Best Historical Films

The Birth of a Nation
Intolerance
Bronenosets Potyomkin (Battleship Potemkin)
The Four Hosemen of the Apocalypse
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
Napoleon (1927)
Oktyaber (October)
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Cleopatra (1934)
A Tale of Two Cities (1935)
Viva Villa!
The Crusades
The Sign of the Cross
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935 and 1962)
Gone with the Wind
Aleksandr Nevskiy (Alexander Nevsky)
Ivan Grosny I (Ivan the Terrible, Part 1)
El Cid
The Pride and the Passion
Salambo (aka The Loves of Salambo)
Ben-Hur (1959)
Annibale (Hannibal)
Viva Zapata!
Spartacus
How the West Was Won
The Sand Pebbles
Lawrence of Arabia
55 Days at Peking
Khartoum
Zulu
The Great Escape
The Longest Day
Exodus
Doctor Zhivago
Ofitsery (Officers)
Patton
A Bridge Too Far
Das Boot
Tombstone
Wyatt Earp
The Passion of the Christ
Enemy at the Gates



"You can't send a kid like this up in a crate like that on a night like tonight!"

I will admit to not being 100% sure what constitutes an "epic" film but here are a few that might be added to the preceding list.

Gettysburg
Gandhi
A Man for All Seasons
Jodha Akbar
Luther
Brother Sun, Sister Moon
The Last Emperor

The Legend of Bhagat Singh

Anne of the Thousand Days
The Lion in Wionter
Becket
A Man for All Seasons
Frost/Nixon
A night to Remember
The Trial of Joan of Arc
1776
The Diary of Anne Frank


http://photobucket.com/albums/a344/dawngirl/Personal%20pics/

Off the top of my head:

Danton
The Madness of King George III
Alexander
Anne of the Thousand Days
Becket
A Man for All Seasons
Henry VIII and His Six Wives
Nicholas and Alexandra
Cromwell

Despite historical inaccuracies in most of these, I felt that they captured the 'spirit' of the time.



There'll always be an England ....

A few more as other posters have covered my favorites.

Mongol
Elizabeth
The Emperor and the Assassin
The Emperor's Shadow
Alexander Nevsky
Spartacus

What are some of the better historical epics?

For me the one Indian film comparable with 'Aleksandr Nevskiy (Alexander Nevsky)' and 'Ivan Grosny I (Ivan the Terrible, Part 1)' by Eisenstein and with 'Kumonosu-jo (Throne of blood)' by Kurosawa is the epic 'Asoka' http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0249371/ by Santosh Sivan, who is not only a great director (you might know his critically acclaimed 'The Terrorist') but also one of the best cinematographers.

The film is about the legendary youth of the Indian emperor Ashoka (273 BC-232 BC) (the wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asoka mixes history and legend), who after a youth as warrior prince and conquering emperor is the one reigning monarch who has refrained from further wars of aggression because of his experience in the aftermath of the Kalinga war. In later years (not included in the film) he promoted Buddhism.

As I like spectacular epics with historical background, for me 'Asoka' certainly is a must-see historical film. BUT, as it shows some Bollywood mainstream features as dance-songs you have to watch it with an open mind.


--- each brain develops its own preferences ---

Saw another recent historical epic of convincing quality. No great cinematography, but quite good as an introduction into another culture's hero. For me quality-wise somewhere in the region of "Battle of Britain (1969)":

"The Legend of Naresuan: Declaration in Independence (2007)" - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0975744/
It's about the Thai king Naresuan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naresuan, one of Siam's most revered monarchs as he was known for his campaigns to free Siam from Burmese tributary.

The first part "Legend of King Naresuan: Hostage of Hongsawadi (2006)" is not as good as the second.

--- each brain develops its own preferences ---