive voice of Margaret Thatcher for The Iron Lady, about the first woman prime minister in the UK. While the film itself didn’t receive the best reviews, Streep’s performance got her the Academy Award for Best Actress.
The King
The King is based on Shakespeare’s plays involving King Henry V, so it’s clearly fictional. But, while not all the characters and situations in the film were real, Henry V (Timothée Chalamet) was a real person, so if you like a Wikipedia hole after watching a movie, this movie could be a good choice.
The King’s Speech
When King Edward VIII abdicated the British throne in 1936, suddenly his brother had to become the king. The King’s Speech tells the story of King George VI (Colin Firth) taking the throne with a particular focus on his time in speech therapy to help with an impediment.
Malcolm X
Spike Lee’s biopic of Malcolm X stars Denzel Washington as the controversial civil rights activist. The film shows his entire life story, including his imprisonment, conversation to Islam, activism and demonstrations, marriage, and eventual assassination.
Mudbound
Mudbound tells the story of two World War II veterans — a black man played by Jason Mitchell and a white man played by Garrett Hedlund — who both experience PTSD once they return to rural life in Mississippi. As with The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mudbound gives an account of WWII through fictional characters.
Neruda
Neruda combines fiction and reality as it shows a fictional police officer (Gael García Bernal) search for real politician and poet Pablo Neruda after he flees Chile when Communism is outlawed.
Suffragette
Suffragette, starring Carrie Mulligan, Meryl Streep, and Helena Bonham Carter, covers the women’s suffrage movement in the UK. It involves a combination of real-life suffragettes characters and fictional ones.
The Theory of Everything
The Theory of Everything is a biopic about Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) that focuses on his marriage to Jane Hawking (Felicity Jones). But, it’s also historical in a bigger sense when it comes to the scientific discoveries made by Hawking.
The Two Popes
The most recent story on this list comes from the The Two Popes, inspired by the transition of the papacy from Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins) to Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce), and Pope Benedict’s decision to step down. He was the first pope to do so in 600 years.
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