The best epic movies From Ben-Hur to Barry Lyndon

Anna Last Updated: April 4, 2024

15 minutes read

From the movie Gladiator to the movie Ran, In this article, we want to introduce 20 of the best epic films in history. Great works that you must watch at least once in your life.

What are the great epic films? Describing and explaining epic movies in just a few words is tough. “Epic” isn’t exactly the genre most people think it is. According to the description by the American Film Institute, the genre of epic works is “a genre of large films that present a past era based on a cinematic interpretation.” Based on this description, most sword-fighting movies and historical blockbusters are also included in this category. It is interesting to know that even some movies with magical or fantastical elements fall into this genre. In the past, the term “epic” indicated films on a historical scale, but today, it is different.

Indeed, these films depict stories larger than life, historic moments immortalized forever, and some of the most outstanding achievements in motion picture history, Works often made by the most famous filmmakers. Epic films are often stunning masterpieces that are either praised, heavily criticized, or misunderstood. In this article, we want to introduce you to 20 of the best epic movies of history that you should watch at least once.

The best epic movies

20- War and Peace movie

War and Peace movie

Director: Sergey Bandarchuk
Author: Sergi Bandarchuk
Actors: Lyudmila Saveliva, Vyacheslav Tikhonov and Sergey Bandarchuk
Broadcast year: 1966 to 1967
Genre: Drama and War
Average rating of War and Peace on IMDB: 8.2

War and Peace film series consists of four works. This film was broadcast over two years and was 431 minutes in total. The story of this film series is based on Leo Tolstoy’s novel of the same name, which was published in 1869. This series received the Best Foreign Language Film award from the Golden Globe and Oscar Academy.

In 1805, in Saint Petersburg, Pierre Bezukhov, the illegitimate son of a wealthy nobleman, was introduced to high society. On the other hand, his friend, Prince Andrey Bolkonsky, joined the Russian Imperial Army as an assistant to General Mikhail Kutuzov in the third coalition war against Napoleon. The series was made for approximately 8 million Soviet rubles and earned about 58 million rubles at the box office, The most expensive work completed in the Soviet era.

19- The Last Emperor movie

The Last Emperor movie

Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Author: Marc Pepello and Bernardo Bertolucci
Actors: John Lunn, Juan Chen, and Peter O’Toole
Release date: 1987
Genre: Drama, Biography and History
The average score of The Last Emperor on IMDB is 7.7

“1500 enslaved people. Three hundred fifty-three million and 260 thousand royal subjects. Warlords mistresses two wives. He was the loneliest boy in the world.” To learn about this one of the best epic films in history, we must travel to China.

This film provides a comprehensive account of the life of Pu-Yi, the last emperor of China. It shows what a tumultuous reign this leader had. Po-Yi recalls his childhood in prison after being captured as a war criminal by the Red Army in 1950. He remembers his glorious youth in the Forbidden City, where he was given many luxuries. Still, unfortunately, he was protected from the outside world and the complicated political situation around him. When the revolution gradually covered the whole of China, the world that Pu-yi once knew changed dramatically.

18- Doctor Zhivago movie

Doctor Zhivago movie

Director: David Lane
Author: Robert Bolt
Starring: Geraldine Chaplin, Julie Christie, and Tom Courtenay
Broadcast year: 1966
Genre: Drama, war and romance
The average rating of Doctor Zhivago on IMDB is 7.9

During the Russian Revolution, Dr. Yuri Zhivago was a young doctor who grew up under the care of his aunt and uncle after his father’s suicide. Yuri falls in love with the beautiful Lara Guishar, Someone associated with an unscrupulous businessman named Viktor Komarovsky. Since Yuri sees no future for his passion, he finally marries his cousin, Tuna. Years later, Yuri and Lara meet each other again and remember the love of their youth, and sparks of that love ignite in them.

With a budget of 11 million dollars, this film earned about 250 million dollars from the worldwide box office. It became one of the best-selling works in history. 5 Oscar awards, 5 Golden Globe awards, Grammy awards, etc., are among the honors of this work. Therefore, it is not very strange that it is known as one of the best epic films in history.

17- Spartacus movie

Spartacus movie

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Author: Dalton Trumbo
Starring: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Oliver, and Jane Simmons
Broadcast year: 1960
Genre: Drama, Biography and Adventure
The average rating of Spartacus on IMDB is 7.9

Everything in this issue of the best epic movies in history revolves around the life story of Spartacus, The leader of the slave rebellion in ancient times, as well as the events that soon led to the Third Slave War. The story of this movie is based on the novel of the same name, published in 1951 by Howard Fast.

This movie sold well and won 1 Golden Globe Award for Best Drama and 4 Oscars (Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Costume Design). The sales of this work were so impressive that for a long time, it was considered the highest-grossing film in the history of Universal Studios. But it caused its author, Dalton Trumbo, to be blocked. On the other hand, Howard Fast’s book was blocked, and he was forced to publish and sell the original version of his novel independently.

16- Ten Commandments movie

The Ten Commandments movie

Director: Cecil B. Demil
Author: Annis McKenzie, Jesse Louis Laskey Jr., Jack Garris, and Frederick M. Frank
Actors: Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, and Anne Baxter
Broadcast year: 1956
Genre: Drama, Family and Adventure
The average rating of The Ten Commandments on IMDB is 7.9

“It takes more than one man to free enslaved people from captivity. A god wants this.” To escape the decree of Pharaoh Ramses I of Egypt, who had condemned all newborn Hebrew boys, Moses was placed in a reed basket on the Nile River for his safety.

He is rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter, Bethia, Who soon adopts this child and raises him in the court of his brother, Pharaoh Seti. Moses finds favor with Seti, the love of Prince Nefritiri, and the hatred of Seti’s son, Ramses II. When his Hebrew origins are revealed, Moses is driven out of Egypt and begins his adventure in the wilderness. Along the way, he gets married, has a son, and is commanded by God to return to Egypt to free the Hebrews from slavery. When he returns to Egypt, he discovers that his fiercest enemy is not Ramses II; Rather, the person is close to himself, One who can “harden his heart.

15- Gandhi movie

Gandhi movie

Director: Richard Attenborough
Author: John Briley
Starring: Candice Bergen, Edward Fox, and John Gielgud
Broadcast year: 1982
Genre: Drama and Biography
The average rating of Gandhi on IMDB is 8.1

This film begins the story of Gandhi’s life with an essential and decisive moment in 1893 (when he was thrown out of a South African train for being in a compartment reserved for whites). It ended with his assassination and funeral in 1948. Although Gandhi was very interested in Hinduism and followed it, he was also interested in other religions at the same time, especially Christianity and Islam, which are shown in this work. Gandhi’s film was nominated for 11 Oscars, receiving 8, More than any other movie that year. In addition, critics greatly appreciated this work in many different aspects, and even its sales at the box office were more than five times the production cost.

14- Amadeus movie

Amadeus movie

Director: Milosh Furman
Author: Peter Schaeffer
Actors: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulse, and Elizabeth Bridge
Broadcast year: 1984
Genre: Drama, Biography and Musical
The average score of Amadeus on IMDB is 8.4

Among the successes of this one of the best epic films in history, we can mention the 43 awards it received, Among the eight awards it won at the Oscar ceremony. The reception of this work was so great that many still consider it one of the greatest cinematic works of history. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a young Viennese composer with extraordinary talent who finds himself before a fierce rival named Antonio Salieri—a very regular and determined composition.

A profoundly religious man, Salieri hates Mozart at the risk of his hedonistic lifestyle and undeniable talent. Over time, he gets jealous of this artist and uses all his efforts to bring down Mozart. This leads to a deceptive plan that has dire consequences for both. This movie also tells the intense story between these two artists.

13- Gladiator movie

Gladiator movie

Director: Ridley Scott
Author: David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson
Actors: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix and Connie Nielsen
Broadcast year: 2000
Genre: Drama, Action and Adventure
The average rating of Gladiator on IMDB is 8.5

“The general who became enslaved. An enslaved person who became a gladiator. A gladiator who challenged an empire.” The movie Gladiator revolves around a powerful Roman general named Maximus, one loved by the people, and the old emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Before his death, the emperor chooses Maximus as his heir instead of his son Commodus and starts a power struggle between them, A war that condemns Maximus and his family to death.

The general cannot save his family and is soon captured and forced to participate in gladiatorial games until his end. The only wish that gives him power is the chance to reach the top, where he can get revenge. Many people have repeatedly evaluated this film and consider it one of the best works of the 2000s and one of the best epic films in history. They believe that this work has reinvented the sword and sandal genre.

12 – New York movie theatre and groups

Gangs of New York movie

Director: Martin Scorsese
Author: Jay Cox, Steven Zailian, and Kenneth Lonergan
Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis and Cameron Diaz
Release date: 2002
Genre: Drama and Crime
Average rating of Gangs of New York on IMDB: 7.5

In the early 1860s, in a forgotten neighborhood in the south of Manhattan called Five Points, an evil native named Bill “Butcher” Cutting rules an area filled with crime, prostitution, robbery, and murder Right in the same place where the American Civil War is still ongoing. Amsterdam Wallon, an American-Irish orphan, returns to his corrupt neighborhood 16 years after his father’s brutal death at the hands of Bill Butcher. He plans to take revenge for the brutal murder of his father.

But since then, a lot has changed. The strange thing about this film is that Scorsese took about 20 years to produce this project, which was finally finished in 2001. This film was nominated for an award in 10 different categories at the Oscar Academy in the same year

11 – Dancers with Wolves movie

Dances with Wolves movie

Director: Kevin Costner
Author: Michael Blake
Starring: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, and Graham Greene
Release date: 1990
Genre: Drama, Adventure, and Western
Average rating of Dances with Wolves on IMDB: 8

Lt. John Dunbar is hailed as a hero after accidentally leading Union forces to victory during the Civil War. He applies for a position on the western frontier, only to find it deserted. He soon finds out that he is not alone in that area. Over time, he gets to know a wolf who nicknames him “Two Socks” and meets a curious Indian tribe. Dunbar quickly befriends the tribe and finds a white woman raised by Indians.

He gradually gains the respect of these native people and abandons his white ways. Dances with Wolves, another of the best epic films in history, is the first work by Kevin Costner as a director. It is based on a novel by the same name from 1988 written by Michael Blake.

10 – Napoleon movie

Napoleon movie

Director: Abel Gans
Author: Abel Gans
Actors: Albert Dieudonne, Gina Manes and Antonin Artaud
Release date: 1927
Genre: Drama, Biography, and History
Average rating of Napoléon on IMDB : 8.2

This number, one of the best epic films in history, has a different style from the others and is considered a silent work. Another difference is that the duration of this work is 6 hours! The original name of this film is Napoléon vu par Abel Gance, which means “Napoleon through the eyes of Abel Gance.” This work is considered a masterpiece in the field of fluid movement of the camera, which Was also a time when most cameras were still shooting.

In this movie, very creative and innovative techniques were used, which made it attractive many times. The story begins with Napoleon’s youth When he had just entered the military school. During this time, other boys bullied and insulted him constantly. In the continuation of this long film, we see scenes of the French Revolution, in which Napoleon appeared as a young lieutenant in the army.

9 – Seven Samurai movie

Seven Samurai movie

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Author: Akira Kurosawa
Actors: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, and Keiko Tsushima
Release date: 1954
Genre: Drama and Action
The average rating of Seven Samurai on IMDB is 8.6

The story begins when a village’s people discover bandits will attack them in a few days. The village elder tells some farmers to go to town and find good-hearted and hungry samurai willing to protect the village for three meals a day. He tells them to leave and come back with four samurai.

But after completely despairing of finding a single samurai, they return with seven different samurai, People who joined the group for various reasons. Each has unique behaviors, and great chemistry is created between them. More than anything, this work is about humans and the endless pain caused by poverty throughout human history. Seven Samurai is considered the most expensive work in the history of Japanese cinema at the time of its release.

8- BraveheartHeart movie

Braveheart movie

Director: Mel Gibson
Author: Randall Wallace
Cast: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, and Patrick McGoohan
Broadcast year: 1995
Genre: Drama, History and Biography
The average rating of Braveheart on IMDB is 8.4

William Wallace is a Scottish rebel who leads an uprising against the tyrannical English ruler Edward Longshanks, Someone who wants to win the crown of Scotland. When William Wallace was just a boy, he lost his father and brother, along with many others, Those who died for the freedom of Scotland. As soon as he loses another loved one, he begins his extended mission to free Scotland once and for all, With the help of Robert Bruce. This vital work is considered one of the best epic films in history. Of the 33 awards it has won, it received five awards in different sections of the Oscar Academy ceremony.

7 – Lawrence of Arabia movie

The Lawrence of Arabia movie

Director: David Lane
Author: Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson
Actors: Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn and Jack Hawkins
Broadcast year: 1962
Genre: Drama, Biography and Adventure
The average rating of Lawrence of Arabia on IMDB is 8.3

Lawrence of Arabia was nominated for an award in 10 categories of the Oscar ceremony, of which he received seven, including the best film and the best director. In addition, it won the Best Drama Film Award from the Golden Globes Awards, the Best Film Award, and the Best British Film Award from the BAFTA Awards. The story is about a British lieutenant named T. Oh you. Lawrence is sent to Saudi Arabia due to having knowledge and information about the native Bedouin tribes.

He must find Prince Faisal and be a link between the Arabs and the British in the battle against the Turks. With the help of a native named Sharif Ali, Lawrence rebels against the orders of his superior officer. He goes on a brave adventure in the desert with a camel. He is going to cross a problematic desert and attack a Turkish port that is under guard.

6- The film Now the Apocalypse

Apocalypse Now movie

Director: Francis Coppola
Author: John Milius and Francis Coppola
Starring: Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, and Martin Sheen
Broadcast year: 1979
Genre: Drama, Mystery and War
The average rating of Apocalypse Now on IMDB is 8.5

The story revolves around a river trip from South Vietnam to Cambodia, an expedition Captain Benjamin L. Willard led. In addition to leading this trip, he must assassinate Colonel Kurtz in a secret mission: A renegade special forces officer accused of murder, and everyone thinks he’s crazy. Among the 21 awards that it received, this film was able to win the Oscars for the best cinematography and the best sound. In addition, Apocalypse Now was fully prepared in Cannes. Still, it was screened, and the Palme d’Or was received. Apocalypse Now, considered one of the most famous epic films ever, is partly based on Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness.

5 – The Lord of the Rings trilogy

Move The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Director: Peter Jackson
By Fern Walsh, Philippa Boynes, Peter Jackson and Stephen Sinclair
Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, and Liv Tyler
Broadcast year: 2001 to 2003
Genre: Action, Adventure and Drama
The average rating of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy on IMDB is 8.8

For centuries, everyone assumed that the ancient ring was lost, but fate was so determined that this ring fell into the hands of a little hobbit named Frodo. After a short time, Gandalf realizes that the ring is the ring that belongs to the dark lord, Sauron.

Frodo must go on an epic quest to reach the Cracks of Doom to destroy the ring. He is not alone in this journey. Gandalf, Legolas the elf, Gimli the dwarf, Aragorn, Boromir, and his three Hobbit friends named Merry, Pippin, and Samwise are the ones who accompany Frodo on this path. To reach the goal, the companions of the ring must cross any obstacle: Mountains, snow, darkness, forests, rivers, plains, evils, and dangers that appear from the corner. Their mission is to destroy the ring with the hope of ending the reign of the Dark Lords.

4 – Cheetah movie

The Leopard movie

Director: Luchino Visconti
Author: Luchino Visconti, Enrico Medioli, Massimo Franchosa, Suzu Cecchi Damico, Pasquale Festa Campanile and Rene Barjaval
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale
Broadcast year: 1963
Genre: Drama and Historical
The average rating of The Leopard on IMDB: 7.9

Cheetah, another of the best epic films in history, is an adaptation of a novel of the same name from 1958, written by Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa. Don Fabrizio Corbera is an old Sicilian nobleman who lives in the middle of the 19th century, The era when the unification of Italy or the Risorgimento had caused a lot of political and social turmoil.

His nephew, Tankerdi, and his adopted daughter are also with him on this path. With a slow and calculated rhythm, this film depicts the final period of this nobleman’s life and his conflicts in violent and turbulent Sicily. Leopard, screened at the Cannes Film Festival, won the Palme d’Or. In addition, the book was well-received by European audiences and critics. Still, the initial American reviews and reception should have been more interesting.

3 – Chaos movie

Ran movie

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Author: Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Agoni, and Masato Ide
Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Tirao, and Jinpachi Nezu
Broadcast year: 1985
Genre: Drama, Action and War
Ran’s average score on IMDB: 8.2

At the beginning of this issue of one of the best epic movies ever, Hidetori Ichimonji, a Japanese warlord, concludes that it is time to retire and divide the territory between his three sons. The eldest and middle sons, Taro and Jiro, agree with their father’s decision and promise to support him in his remaining days.

However, the younger son, Saburo, opposes them because he believes there is little chance that the three brothers will remain united. Enraged by his son’s arrogance, this warlord banishes Saburo. As soon as he begins his retirement, he realizes that his two eldest sons are very selfish and do not intend to keep their promises. This leads to war, and only the exiled Saburo can save him.

2- Ben-Hur movie

Ben Hur movie

Director: William Wyler
Author: Karl Thunberg
Actors: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins and Haya Hararet
Broadcast year: 1959
Genre: Drama, Adventure, and Historical
Average rating of Ben Hur on IMDB: 8.1

Judah Ben Hur was a wealthy Jewish prince and merchant who lived in Jerusalem in the early first century. His old friend Masala, who had now returned there, played a vital and influential role in the country. Ben-Hur and Messala were pleased to see each other at first because they had not seen each other for a long time. But very soon, different political views separated them. During the welcome parade, a tile fell from the roof of Jodha’s house and fell on the governor’s head, injuring him. Even though Masala knew that Jodha was not guilty, he sent him to Gali and imprisoned his mother and sister. Jodha also vowed to return very soon and take his revenge.

1 – Barry Lyndon’s movie

Barry Lyndon movie

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Author: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Ryan O’Neill, Marisa Brensen, and Patrick Magee
Broadcast year: 1975
Genre: Drama, Adventure and War
Average rating of Barry Lyndon on IMDB: 8.1

Finally, we have reached the first and last issue of the list of the best epic movies of history. This film tells the story of a fictional Irish rogue and opportunist in the 18th century: His early abuses, conspiracies, intrigues, and revelations. At first, she marries a wealthy widow to climb the social ladder and assume her late husband’s aristocratic position. This process causes it to fall. This film won 19 awards, including 4 Oscars and 2 BAFTA awards. Of course, a series of critics, in addition to their praises, criticized the speed of the story and limited emotions. Still, just like Kubrick’s other works, this film gained fame and status over time.