Best History Movies of 2009

1.

Invictus

6.0

7.3/10

Newly elected President Nelson Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's rugby team as they make their historic run to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship match.

2.

Prayers for Bobby

5.7

8.1/10

Bobby Griffith was his mother's favorite son, the perfect all-American boy growing up under deeply religious influences in Walnut Creek, California. Bobby was also gay. Struggling with a conflict no one knew of much less understood Bobby finally came out to his family.

3.

The Young Victoria

5.3

7.3/10

As the only legitimate heir of England's King William, teenage Victoria gets caught up in the political machinations of her own family. Victoria's mother wants her to sign a regency order, while her Belgian uncle schemes to arrange a marriage between the future monarch and Prince Albert, the man who will become the love of her life.

4.

Agora

5.3

7.2/10

A historical drama set in Roman Egypt, concerning philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria and her relationship with her slave Davus, who is torn between his love for her and the possibility of gaining his freedom by joining the rising tide of Christianity.

5.

The Messenger

5.1

7.1/10

Will Montgomery (Ben Foster), a U.S. Army Staff Sergeant who has returned home from Iraq, is assigned to the Army’s Casualty Notification service. Montgomery is partnered with Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), to give notice to the families of fallen soldiers. The Sergeant is drawn to Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton), to whom he has delivered news of her husband’s death.

7.

John Rabe

3.8

7.2/10

A true-story account of a German businessman who saved more than 200,000 Chinese during the Nanjing massacre in 1937-38.

8.

Glorious 39

3.2

6.4/10

A mysterious tale set around a traditional British family on the eve of World War Two. Oblivious to the looming shadow of World War II, the wealthy Keyes maintain a confident façade in the British countryside until daughter Anne becomes an unexpected pawn. Her accidental discovery of secret recordings creates a rift in the family.

17.

The Hessen Affair

2.3

5.2/10

In 1945 a group of victorious American officers discover a stash of German jewels and try to fence them in New York.

18.

Under the Eightball

1.9

8.6/10

In 1951 at Fort Detrick, Maryland, construction crews built a hollow metal sphere four stories high. Inside germ weapons were to be exploded, creating mists of infectious aerosols for testing on animals....and people. Employees called it the eight ball. In their eighteen month long journey Grey and Russell travel the country in search of answers and interview top experts in the world of Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases. Under the Eight ball includes live footage, historical documents, original animation and archival military footage.

19.

Tales from Transylvania

1.8

8.1/10

In the mountains of Transylvania, ancient beliefs in the supernatural can still be found. These beliefs are quickly dying out as the world modernizes around the tiny villages of the Carpathians.