Top Rated History Movies on Free Services - Page 58

The Greatest Knight - William the Marshal

2014

The Greatest Knight - William the Marshal

2014
6.2
The fascinating story of knighthood, told through the extraordinary life and times of William Marshal, whom many consider the world's greatest knight. From Europe's medieval castles to the holy city of Jerusalem, presenter Thomas Asbridge explores William's incredible life, revealing a rip-roaring adventure story in the spirit of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. In a career that spanned half a century, this English soldier and statesman served some of Christendom's greatest leaders, from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Richard the Lionheart. Marshal fought in battles across Europe, survived court intrigue and exile, put his seal to the Magna Carta and proved to be the best friend a king could have, remaining loyal to those he served through disaster and victory. Then at the age of 70, despite all the odds, he saved England from a French invasion.
Unlikely Heroes

2003

Unlikely Heroes

2003
7.3
For most, the idea of Jewish resistance or defiance during the Holocaust is limited to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and a few isolated acts throughout WWII. "Unlikely Heroes", narrated by Sir Ben Kingsley, highlights 7 previously unknown stories of extraordinary men and women who exemplified the highest levels of courage and human dignity during the most desperate days of the Holocaust.
The French Revolution

2005

The French Revolution

2005
5.3
On July 14, 1789, a mob of angry Parisians stormed the Bastille and seized the King's military stores. A decade of idealism, war, murder, and carnage followed, bringing about the end of feudalism and the rise of equality and a new world order. The French Revolution is a definitive feature-length documentary that encapsulates this heady (and often headless) period in Western civilization. With dramatic reenactments, illustrations, and paintings from the era, plus revealing accounts from journals and expert commentary from historians, The French Revolution vividly unfurls in a maelstrom of violence, discontent, and fundamental change. King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Maximilien Robespierre, and Napoleon Bonaparte lead a cast of thousands in this essential program from THE HISTORY CHANNEL®. Narrated by Edward Herrmann (The Aviator, Gilmore Girls), The French Revolution explores the legacy that--now more than ever--stands as both a warning and a guidepost to a new millennium
JFK: A President Betrayed

2013

JFK: A President Betrayed

2013
7.7
Narrated by Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman, "JFK: A President Betrayed" uncovers new evidence that reveals how JFK embarked on secret back channel peace efforts with Nikita Khrushchev and Fidel Castro and was determined to get out of Vietnam despite intense opposition inside his own government.
The Paw Project

2013

The Paw Project

2013
8.7
This is a David and Goliath story of one veterinarian's battle to protect her patients (tigers, lions and even house cats) from big corporations, with their big corporate money, that will shamelessly do anything to animals to increase their bottom line. She starts a grassroots movement that is fueled by passion, but appears to be losing the battle. Then, unexpectedly, she realizes that the corporations accidentally left her a giant loophole. In a scramble to take advantage of this unforeseen gift, she leads the crusade passing legislation protecting animals from de-clawing in seven cities in just six weeks.
Polanski Unauthorised

2009

Polanski Unauthorised

2009
2.2
An unauthorized chronicle of the life of Roman Polanski.
Jail Caesar

2012

Jail Caesar

2012
6.3
The early life of Roman ruler Julius Caesar as told in three working prisons in South Africa, the UK and Canada. A small group of professional actors is joined by a cast of real-life inmates to tell the story of one of history's foremost personalities.
Destination: Planet Negro!

2013

Destination: Planet Negro!

2013
6.3
In 1939, a group of African American intellectuals come up with an ingenious and unlikely response to Jim Crow America -- leave the planet and populate Mars. Using technology created by George Washington Carver, a three-person crew (plus one rambunctious robot) lift-off in Earth's first working spaceship on a mission that will take them to a world not unlike present-day America. Their spacey adventure illuminates some hard truths about American culture, and threatens to undermine the time-line of history along the way.
American Made Movie

2013

American Made Movie

2013
6.2
American Made Movie looks back on the glory days of U.S. manufacturing when there was a more balanced relationship between the goods produced and consumed, and illustrates how technology and globalization have changed the competitive landscape for companies doing business in America, as well as overseas. By illustrating the successes of companies and entrepreneurs that, of their own accord, have prospered without adopting the practices of their competitors, American Made Movie shows the positive impact these jobs can have on national and local economies in the face of great challenges.
Rats in the Ranks

1996

Rats in the Ranks

1996
7
Every September Sydney's inner-suburban Leichhardt Council re-elects it mayor. Incumbent Larry Hand was popular with the citizenry but they don't vote for mayor - the 12 councillors do - and after three years of Larry, at least four councillors were after his job. When film-makers Bob Connolly and Robin Anderson settled in at Leichhardt Council in early 1994 the knives were already being sharpened. A battle royal was in the making, and so it came to pass. By the end of September Larry had fought the fight of his life, with Connolly and Anderson documenting every bit of it on film. Ambition, courage, envy, hatred, loyalty, betrayal, disaster, triumph... in other words, a classic study in politics.
The Machine That Made Us

2008

The Machine That Made Us

2008
7
The printing press was the world's first mass-production machine. Its invention in the 1450s changed the world as dramatically as splitting the atom or sending men into space, sparking a cultural revolution which shaped the modern age.
Paul Bowles: The Cage Door Is Always Open

2013

Paul Bowles: The Cage Door Is Always Open

2013
5
The American composer and author Paul Bowles was a man with a great deal of charisma and influence. When he moved to Tangier, Morocco, in 1949, half the world followed him to the enigmatic city. His marriage with author Jane Bowles was a loving relationship of opposites, even though both were homosexual. Based on exclusive interviews with Bowles shortly before his death interwoven with anecdotes recounted by his friends and co-workers, the film portrays a daring and visionary life as well as a relationship shaped by an interdependency that encompassed much more than sexuality.
Henry IV Part 1

1979

Henry IV Part 1

1979
7
Henry Bolingbroke has now been crowned King of England, but faces a rebellion headed by the embittered Earl of Northumberland and his son (nicknamed 'Hotspur'). Henry's son Hal, the Prince of Wales, has thrown over life at court in favour of heavy drinking and petty theft in the company of a debauched elderly knight, Sir John Falstaff. Hal must extricate himself from some legal problems, regain his father's good opinions and help suppress the uprising.
Antony & Cleopatra

1981

Antony & Cleopatra

1981
6.3
Octavius Caesar (later renamed Augustus Caesar, son of the murdered Julius Caesar), Marc Antony, and Lepidus form the triumvirate, the three rulers of the Roman Empire. Antony, though married to Fulvia, spends his time in Egypt, living a life of decadence and conducting an affair with Queen Cleopatra. In Antony's absence, Caesar and Lepidus worry about Pompey's increasing strength.
The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement

2011

The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement

2011
5
The film features 85-year-old Mr. Armstrong, an African American barber in Birmingham, Alabama, as he experiences the manifestation of an unimaginable dream: the election of the first African American president. This colorful and courageous activist of the Civil Rights era casts his vote, celebrates Obama's victory and proudly unfurls the American flag as he is inducted into the Foot Soldiers Hall of Fame. Mr. Armstrong links the magnitude of the present paradigm shift with challenges he faced in the past: from his sons' integration into an all white school to the Bloody Sunday march for voting rights. The documentary raises questions about democracy and patriotism in the face of adversity, and the vigilance and action required to ensure continued forward movement to end racial injustice.
God's Outlaw

1986

God's Outlaw

1986
6.5
A dramatized biography of William Tyndale, the 16th Century reformer determined to translate the Bible into English, which illegal act set him at odds with the Catholic Church, Sir Thomas More and King Henry VIII.
Mother Teresa: In the Name of God's Poor

1997

Mother Teresa: In the Name of God's Poor

1997
4.2
Calcutta, 1946. Violence rages in India. Sister Teresa teaches at a convent, but is haunted by the faces of the starving, the poor and the homeless; the faces of those less fortunate than her. With only her faith in God, she leaves the convent to live in the slums and care for the poor. An surprisingly, even one of the most revered, selfless heroes questioned her purpose.
Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story

2025

Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story

2025
4.5
15-year-old Puerto Rican Lisa Velez overcomes sexism, racism, and breast cancer to become Latin pop pioneer behind hits like "Can You Feel The Beat," inspiring generations of Latina artists.
Azure Dust - Inside Chernobyl's Exclusion Zone

2016

Azure Dust - Inside Chernobyl's Exclusion Zone

2016
7.8
The story about Chornobyl area, all around the world we know of the disaster in 1986. The film may be called a guide to the Exclusion Zone. Thanks to the unique footage from the place of the tragedy, that the crew succeeded to capture, the viewers will have a chance for a full immersion into the atmosphere of the events and, along with the heroes of the film, feel the dreadful and amazing air that reigns where one of the major anthropogenic disasters took place.
Real Haunts

2020

Real Haunts

2020
6.5
An Original Documentary that explores the unexplained events at 5 unique locations including an Antebellum Haunted Mansion, the most spirited Movie Palace in America, a tragic spot in the Florida Clay Pits, Al Capone's Florida Hideout and more with 4 Expert Investigation Teams.