The British Cinematic Universe - History of the British
by Providenceyaway | created - 03 Mar 2018 | updated - 19 Apr 2018 | PublicHistory of the UK - told through shows and movies.
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1. Britannia (2017–2021)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
In 43 AD, the Roman Army returns to crush the Celtic heart of Britannia.
Stars: David Morrissey, Eleanor Worthington-Cox, Mackenzie Crook, Julian Rhind-Tutt
Votes: 17,864
2. The Eagle (2011)
PG-13 | 114 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In Roman-ruled Britain, a young Roman soldier endeavors to honor his father's memory by finding his lost legion's golden emblem.
Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland, István Göz
Votes: 74,062 | Gross: $19.49M
3. Vikings (2013–2020)
TV-MA | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Vikings transports us to the brutal and mysterious world of Ragnar Lothbrok, a Viking warrior and farmer who yearns to explore--and raid--the distant shores across the ocean.
Stars: Katheryn Winnick, Gustaf Skarsgård, Alexander Ludwig, Georgia Hirst
Votes: 582,883
4. The Saxon Chronicles (2006)
120 min | Action, Drama, History
Set in the 9th century, Alfred the Great, England's most influential and inspiring king, escapes his kingdom when it is attacked by the Viking Horde. Anguished and alone he finds himself in... See full summary »
Director: Jeshua De Horta | Stars: Darin Scott, James C. Morris, Doug Guibord, Dan Christensen
Votes: 51
5. 1066: The Battle for Middle Earth (2009)
150 min | Action, History, War
Despite earlier promises to pass his crown to one of his Flemish, Viking, or Norman relatives, English King Edward the Confessor dies in 1066, leaving his crown to Anglo-Saxon Harold Godwinson, causing a bloody succession war.
Stars: Ian Holm, Mike Bailey, Francis Magee, Tim Plester
Votes: 873
6. Hereward the Wake (1965– )
25 min | Drama, History
Hereward, son of Duke Leofric and Lady Godiva, fought a long and ultimately hopeless guerilla war against the invading forces of William the Conqueror in the fens of Lincolnshire, betrayed not only by his allies but by his own weaknesses.
Stars: Alfred Lynch, Bryan Pringle, Yvonne Furneaux, John Carson
Votes: 17
7. The War Lord (1965)
Approved | 123 min | Drama, History, Romance
In 11th century Normandy, a Norman duke sends one of his knights to build a defensive fortress in order to guard the borders against Frisian raiders.
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner | Stars: Charlton Heston, Richard Boone, Rosemary Forsyth, Maurice Evans
Votes: 3,684
8. The Devil's Crown (1978)
55 min | Biography, Drama, History
Henry Plantagenet (later King Henry II), sees his opportunity to seize the crown of England and create a kingdom of law and order.
Stars: Jane Lapotaire, John Duttine, Christopher Gable, Brian Cox
Votes: 106
9. Ivanhoe (1997)
270 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
After returning from the Third Crusade in the Holy Land, Ivanhoe discovers that England is under the rule of the corrupt Prince John.
Stars: Ciarán Hinds, Susan Lynch, Victoria Smurfit, Steven Waddington
Votes: 1,209
10. Ironclad (2011)
R | 121 min | Action, Drama, History
In thirteenth-century England, a Knights Templar and a few of the Barons men fight to defend Rochester Castle against the tyrannical King John.
Director: Jonathan English | Stars: Paul Giamatti, Jason Flemyng, Brian Cox, James Purefoy
Votes: 43,658
11. Braveheart (1995)
R | 178 min | Biography, Drama, War
Scottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.
Director: Mel Gibson | Stars: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Angus Macfadyen
Votes: 1,091,463 | Gross: $75.60M
12. Black Death (2010)
R | 102 min | Action, Drama, History
Set during the time of the first outbreak of bubonic plague in England, a young monk is given the task of learning the truth about reports of people being brought back to life in a small village.
Director: Christopher Smith | Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean, Carice van Houten, Kimberley Nixon
Votes: 51,246 | Gross: $0.02M
13. The Dark Avenger (1955)
Unrated | 85 min | Adventure, Drama, History
During the fourteenth century when the Hundred Years War between France and England is beginning the English occupation of French Aquitainia, rebel French Knights vow to oust Edward, Prince of Wales, ruler of Aquitaine.
Director: Henry Levin | Stars: Errol Flynn, Joanne Dru, Peter Finch, Yvonne Furneaux
Votes: 778
14. John Wycliffe: The Morning Star (1984)
Not Rated | 75 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of 14th century John Wycliffe, AKA "The Morning Star of the Reformation", who was the first to translate the Bible into English.
Director: Tony Tew | Stars: Michael Bertenshaw, James Downie, Peter Howell, Barrie Cookson
Votes: 161
15. Henry V (1989)
PG-13 | 137 min | Biography, Drama, History
In the midst of the Hundred Years War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Simon Shepherd, James Larkin
Votes: 31,657 | Gross: $10.16M
16. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
Passed | 114 min | Biography, Drama, History
In 1431, Jeanne d'Arc is placed on trial on charges of heresy. The ecclesiastical jurists attempt to force Jeanne to recant her claims of holy visions.
Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer | Stars: Maria Falconetti, Eugene Silvain, André Berley, Maurice Schutz
Votes: 60,666 | Gross: $0.02M
17. The White Queen (2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, History, Romance
Three different, yet equally relentless women vie for the throne in 15th-century England.
Stars: Aneurin Barnard, Rebecca Ferguson, Amanda Hale, Faye Marsay
Votes: 31,400
18. Richard III (1983 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 239 min | Drama
Richard of Gloucester uses murder and manipulation to claim England's throne.
Director: Jane Howell | Stars: Peter Benson, Antony Brown, David Burke, Michael Byrne
Votes: 232
19. The Shadow of the Tower (1972)
Biography, Drama, History
A series recording the key events in the reign of Henry Tudor and his founding of the Tudor Dynasty
Stars: James Maxwell, Bruce Hodgkins, Norma West, Hugh Sullivan
Votes: 229
20. The Tudors (2007–2010)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, History, Romance
A dramatic series about the reign and marriages of King Henry VIII.
Stars: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Henry Cavill, Anthony Brophy, James Frain
Votes: 81,213
21. Young Bess (1953)
Approved | 112 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The early life of Elizabeth I, from her childhood until her accession to the throne of England in 1558.
Director: George Sidney | Stars: Jean Simmons, Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr, Charles Laughton
Votes: 1,815
22. Reign (2013–2017)
TV-14 | 42 min | Drama
Mary, Queen of Scots, faces political and sexual intrigue in the treacherous world of the French court.
Stars: Adelaide Kane, Megan Follows, Celina Sinden, Torrance Coombs
Votes: 54,392
23. Gunpowder, Treason & Plot (2004 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 205 min | Drama, History
Mini series depicting the turbulent and bloody reigns of Scottish monarchs Mary, Queen of Scots and her son King James VI of Scotland who became King James I of England and foiled the Gunpowder Plot.
Director: Gillies MacKinnon | Stars: Vulpe Adrian, Carmen Ungureanu, Clémence Poésy, Tadeusz Pasternak
Votes: 1,924
24. Shakespeare in Love (1998)
R | 123 min | Comedy, Drama, History
The world's greatest ever playwright, William Shakespeare, is young, out of ideas and short of cash, but meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays.
Director: John Madden | Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Tom Wilkinson
Votes: 234,353 | Gross: $100.32M
25. Elizabeth R (1971)
520 min | Biography, Drama, History
When Elizabeth Tudor comes to the throne, her (male) advisers know she has to marry. Doesn't she? Thus starts a decades-long political/matrimonial game, during an age of high passions and high achievement.
Stars: Glenda Jackson, Ronald Hines, Robert Hardy, Stephen Murray
Votes: 1,940
26. The New World (2005)
PG-13 | 135 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of the English exploration of Virginia, and of the changing world and loves of Pocahontas.
Director: Terrence Malick | Stars: Colin Farrell, Q'orianka Kilcher, Christopher Plummer, Christian Bale
Votes: 89,885 | Gross: $12.71M
27. The Devil's Mistress (2008)
47 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
Drama charts the progress of the English Civil War through the story of a young woman, the fictional Angelica Fanshawe, and her three husbands.
Stars: Andrea Riseborough, Dominic West, Tom Goodman-Hill, John Simm
Votes: 2,730
28. The Last King (2003)
TV-14 | 188 min | Biography, Drama, History
The chronicle of Charles II's time on the throne, his ten-year exile from Oliver Cromwell's England, and his triumphant return.
Stars: Rufus Sewell, Rupert Graves, Charlie Creed-Miles, Christian Coulson
Votes: 1,814
29. The First Churchills (1969)
564 min | Biography, Drama, History
The lives of John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, and his wife Sarah.
Stars: John Neville, Susan Hampshire, John Standing, Robert Robinson
Votes: 271
30. Rob Roy (1995)
R | 139 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
In 1713 Scotland, Rob Roy MacGregor is wronged by a nobleman and his nephew, becomes an outlaw in search of revenge while fleeing the Redcoats, and faces charges of being a Jacobite.
Director: Michael Caton-Jones | Stars: Liam Neeson, Jessica Lange, John Hurt, Tim Roth
Votes: 45,673 | Gross: $31.60M
31. Barry Lyndon (1975)
PG | 185 min | Adventure, Drama, War
An Irish rogue wins the heart of a rich widow and assumes her dead husband's aristocratic position in 18th-century England.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Hardy Krüger
Votes: 183,087
32. TURN: Washington's Spies (2014–2017)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, History, War
A Long Island farmer bands together a group of childhood friends to form an unlikely group of spies who turn the tide in America's fight for independence.
Stars: Jamie Bell, Heather Lind, Samuel Roukin, Daniel Henshall
Votes: 23,440
33. Poldark (2015–2019)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Romance
Ross Poldark returns home after American Revolutionary War and rebuilds his life with a new business venture, making new enemies and finding a new love where he least expects it.
Stars: Aidan Turner, Eleanor Tomlinson, Jack Farthing, Beatie Edney
Votes: 36,107
34. Amazing Grace (2006)
PG | 118 min | Biography, Drama, History
The idealist William Wilberforce maneuvers his way through Parliament, endeavoring to end the British transatlantic slave trade.
Director: Michael Apted | Stars: Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney, Michael Gambon, Romola Garai
Votes: 25,696 | Gross: $21.21M
35. The Duchess (2008)
PG-13 | 110 min | Biography, Drama, History
A chronicle of the life of 18th-century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was revered for her extravagant political and personal life.
Director: Saul Dibb | Stars: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Dominic Cooper, Charlotte Rampling
Votes: 87,289 | Gross: $13.82M
36. Belle (2013)
PG | 100 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The biracial daughter, Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), of Royal Navy Captain Sir John Lindsay (Matthew Goode) is raised by aristocratic Great-uncle Lord William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) in 18th century England.
Director: Amma Asante | Stars: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Matthew Goode, Emily Watson, Miranda Richardson
Votes: 33,141 | Gross: $10.73M
37. The Madness of King George (1994)
PG-13 | 110 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
When King George III goes mad, his Lieutenants try to adjust the rules to run the country without his participation.
Director: Nicholas Hytner | Stars: Nigel Hawthorne, Helen Mirren, Rupert Graves, Amanda Donohoe
Votes: 18,399 | Gross: $15.24M
38. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
PG-13 | 138 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
During the Napoleonic Wars, a brash British captain pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd, James D'Arcy
Votes: 237,961 | Gross: $93.93M
39. Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951)
Not Rated | 117 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
During the Napoleonic wars, a British Navy Captain has adventures in Central American waters.
Director: Raoul Walsh | Stars: Gregory Peck, Virginia Mayo, Robert Beatty, Moultrie Kelsall
Votes: 7,512
40. Victoria (2016–2019)
TV-PG | 60 min | Biography, Drama, History
The early life of Queen Victoria, from her ascension to the throne at the tender age of 18 to her courtship and marriage to Prince Albert.
Stars: Jenna Coleman, Adrian Schiller, Tommy Knight, Jordan Waller
Votes: 30,891
41. Edward the King (1975)
687 min | Biography, Drama, History
The life of Edward VII (1841 - 1910), the King of the United Kingdom. Before becoming the King, he developed a reputation of a playboy, which angered his mother, Queen Victoria. He was a reformer and modernizer, but also an elitist.
Stars: Annette Crosbie, Timothy West, Helen Ryan, Felicity Kendal
Votes: 551
42. Young Winston (1972)
PG | 124 min | Biography, Drama, War
Complex family relationships, as well as a combat experience, form the personality of the future world-known politician.
Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Simon Ward, Robert Shaw, Peter Cellier, Ronald Hines
Votes: 2,978 | Gross: $4.69M
43. The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006)
Not Rated | 127 min | Drama, War
Against the backdrop of the Irish War of Independence, two brothers fight a guerrilla war against British forces.
Director: Ken Loach | Stars: Cillian Murphy, Pádraic Delaney, Liam Cunningham, Orla Fitzgerald
Votes: 54,622 | Gross: $1.83M
44. The King's Speech (2010)
R | 118 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of King George VI, his unexpected ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer.
Director: Tom Hooper | Stars: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Derek Jacobi
Votes: 707,994 | Gross: $138.80M
45. The World Wars (2014)
TV-14 | 270 min | Documentary, History, War
A look at both World Wars and what the biggest names in history did during each war and the time in between.
Stars: Maximilian Klas, Ian Beyts, Jacopo Rampini, Jonathan Hartman
Votes: 2,421
46. Dunkirk (2017)
PG-13 | 106 min | Action, Drama, History
Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Commonwealth and Empire, and France are surrounded by the German Army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Fionn Whitehead, Barry Keoghan, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy
Votes: 740,198 | Gross: $188.37M
47. The Crown (2016–2023)
TV-MA | 60 min | Biography, Drama, History
Follows the political rivalries and romances of Queen Elizabeth II's reign and the events that shaped Britain for the second half of the 20th century.
Stars: Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, Imelda Staunton, Matt Smith
Votes: 256,754
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