History backdrop

History movies

Period pieces that transport you back in time, recreating the events and figures that shaped our past.

Subgenres include: Historical Event, Biographical History, Political History.

Son of the South

311. Son of the South

History Drama
6.2

20211h 44min

United States

Director: Barry Alexander Brown

In civil rights era Montgomery, Alabama, Klansman's grandson Bob Zellner must choose which side of history to be on during the Movement. Defying his family and white Southern norms, he fought against social injustice, repression and violence to change the world around him


The Dig

312. The Dig

Drama History Historical Drama Historical Event
7.1

20211h 52min

United Kingdom

Director: Simon Stone

As WWII looms, a wealthy widow hires an amateur archaeologist to excavate the burial mounds on her estate. When they make a historic discovery, the echoes of Britain's past resonate in the face of its uncertain future‎.

Themes

Class differences, Gendered expectations, Ownership rights, Historical significance, War era constraints, Cross class collaboration

Available on

Netflix
Plex Channel
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Safety

313. Safety

Family Drama History
6.8

20202h 2min

United States

Director: Reginald Hudlin

The story of Ray-Ray McElrathbey, a freshman football player for Clemson University, who secretly raised his younger brother on campus after his home life became too unsteady.


Audrey

314. Audrey

Documentary History TV Movie
7.1

20201h 41min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Helena Coan

An unprecedented and intimate look at the life, work and enduring legacy of British actress Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).


One Second

315. One Second

Drama History
7.1

20201h 44min

Director: Zhang Yimou

A movie fan escapes from a labour camp during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and strikes up a relationship with a homeless female vagabond.


Dara of Jasenovac

316. Dara of Jasenovac

Drama History War
8.1

20202h 10min

Serbia

Director: Predrag Antonijević

During the Nazi-occupied Ustasha regime "NDH" in former Yugoslavia during WWII, little girl Dara is sent to the concentration camp complex Jasenovac in Croatia also known as "Balkan's Auschwitz".


Dance of the Forty One

317. Dance of the Forty One

Drama History
6.8

20201h 39min

Brazil, Mexico

Director: David Pablos

Mexico City, November 1901. The police raid a private home where a secret party is being held. Among those attending is the son-in-law of President Porfirio Díaz.


Mank

318. Mank

Drama History Historical Drama Biographical History
6.8

20202h 12min

United States

Director: David Fincher

1930s Hollywood is reevaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane.

Themes

Industry manipulation, Political influence in media, Creative credit dispute, Arts and commerce tension, Alcoholism under pressure, Old hollywood power dynamics

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Six Minutes to Midnight

319. Six Minutes to Midnight

Thriller Drama History War
6.0

20201h 39min

United Kingdom

Director: Andy Goddard

Summer 1939. Influential families in Nazi Germany have sent their daughters to a finishing school in an English seaside town to learn the language and be ambassadors for a future looking National Socialist. A teacher there sees what is coming and is trying to raise the alarm. But the authorities believe he is the problem.


A Call to Spy

320. A Call to Spy

History Crime Drama Biographical History Historical Drama
6.7

20202h 4min

United States

Director: Lydia Dean Pilcher

The story of Vera Atkins, a crafty spy recruiter, and two of the first women she selects for Churchill's "secret army": Virginia Hall, a daring American undaunted by a disability and Noor Inayat Khan, a pacifist. These civilian women form an unlikely sisterhood while entangled in dangerous missions to turn the tide of the war.

Themes

Sisterhood under pressure, Disability and resilience, Women in espionage, Civilian agents in conflict, Recruitment ethics in wartime

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.