My Top 10 Historical Movies and TV Shows

Hello again!

If you ask some of my closest friends and family they will tell you that I LOVE historical books, movies, and TV shows (Both fictional and non- fictional!). So I thought it would be fun to share some of my absolute favorites with you in case any other historical buffs are out there looking for a suggestion or if maybe you are interested in trying something new! They are in no particular order. Enjoy!

Victoria

This is a Masterpiece show (which is a PBS product) and is about the early life of Queen Victoria especially her relationship concerning Prince Albert and her early reign. I had this show on my Amazon Prime watchlist for some time before getting around to watching it. Queen Victoria is my favorite British monarch and The Young Victoria is one of my favorite historical films and I wasn't sure how I would feel about someone else stepping into the shoes of a young Victoria.

That being said, Jenna Coleman's portrayal of Victoria (although immature at times) was pretty good and I enjoyed this show. As this was a TV show and The Young Victoria was a movie, we got to explore the story more in depth and I enjoyed seeing more of her life. I did enjoy the actor who played Albert more in the movie than in this show however. Overall, this was a good show and I can't wait until season 2 comes to Prime.

The Crown

This show is a Netflix Original and is probably one of the best, if not the best, product they have ever created in my opinion. It follows the Queen Elizabeth II's reign and the events that shaped the second half of the 20th century including all the drama, politics and relationships.

The music in this show is absolutely phenomenal and has given me goosebumps and moved me to tears on a number of occasions. The series intro song was written by Hans Zimmer and the rest of the soundtrack was written by Rupert Gregson- Williams (this is probably the time I should mention that I'm a soundtrack junkie and I love soundtrack composers).

What really never ceases to amaze me about this show is the perfect casting. Every single person in this show was cast to a tee and the actors abilities to portray such subtle emotions so profoundly is amazing. With 2 Golden Globe wins, 3 Emmy wins and 2 SAG wins among several other wins, you know that this show is a must watch.

Poldark

Based on the book series by Winston Graham, Ross Poldark returns home after American Revolutionary War and rebuilds his life after finding the love of his life has gone on to marry his cousin and his family mine is in ruins. He navigates new enemies and new relationships in his life in Cornwall and finds love again.

I got turned onto this show by someone after we realized that we both had enjoyed watching Downton Abbey and she said that I would enjoy this show. And I did! The relationship, drama and turmoil that Ross experiences as we experience his daily life makes for a great story. I would say this show is somewhere of a crossroads between Outlander and Downton Abbey and a must watch if you enjoy one or both of those shows.

Just look at that body... *drooling*

Downton Abbey

This PBS Masterpiece show, which aired from 2010- 2015, will always be one of my absolute favorites and is probably one of the reasons that I love historical shows and movies so much (especially British ones!). This shows follows the Crawley family and their servants in the early 20th Century, chronicling the drama and the relationships between the upstairs and the downstairs characters and how the events of the time period affected everyone.

With only 7-8 precious episodes per season, every detail and conversation was important and the actors were phenomenally cast for that reason. Each one being able to use the scene proficiently. Maggie Smith is the real treasure of this show, I know everyone wishes that they had a grandmother just like her. The soundtrack for this show is also phenomenal, portraying the aristocratic tone of the show and also the drama. I really can't say enough good things about this show, there is so much sadness, happiness, and drama to go around and this show is a must watch for anyone.

The Young Victoria

I spoke briefly about this move earlier, but this is one of my all time favorite British movies. This movie takes a look at Queen Victoria's ascension to her throne and her romance with Prince Albert. Starring Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend, as well as some other well- known actors, this movie is a true gem and is expertly acted by it's stars. I actually enjoy this movie so much that I did a project using clips from it for English in high school and the teacher and class enjoyed it so much that we watched the movie in class. I also profusely enjoy the soundtrack to this movie although I am not very familiar with the composer. Written by the same person who wrote Downton Abbey, you can see why this movie is a winner

Outlander

This show has gained quite a bit of notoriety over the past couple of years ad has become quite popular in the media. Based on the bestselling book series by Diana Gabaldon, an English combat nurse from 1945 is goes back in time to 1743 Scotland and deals with a variety of events and relationships as she tries to survive being found out.

This epic adventure romance is unlike any other show and is one of my favorite TV shows. With an amazing cast and spectacular soundtrack, this show keeps getting better and better with each season. The season 3 finale airs tomorrow and I am quite sad as I will have to wait another year for the next season. If you enjoy romance and adventure and beautiful set pieces, this is the show for you!

Merlin

This show, which was on ABC for 1 season and then got picked up by the SyFy channel for it's remaining 4 seasons is truly one of the best and most underrated shows. This show follows a young Merlin as he becomes a young Arthur's manservant and his friend as they go on many adventures and save the kingdom of Camelot.

As the seasons progress, the adventures and quests become more serious as Arthur and Merlin must fulfill their destinies to become the Merlin and Arthur of legend complete with Guinevere and the Knights of the Round Table of course. This show has drama, romance, humor and adventure and the actors are supremely casted (featuring the great John hurt as the dragon). This show is HIGHLY underrated and is a must watch for anyone and is on Netflix should anyone decide to give it a go.

Marco Polo

Another Netflix Original, this show follows a young Marco Polo as he joins Kublai Khan's court in 13th century Mongolia and all the adventures he experiences there. I really enjoyed this show because of how unique the story was, I had never seen something quite like it and I enjoyed the casting as well (I love Benedict Wong!).

As we follow Marco and various other characters through this time period, it is interesting to see the story from Marco's perspective as an outsider because that is how we would also be viewing the story. It is sad that is shoe got cancelled after 2 seasons (and rather abruptly too). I think this show had such potential and I enjoyed it's epic story and sweeping set pieces as well as the Asian culture. If you enjoy historical stories with less romance to it's story, you might enjoy this show.

Robin Hood

Airing for 3 seasons on BBC, this show follows Robin Hood as returns after 5 years of fighting in the crusades and returns to England to lead a band of outlaws to outwit the Sheriff of Nottingham and his lackey, Guy of Gisborne (played by Richard Armitage AKA Thorin Oakenshield). I have always loved the Robin Hood story (probably because I love archery) and have enjoyed its many retelling over the years in movie form but never as much as I enjoy this TV show. There's just something that this cast of actors and the production team did right when they made this show that I just love.

Jonas Armstrong leads the cast as Robin and this show has a somewhat dark side that gives it a complex edge that makes it more complex than just some guy who wants to give money to the poor. The story builds over the 3 seasons and has a a great end and is great to re-watch over and over. American television producers need to be taking notes because BBC clearly knows what it's doing. Give this a watch if you think you would enjoy

The King's Speech

This is one of my all time favorite movies and I have watched it probably 10 times. This movie is about the story of King George VI his sudden ascension to the throne following his brother's abdication and the speech therapist who helped him overcome his speech impediment and help him become the monarch he is remembered as. This is such a wonderful and poignant film and has won so many awards. It's hard for me to write what I want to say because there's so much to say I don't know where to start.

The all- star cast in this film was expertly cast and the performances are absolutely outstanding. The soundtrack is also phenomenal, being done by Alexandre Desplat who is known for the last 2 Harry Potter films as well as countless others. This film has so many wonderful touching moments and so many powerful moments, it takes place during a very tense period in history and the relationship built between the main characters is intimate and special and you can see that being built and it's so special. I get goosebumps every time I watch this film. This film won 4 Oscars as well as 103 other awards so you can see why it's a spectacular film. Give this a watch if you enjoy absolutely superb performances!