Best History Movies of 2010

1.

The King's Speech

6.6

8.0/10

The King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war.

2.

The Pacific

5.9

8.3/10

A 10-part mini-series from the creators of "Band of Brothers" telling the intertwined stories of three Marines during America's battle with the Japanese in the Pacific during World War II.

3.

The Way Back

5.2

7.3/10

Peter Weir's follow-up to Master & Commander (2003) is the stark & brilliant The Way Back, which takes on the theme of man's struggle for freedom. At the dawn of WWII, several men escape from a Russian gulag. The film details their perilous & uncertain journey to freedom, as they cross deserts, mountains, & several nations.

5.

Made in Dagenham

5.0

7.2/10

A dramatization of the 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham car plant, where female workers walked out in protest against sexual discrimination.

6.

Carlos

4.8

7.7/10

The story of Venezuelan revolutionary, Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, who founded a worldwide terrorist organization and raided the OPEC headquarters in 1975 before being caught by the French police.

8.

The Weight of Chains

4.2

8.2/10

The Weight of Chains is a Canadian documentary film that takes a critical look at the role that the US, NATO and the EU played in the tragic breakup of a once peaceful and prosperous European state - Yugoslavia. The film, bursting with rare stock footage never before seen by Western audiences, is a creative first-hand look at why the West intervened in the Yugoslav conflict, with an impressive roster of interviews with academics, diplomats, media personalities and ordinary citizens of the former Yugoslav republics. This film also presents positive stories from the Yugoslav wars - people helping each other regardless of their ethnic background, stories of bravery and self-sacrifice.

10.

Beneath Hill 60

3.7

7.1/10

The true story of Australia's cat-and-mouse underground mine warfare—one of the most misunderstood, misrepresented and mystifying conflicts of WW I. It was secret struggle BENEATH the Western Front that combined daring engineering, technology and science. Few on the surface knew of the brave, claustrophobic and sometimes barbaric work of these tunnellers.

13.

The Special Relationship

3.5

6.8/10

A dramatisation that follows Tony Blair's journey from political understudy waiting in the wings of the world arena to accomplished prime minister standing confidently in the spotlight of centre stage. It is a story about relationships, between two powerful men (Blair and Bill Clinton), two powerful couples, and husbands and wives.

14.

Ben Hur

3.4

6.4/10

About the struggle between the Roman Empire and its rebellious conquest Judaea, and two best friends caught in a terrible moment in history.

16.

Storming Juno

3.0

6.9/10

Storming Juno is a film based on the remarkable and determined actions of a handful of young Canadian men who stormed Juno Beach on June 6, 1944. D-Day.

18.

Guru: Bhagwan, His Secretary & His Bodyguard

2.6

7.0/10

The wild Seventies. A quest for higher consciousness, spirituality and sexual freedom. In England, young Hugh Milne hears the voice of spiritual teacher Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh on an audiotape and travels to India in search of his own self. Sheela Patel, a young Indian woman, is brought to the charismatic guru by her father. At 21, she knows: all she wants is to be with this man. In his Ashram in Poona, Bhagwan urges his disciples to meditate and practise tantric sex in order to reach a higher plane of consciousness. Hugh watches the guru's ascent as his bodyguard. Sheela becomes his secretary and the powerful boss of Bhagwan's model community born in the mountains of Oregon...

19.

First Light

2.5

7.0/10

In May 1940, feeling the RAF needs every man to fight to Luftwaffe, Geoffrey 'Geoff'/'Boy' Wellum joins at 18, becoming the youngest ever Spitfire pilot. After an intense training, he soon bonds with the flying men of his squadron. In the air, danger is great, but on the ground drinks, sports and girls, in Geoff's case Sarah, provide great comfort. However in time, the casualties exact a grueling psychological toll, until his tour of duty is ended after 18 months.

20.

Hidalgo la historia jamás contada

2.5

6.5/10

Hidalgo, en su celda del Hospital Militar de Chihuahua, recuerda algunos pasajes de su vida, principalmente su estancia como párroco en San Felipe Torres Mochas; donde se relacionó con las clases bajas y nació la idea emancipadora, tradujo y montó al Tartufo de Molière, se enamoró de Josefa Quintana y se alejó por algún tiempo de la vida eclesiástica.