Top 5 Historical Drama Films of All Time to Immerse Yourself in the Past

As exciting as our time is with all the technology and information available to us, many people still have an inkling to experience life as it was decades, centuries, and millennia ago. Historical dramas are the best way to do this.

And these five films are the finest examples of the genre.

Cleopatra (1963, 7.0 on IMDb)

Based on Maria Franzero's book The Life and Times of Cleopatra, this historical drama starring Elizabeth Taylor follows Cleopatra as she reigns over Egypt and struggles to keep the empire safe in the face of Roman conquest. There's only one way to preserve Egypt's dignity, Cleopatra believes, and that's to unite the two states through the marriage of their rulers. And she's willing to seduce any Roman leader to do it.

Anne of the Thousand Days (1969, 7.4 on IMDb)

Inspired by the life of Anne Boleyn and adapted from Maxwell Anderson's play of the same name, this historical drama centers on King Henry VIII as he considers whether to order the execution of his second wife. Henry went to great lengths to marry Anne several years earlier when he had to sever England's ties with the Vatican because the Pope wouldn't grant him a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, and create a new church – the Church of England – all in order to tie the knot with Boleyn.

The Lion in Winter (1968, 7.9 on IMDb)

Set in 1183, this historical drama follows Henry II of England, the fifty-year-old ruler of the Angevin Empire, who is intent on establishing his line of succession to avoid strife and misunderstanding after his death. To this end, the monarch gathers his estranged family for Christmas and reveals his plans. Hungry for power and filled with hatred for one another, the king's family will go to great lengths to secure their future, regardless of Henry's wishes.

Ben-Hur (1959, 8.1 on IMDb)

Adapted from Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, this epic historical drama tells the story of Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince and merchant from Jerusalem, who is reunited with his childhood friend Messala, now a pious Roman general, after years of separation in A.D. 26. But the reunion proves unhappy, as the two former friends now find themselves on opposite sides of the Roman-Jewish conflict and can't see eye to eye.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962, 8.3 on IMDb)

Inspired by Seven Pillars of Wisdom, the autobiography of T.E. Lawrence, a famous British archaeologist, diplomat and army officer who participated in the Arab Revolt against Ottoman rule during World War I, this epic historical drama recounts his experiences as a member of the Arab National Council and one of the military leaders who led the attacks on Aqaba and Damascus in Greater Syria.