List of films based on actual events (before 1940)

This is a list of films and miniseries that are based on actual events. All films on this list are from American production unless indicated otherwise.

Not all films have remained true to the genuine history of the event or the characters they are portraying, often adding action and drama to increase the substance and popularity of the film. This list should only include films supported by a Wikipedia article.

1890s

The Dreyfus Affair (French: L'affaire Dreyfus) (1899) – French biographical short film reconstructing episodes from the trial of Alfred Dreyfus

The Execution of Mary Stuart (1895) – historical short film portraying the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots

King John (1899) – British drama short film about the life of John, King of England

Major Wilson's Last Stand (1899) – British silent short war film dramatizing the final engagement of the Shangani Patrol and the death of Major Allan Wilson and his men in Rhodesia in 1893

1900s

Attack on a China Mission (1900) – British silent drama film depicting the Boxer Rebellion, which began in the early months of 1900

Joan of Arc (French: Jeanne d'Arc) (1900) – French silent film based on the life of Joan of Arc

Capital Execution (Danish: Henrettelsen) (1903) – Danish silent film telling the true story of a French woman who is condemned to death for killing her two children

Dingjun Mountain (Mandarin: 定軍山) (1905) – Chinese historical film depicting a dramatized account of Battle of Mount Dingjun (219 AD)

The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906) – Australian bushranger film following the life of the legendary bushranger Ned Kelly, often cited as the first full-length feature film

Eureka Stockade (1907) – Australian silent film about the Eureka Rebellion

The Unwritten Law (1907) – crime drama film, about Harry Kendall Thaw's killing of Stanford White over his involvement with model and actress Evelyn Nesbit.

Antony and Cleopatra (1908) – historical film based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare, dramatizing the ill-fated romance between Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII of Egypt

The Assassination of the Duke of Guise (French: La Mort du duc de Guise) (1908) – French historical film about the murder of Henry I, Duke of Guise, in 1588

The Boston Tea Party (1908) – silent historical drama film about the Boston Tea Party of 1773

The Last Days of Pompeii (Italian: Gli ultimi giorni di Pompeii) (1908) – Italian historical drama film about the cataclysmic destruction of the city of Pompeii by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79

Macbeth (1908) – historical drama film based on the William Shakespeare play of the same name about Macbeth, King of Scotland

The Reprieve: An Episode in the Life of Abraham Lincoln (1908) – biographical film based on the life of Abraham Lincoln

Edgar Allen Poe (1909) – silent drama film focusing on Edgar Allan Poe and his wife Virginia Clemm, who is bedridden and seriously ill

The Life of Moses (1909) – silent epic christian film telling the story of the life of Moses

Macbeth (1909) – French historical drama film based on the William Shakespeare play of the same name about Macbeth, King of Scotland

Macbeth (1909) – Italian historical drama film based on the William Shakespeare play of the same name about Macbeth, King of Scotland

1910s

1910

Abraham Lincoln's Clemency (1910) – historical film revolving around US President Abraham Lincoln pardoning a hapless sentry who had fallen asleep while on duty during the height of the American Civil War

Davy Crockett (1910) – silent Western film loosely based on the frontiersman Davy Crockett

Peg Woffington (1910) – silent historical film about the actress Peg Woffington

Peter the Great (Russian: Pyotr Velikiy) (1910) – Russian short film showing the main events in the life of Peter the Great

Pocahontas (1910) – silent drama film depicting a retelling of the well-known story of Pocahontas

1911

The Colleen Bawn (1911) – romantic drama film based on the actual 1819 murder of 15-year-old Ellen Scanlan

The Colleen Bawn (1911) – Australian romantic drama film based on the actual 1819 murder of 15-year-old Ellen Scanlan

Defence of Sevastopol (Russian: Оборона Севастополя) (1911) – Russian historical war film about the Siege of Sevastopol during the Crimean War

Henry VIII (1911) – British historical film depicting the life of Henry VIII, based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher

The Life and Deeds of the Immortal Leader Karađorđe(Serbian: Живот и дела бесмртног вожда Карађорђа) (1911) – Serbian silent film depicting the eponymous rebel leader Karađorđe, who led the First Serbian uprising of 1804–1813

Macbeth (1911) – historical drama film based on the William Shakespeare play of the same name about Macbeth, King of Scotland

Sweet Nell of Old Drury (1911) – Australian silent film about the relationship between Nell Gwynne and King Charles II

1912

1812 (Russian: 1812 год) (1912) – Russian historical war film illustrating the events Patriotic War of 1812

Cleopatra (1912) – historical drama film about the fabled queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, and her affair with Roman general Mark Antony

Custer's Last Fight (1912) – silent Western film about George Armstrong Custer and his final stand at the Battle of the Little Bighorn

From the Manger to the Cross (1912) – Christian drama film telling the story of Jesus Christ's life, interspersed with verses from The Bible

The Independence of Romania (Romanian: Independența României) (1912) – Romanian historical war film depicting the events of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), which led to independence for Romania

The Loves of Queen Elizabeth (French: Les Amours de la reine Élisabeth) (1912) – French silent drama film based on the love affair between Elizabeth I and the Earl of Essex

Richard III (1912) – French-American silent drama film depicting the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of King Richard III of England

Saved from the Titanic (1912) – silent drama film about the sinking of the RMS Titanic

1913

Antony and Cleopatra (Italian: Marcantonio e Cleopatra) (1913) – Italian historical film based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare, following the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony from the time of the Sicilian revolt to Cleopatra's suicide during the War of Actium

The Battle of Gettysburg (1913) – silent war film based on the American Civil War battle of the same name

David Garrick (1913) – silent film about the actor David Garrick

The Eaglet (French: L'aiglon) (1913) – French historical film portraying the life of Napoleon II

King Charles (1913) – British historical film about Charles II's escape to Continental Europe, following his army's defeat at the Battle of Worcester

The Last Days of Pompeii (Italian: Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei) (1913) – Italian historical drama film about the cataclysmic destruction of the city of Pompeii by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79

Macbeth (1913) – historical drama film based on the William Shakespeare play of the same name about Macbeth, King of Scotland

One Hundred Years of Mormonism (1913) – historical film depicting the early history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Quo Vadis (1913) – Italian historical drama film set during the latter years of the reign of the emperor Nero

Sixty Years a Queen (1913) – silent historical film about the life and reign of Queen Victoria

When Lincoln Paid (1913) – historical drama film focusing on Abraham Lincoln's well-known practice of pardoning young Civil War soldiers condemned to die

1914

Cabiria (1914) – Italian epic film set in ancient Sicily, Carthage, and Cirta during the period of the Second Punic War, featuring an eruption of Mount Etna, heinous religious rituals in Carthage, the alpine trek of Hannibal, Archimedes' defeat of the Roman fleet at the Siege of Syracuse and Scipio maneuvering in North Africa

The Higher Law (1914) – silent drama film about François Villon

Home, Sweet Home (1914) – silent biographical film about John Howard Payne and his creation of the song Home! Sweet Home!

In the Land of the Head Hunters (1914) – historical drama film fictionalizing the world of the Kwakwaka'wakw peoples of the Queen Charlotte Strait region of the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada

The Indian Wars Refought (1914) – silent Western film depicting several historical battles of The Indian Wars

Ireland a Nation (1914) – British historical film telling the history of Ireland between 1798 and 1914

Judith of Bethulia (1914) – silent drama film about the life of Judith

Julius Caesar (Italian: Giulio Cesare) (1914) – Italian historical film portraying the events leading up to the assassination of Julius Caesar

The Life of General Villa (1914) – silent biographical action–drama film incorporating both staged scenes and authentic live footage from real battles during the Mexican Revolution, around which the plot of the film revolves

The Life of Shakespeare (1914) – British biographical film following the life of the English playwright William Shakespeare

The Oubliette (1914) – silent historical drama film about François Villon

Richelieu (1914) – historical drama film portraying the life of the Seventeenth Century French statesman Cardinal Richelieu

The Sleeping Sentinel (1914) – historical drama film based on William Scott, a private in the 3rd Vermont Infantry, who fell asleep while on guard duty

1915

Barbara Frietchie (1915) – silent war drama film based on the life of Barbara Fritchie

The Birth of a Nation (1915) – epic drama film chronicling the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth and the relationship of two families in the Civil War and Reconstruction eras over the course of several years

Captain Courtesy (1915) – historical drama film set against the events surrounding the formation of the California Republic on June 14, 1846, and its occupation by United States forces on July 9, 1846

DuBarry (1915) – historical drama film about Madame du Barry

Florence Nightingale (1915) – British silent historical film portraying the life of Florence Nightingale, particularly her innovations in nursing during the Crimean War

Jane Shore (1915) – British silent historical film based on the life of Jane Shore

Macbeth (1915) – French historical drama film based on the William Shakespeare play of the same name about Macbeth, King of Scotland

Martyrs of the Alamo (1915) – historical war drama film about the siege of Béxar, the Battle of the Alamo, and the Battle of San Jacinto

Mistress Nell (1915) – silent historical adventure film about Nell Gwyn

The Prince and the Pauper (1915) – silent lost film about King Edward VI of England

The Raven (1915) – biographical film based on the life of Edgar Allan Poe

Regeneration (1915) – silent biographical crime drama based on the 1903 memoir My Mamie Rose, by Owen Frawley Kildare

Titanic (1915) – Italian biographical film about the discovery of the mineral titanic

Under the Crescent (1915) – drama miniseries based on the real life of its lead actress, Ola Humphreyy, who in 1911 married Egyptian Prince Ibrahim Hassan, cousin of the Khedive

War and Peace (Russian: Война и мир) (1915) – Russian historical film chronicling the Napoleonic era within Russia, notably detailing the French invasion of Russia and its aftermath

1916

A Yoke of Gold (1916) – historical melodrama set in the early days of the California missions

The Blacklist (1916) – silent drama film based on the 1915 Colorado miners strike

David Garrick (1916) – silent historical film based on the life of the eighteenth century British actor David Garrick

Davy Crockett (1916) – silent film telling the story of the famous Tennessee frontiersman, soldier, scout Davy Crockett

De Voortrekkers (1916) – epic historical film portraying the Boers' "Great Trek" of the 1830s, concluding with a hegemonic recreation of the Battle of Blood River that occurred on 16 December 1838, when a few hundred armed Afrikaners defeated several thousand Zulus

Disraeli (1916) – British silent biographical film telling the story of mid-Victorian statesman Benjamin Disraeli manages to thwart the plans of Britain's rival Great Powers and gain control of the strategically important Suez Canal

Intolerance (1916) – historical anthology film depicting a Judean story of Christ's mission and death, a French story of the events surrounding the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of 1572 and a Babylonian story of the fall of the Babylonian Empire to Persia in 539 BC and a modern American story (set in about 1914 depicting an industrial strike and its suppression

Joan the Woman (1916) – silent epic drama film about Joan of Arc

Macbeth (1916) – historical drama film based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare depicting an account of Macbeth, King of Scotland, Macduff, and Duncan

The Mutiny of the Bounty (1916) – Australian-New Zealander silent film about the mutiny aboard HMS Bounty

Nurse Cavell (1916) – Australian lost film about the execution of Nurse Edith Cavell in the previous year

1917

Betsy Ross (1917) – silent historical film depicting the story of Revolutionary War heroine Betsy Ross who finds herself in competition with her sister for the affections of a British soldier

The Black Stork (1917) – drama film depicting a fictionalized account of a "eugenic infanticide" of the child John Bollinger

Cleopatra (1917) – silent historical drama film telling the story of Cleopatra

The Conqueror (1917) – silent biographical Western film depicting he life of Sam Houston; soldier, statesman, patriot, and one of the founders of the Republic of Texas

The Fall of the Romanoffs (1917) – silent drama film taking place during the final days of Rasputin's influence on the Imperial Family shortly before the Russian Revolution

Her Country's Call (1917) – silent drama film depicting Abraham Lincoln as the American president and the Civil War up to Lincoln's assassination

The Lincoln Cycle (1917) – silent film portraying the life of American president Abraham Lincoln

Madame Du Barry (1917) – historical drama film about Madame du Barry, the last maîtresse-en-titre of King Louis XV

Rasputin, the Black Monk (1917) – lost silent drama film depicting the rise and fall of Rasputin, the so-called "mad monk" who dominated the court of the Russian czar in the period prior to the Russian Revolution

Santos Vega (1917) – Argentine historical drama film based on the story of the legendary gaucho Santos Vega

The Spirit of '76 (1917) – historical drama film about the American Revolutionary War

The Trooper of Troop K (1917) – drama war film based on a black U.S. Army cavalry unit in the early 1900s

The Woman God Forgot (1917) – historical romantic drama film about Moctezuma II, the ninth Emperor of the Aztec Empire, and his daughter Isabel Moctezuma

1918

Casanova (1918) – Hungarian biographical film about Giacomo Casanova

The Crusaders (Italian: La Gerusalemme liberata) (1918) – Italian historical film set during the Crusades and describes Godfrey of Bouillon's conquest of Jerusalem in 1099

Fabiola (1918) – historical drama film about the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Ferdinand Lassalle (1918) – German silent historical film portraying the life of Ferdinand Lassalle

Fields of Honor (1918) – historical drama film depicting a dramatic portrayal of what women are sacrificing to World War I

Het proces Begeer (1918) – Dutch silent drama film and based on the true story of three criminals who prepare a robbery on the diamond company of the firm Begeer in Amsterdam

The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin (1918) – war propaganda melodrama film depicting a propagandist view of the First World War, showing the political greed of the Kaiser Wilhelm II, the resistance of some of his own soldiers, and fanciful prediction of the nature of the war's end

Lest We Forget (1918) – silent war drama film about the 1915 Lusitania sinking

The Life Story of David Lloyd George (1918) – British silent biographical film about David Lloyd George, British Prime Minister from 1916 to 1922

Men Who Have Made Love to Me (1918) – silent biographical feminist film based on Mary MacLane's experiences with six different men

My Four Years in Germany (1918) – silent war drama film based on the experiences of real life U. S. Ambassador to Germany James W. Gerard

Nelson (1918) – British historical film based on the biography of Admiral Horatio Nelson

Private Peat (1918) – lost silent biographical drama film recalling Harold Peat's experiences as one of the first Americans to enlist in WW1

Symbol of Sacrifice (1918) – South African historical war film dramatizing the 1879 Anglo-Zulu War

The Woman the Germans Shot (1918) – silent war biographical film about the life and career of Nurse Edith Cavell

1919

Charlotte Corday (1919) – silent historical drama film about Charlotte Corday, a figure of the French Revolution who assassinated revolutionary and Jacobin leader Jean-Paul Marat on 13 July 1793

Deliverance (1919) – silent film which tells the story of the life of Helen Keller and her teacher, Annie Sullivan

The Fighting Roosevelts (1919) – biographical film about Theodore Roosevelt

Giuliano l'Apostata (1919) – Italian historical drama film about the Roman Emperor Julian, known as Julian the Apostate for his rejection of Christianity

Madame Dubarry (1919) – German silent film based on the life of Madame du Barry

Nocturne of Love (German: Nocturno der Liebe) (1919) – German silent historical film portraying the life of the composer Frederic Chopin

Ravished Armenia (1919) – silent drama film about the Armenian genocide based on the account of survivor Aurora Mardiganian, who also played the lead role in the film

The Romance of Lady Hamilton (1919) – British historical drama film following the love affair between the British Admiral Horatio Nelson and Lady Emma Hamilton during the Napoleonic Wars

1920s

1920

Anna Boleyn (1920) – German historical film about Anne Boleyn

Catherine the Great (1920) – German historical film about Catherine the Great, empress of Russia

Countess Walewska (1920) – German historical film about Napoleon and Marie Walewska

The Dancer Barberina (1920) – German historical film about Frederick the Great and Barberina Campanini

The Duke of Reichstadt (German: Der Herzog von Reichstadt) (1920) – Austrian historical film about the life of Napoleon

Headin' Home (1920) – silent biographical sports film about the life of baseball player Babe Ruth

If I Were King (1920) – silent drama film about François Villon

Madame Récamier (1920) – German historical film portraying the life of Juliette Récamier, a French society figure of the Napoleonic Era

Mary Tudor (German: Maria Tudor) (1920) – German historical drama film based on the play of the same name by Victor Hugo, about Mary I of England

The Tragedy of a Great (German: Die Tragödie eines Großen) (1920) – German silent historical film depicting the life of the painter Rembrandt

Within Our Gates (1920) – silent race film portrays the contemporary racial situation in the United States during the early twentieth century, the years of Jim Crow, the revival of the Ku Klux Klan, the Great Migration of blacks to cities of the North and Midwest, and the emergence of the "New Negro"

1921

Danton (1921) – German silent historical film following the trial and execution of several leading French Revolutionaries including Georges Danton

Disraeli (1921) – silent historical drama film depicting the story of British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli and the purchase by England of the Suez Canal

The Gunsaulus Mystery (1921) – silent race film inspired by events and figures in the 1913–1915 trial of Leo Frank for the murder of Mary Phagan

Jánošík (1921) – Slovak historical film about the popular legend of the highwayman Juraj Jánošík

Jesse James as the Outlaw (1921) – Western historical film about Jesse James' return home to Missouri after the American Civil War

Jesse James Under the Black Flag (1921) – Western historical film about Jesse James' joining of the Quantrill's raiders, a guerrilla force which fought against union sympathizers during the American Civil War

Lady Hamilton (1921) – German historical film depicting the love affair between the British Admiral Lord Nelson and Lady Emma Hamilton

Ninety-Three (French: Quatre-vingt-treize) (1921) – French historical film concerning the Revolt in the Vendée and Chouannerie – the counter-revolutionary uprisings in 1793 during the French Revolution

Orphans of the Storm (1921) – silent drama film set in late-18th-century France, before and during the French Revolution

The Queen of Sheba (1921) – silent drama film about the story of the ill-fated romance between Solomon, King of Israel, and the Queen of Sheba

Theodora (Italian: Teodora) (1921) – Italian historical film depicting the life of the Byzantine empress Theodora

1922

A Prince of Lovers (1922) – British silent biographical film portraying the life of the British writer Lord Byron

A Stage Romance (1922) – silent historical drama film portraying the adventures of the British actor Edmund Kean

Cocaine (1922) – British crime film depicting the distribution of cocaine by gangsters through a series of London nightclubs and was reportedly based on real-life criminal Brilliant Chang

Dick Turpin's Ride to York (1922) – British silent historical film telling the story of the famous 18th-century highwayman Dick Turpin and his legendary 200 mi (320 km) overnight ride from London to York on his mount Black Bess

The Earl of Essex (German: Der Graf von Essex) (1922) – German silent historical film about Graf Essex

The Game of Life – British historical film depicting great events of Queen Victoria's reign seen through the eyes of three girls

In the Days of Buffalo Bill (1922) Western miniseries about Buffalo Bill Cody

Louise de Lavallière (1922) – German historical drama film portraying the life of the seventeenth century French courtesan Louise de La Vallière, a lover of Louis XIV

The Loves of Pharaoh (German: Das Weib des Pharao) (1922) – German historical epic film about Pharaoh Amenemope

Lucrezia Borgia (1922) – German historical drama film portraying the life of the Renaissance Italian aristocrat Lucrezia Borgia

Macbeth (1922) – British historical drama film based on the William Shakespeare play of the same name about Macbeth, King of Scotland

Marie Antoinette, the Love of a King (German: Marie Antoinette – Das Leben einer Königin) (1922) – German historical drama film depicting the life of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, during the years leading up to and during the French Revolution in which she was executed

Nanook of the North (1922) – silent docudrama film following the lives of an Inuk, Nanook, and his family as they travel, search for food, and trade in the Ungava Peninsula of northern Quebec, Canada

Nero (1922) – American-Italian silent historical film portraying the life of the Roman Emperor Nero

Peter the Great (German: Peter der Große) (1922) – German silent historical film depicting the life of the reformist Russian Tsar Peter the Great

Rob Roy (1922) – British silent historical film depicting the life of the early 18th century outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor

Salomé (1922) – Christian drama film depicting a loose retelling of the biblical story of King Herod and his execution of John the Baptist at the request of Herod's stepdaughter, Salomé, whom he lusts after

Samrat Ashoka (Telugu: సామ్రాట్ అశోక్) (1922) – Indian Telugu-language historical drama film based on the life of the 3rd Mauryan Indian emperor Ashoka

Samson and Delilah (German: Samson und Delila) (1922) – Austrian Christian drama film depicting the biblical story of Samson and Delilah with a modern twist

1923

A Royal Divorce (1923) – British historical drama film depicting the romantic relationship and political divorce between Emperor Napoleon and his wife Empress Josephine

Bonnie Prince Charlie (1923) – British silent historical film depicting the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 and its aftermath when the Jacobite pretender Charles Edward Stuart evaded capture by the forces loyal to the Hanoverians

Christopher Columbus (1923) – German silent historical film depicting the Discovery of America by the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus in 1492

The Courtship of Miles Standish (1923) – historical drama film about the early days of Plymouth Colony, the colonial settlement established in America by the Mayflower Pilgrims

Franz Lehár (1923) – Austrian silent biographical film portraying the life of the composer Franz Lehár

Friedrich Schiller (1923) – German silent historical film about the life of the eighteenth century writer Friedrich Schiller

Guy Fawkes (1923) – British silent historical film depicting the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 in which a group of plotters planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament

I.N.R.I. (1923) – German silent religious epic film depicting a retelling of the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ

The Little Napoleon (German: Der kleine Napoleon) (1923) – German silent historical comedy film depicting the life and amorous adventures of Jérôme Bonaparte, the younger brother of Napoleon, who installed him as King of Westphalia

The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots (1923) – British silent historical film depicting the life of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her eventual execution

Our Hospitality (1923) – silent comedy film displaying satire of the real-life Hatfield–McCoy feud

Paganini (1923) – German silent historical film about Niccolò Paganini

Richard the Lion-Hearted (1923) – silent historical adventure film about Richard I of England

The Royal Oak (1923) – British historical drama film about the Royal Oak in which King Charles II of England hid to escape the Roundheads following the Battle of Worcester in 1651

The Ten Commandments (1923) – Christian epic film recreating the biblical story of the Exodus

Under the Red Robe (1923) – historical drama film depicting a real historical event, the Day of the Dupes, the timing is the autumn of 1630 when Cardinal Richelieu was Chief Minister for Louis XIII

The Virgin Queen (1923) – British historical film depicting the life of the English Queen Elizabeth I

Wild Bill Hickok (1923) – Western drama film about Washington D.C. Gunfighter Wild Bill Hickok

1924

Abraham Lincoln (1924) – biographical film featuring the presidency and assassination of Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War

America (1924) – Silent historical war romance film based on the heroic story of the events during the American Revolutionary War, in which filmmaker D. W. Griffith created a film adaptation of Robert W. Chambers' 1905 novel The Reckoning

Beau Brummel (1924) – Silent historical drama film depicting the life of the British Regency dandy Beau Brummell

Becket (1924) – British silent drama film depicting the fatal encounter between Henry II and the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket

Charles XII's Courier (Swedish: Carl XII:s kurir) (1924) – Swedish historical adventure film about Charles XII following his defeat at Bender

Claude Duval (1924) – British silent adventure film based on the historical story of Claude Duval

The Colleen Bawn (1924) – British romantic drama film based on the actual 1819 murder of 15-year-old Ellen Scanlan

Diego Corrientes (1924) – Spanish silent historical film portraying the life of the eighteenth century highwaymen Diego Corrientes Mateos

Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall (1924) – historical drama film following the life and romances of Dorothy Vernon in Elizabethan England

Helena (1924) – German historical drama film depicting the fall of Troy

Henry, King of Navarre (1924) – British historical film about Henry IV of France

The Iron Horse (1924) – Western drama film about the construction of the American first transcontinental railroad

Janice Meredith (1924) – historical war drama film about the American Revolutionary War

The Lord of Love and Power (1924) – Indian historical drama film depicting the rivalry between Munj, the Paramara monarch of Dharanagari and Tailap

Messalina (1924) – Italian historical drama film portraying the life of Messalina, the third wife of the Roman Emperor Claudius

1925

Battleship Potemkin (Russian: Бронено́сец Потёмкин) (1925) – Soviet silent drama film presenting a dramatization of the mutiny that occurred in 1905 when the crew of the Russian battleship Potemkin rebelled against its officers

Charles XII (Swedish: Karl XII) (1925) – Swedish historical film depicting the life of Charles XII of Sweden (1682-1718) who oversaw the expansion of the Swedish Empire until its defeat at the Battle of Poltava

The Goose Woman (1925) – silent drama film based in part on the then already sensational Hall-Mills murder case

The Hussar of Death (Spanish: El Húsar de la Muerte) (1925) – Chilean silent biographical film based on the adventures of the guerrilla leader Manuel Rodríguez during the Reconquista, until his death in 1818

Karel Havlíček Borovský (1925) – Czechoslovak biographical drama film about Karel Havlíček Borovský and is set during the 1848 revolutions

Livingstone (1925) – British silent biographical film depicting the life of the African missionary David Livingstone including his efforts to end slavery and bring education in Africa and his celebrated meeting with Henry Morton Stanley

Prem Sanyas (The Light of Asia) (1925) – Weimar-Indian silent film based on the life of Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who founded Buddhism by becoming the Buddha or the "Enlightened one"

The Scarlet West (1925) – historical drama film about George Armstrong Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn

Tumbleweeds (1925) – silent Western film depicting the Cherokee Strip land rush of 1893

1926

The Captain from Köpenick (German: Der Hauptmann von Köpenick) (1926) – German silent film based on the case of Wilhelm Voigt

The Eleven Schill Officers (German: Die elf Schill'schen Offiziere) (1926) – German historical film depicting the failed 1809 uprising of Prussian soldiers led by Ferdinand von Schill against the occupying French during the Napoleonic War

The General (1926) – silent film inspired by the Great Locomotive Chase, a true story of an event that occurred during the American Civil War

The Great K & A Train Robbery (1926) – silent Western film based on the actual foiling of a train robbery by Dick Gordon

Irish Destiny (1926) – Irish historical war film dealing with the Irish War of Independence

Jean Chouan (1926) – French historical film set at the time of the French Revolution, when Jean Chouan took part in a counterrevolutionary uprising

The Johnstown Flood (1926) – Silent epic drama film that addresses the Great Flood of 1889 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania

The Last Days of Pompeii (Italian: Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei) (1926) – Italian historical drama film about the cataclysmic destruction of the city of Pompeii by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79

Nell Gwyn (1926) – British silent romance film following the life of Nell Gwynne, the mistress of Charles II

Nelson (1926) – British historical film about Admiral Horatio Nelson

Our Emden (German: Unsere Emden) (1926) – German war film depicting the operations of the German First World War cruiser SMS Emden

Secrets of a Soul (German: Geheimnisse einer Seele) (1926) – German silent drama film based on the works and theories of Sigmund Freud

With Buffalo Bill on the U. P. Trail (1926) – historical Western film about Buffalo Bill Cody

With Davy Crockett at the Fall of the Alamo (1926) – silent Western film focusing on Davy Crockett before & during his time at the Alamo as one of the defenders, and ultimately, one of those who gave their lives

1927

The Beloved Rogue (1927) – silent romantic adventure film loosely based on the life of the 15th century French poet, François Villon

Bismarck 1862–1898 (1927) – German historical film depicting the latter part of Otto von Bismarck's career including his long spell as Chancellor of Germany

Boadicea (1927) – British biographical historical film depicting the life of the Celtic Queen Boudica and her rebellion against the Roman Empire

The Chess Player (French: Le Joueur d'échecs) (1927) – French silent film based on the story of the chess-playing automaton known as The Turk

Chicago (1927) – silent film inspired by the stories of Belva Gaertner and Beulah Annan, jazz babies on death row

The Club of the Big Deed (Russian: Союз Великого дела) (1927) – Soviet silent historical drama film about the 1825 Decembrist revolt

The End of St. Petersburg (Russian: Конец Санкт-Петербурга) (1927) – Soviet silent film depicting the Bolsheviks' rise to power in 1917

The King of Kings (1927) – silent epic film depicting the last weeks of Jesus before his crucifixion

The Loves of Casanova (1927) – French historical drama film portraying the life and adventures of Giacomo Casanova

Madame Pompadour (1927) – British silent historical drama film depicting the life of Madame de Pompadour, mistress of Louis XV

Mata Hari (German: Mata Hari, die rote Tänzerin) (1927) – German silent drama film depicting the life and death of the German World War I spy Mata Hari

Napoléon (1927) – French silent epic historical film telling the story of Napoleon's early years

Netaji Palkar (1927) – Indian biographical drama film based on the Maratha King Shivaji's Senapati (Commander-in-Chief) Netaji Palkar, and his struggle to save his kingdom

October: Ten Days That Shook the World (Russian: Октябрь (Десять дней, которые потрясли мир)) (1927) – Soviet silent historical film depicting a dramatization of the 1917 October Revolution commissioned for the tenth anniversary of the event

The Private Life of Helen of Troy (1927) – comedy adventure film about Helen of Troy based on the 1925 novel of the same name by John Erskine

Queen Louise (German: Königin Luise) (1927) – German historical film portraying the short life of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of the Prussian monarch Frederick William III

The Yankee Clipper (1927) – historical adventure film set against the maritime rivalry between the United States and Great Britain in the mid-19th century

1928

Balaclava (1928) – British silent war film based on accounts of the Charge of the Light Brigade

The Charge of the Gauchos (Spanish: Una nueva y gloriosa nación) (1928) – Argentine-American silent historical film about Manuel Belgrano, one of the leaders of the 1810 May Revolution

Cleopatra (1928) – historical film about Cleopatra, Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC

Clothes Make the Woman (1928) – historical romantic drama film loosely based on the story of Anna Anderson, a Polish woman who claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, the daughter of the last czar of Russia Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra

Dawn (1928) – British silent war film based on the story of World War I martyr Edith Cavell

The Divine Woman (1928) – silent film loosely based on stories of the early life of the French actress Sarah Bernhardt

Dream of Love (1928) – silent biographical drama film depicting the story of Prince Maurice de Saxe and Adrienne Lecouvreur, a Gypsy performer

Glorious Betsy (1928) – historical drama film depicting the real-life courtship, marriage, and forced breakup of Jérôme Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, and his wife from the American South, Elizabeth Patterson

Huragan (1928) – Polish historical film depicting the events running up to the January uprising

Kastus Kalinovskiy (Russian: Кастусь Калиновский) (1928) – Soviet historical drama film portraying the nineteenth century revolutionary Konstanty Kalinowski

Luther (1928) – German silent film about the life of Martin Luther, father of the Protestant Reformation

Madame Récamier (1928) – French silent film about the life of Juliette Récamier

Maria Marten (1928) – British silent drama film based on the real story of the Red Barn murder in the 1820s

Mulan Joins the Army (Mandarin: 木蘭從軍) (1928) – Chinese historical film about Hua Mulan

The Old Fritz (German: Der alte Fritz) (1928) – German silent historical drama film telling the story of Frederick the Great

The Passion of Joan of Arc (French: La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc) (1928) – French silent historical film based on the actual record of the trial of Joan of Arc

The Patriot (1928) – biographical film telling the story of Emperor Paul I of Russia

Rasputin (German: Dornenweg einer Fürstin) (1928) – German-Soviet drama film about Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin

Rasputin, the Holy Sinner (German: Rasputins Liebesabenteuer) (1928) – German historical film portraying the deep intrigue and mystical fanaticism of the last days of the Romanoffs, when Rasputin, the mad monk, had such a hold over them

Shiraz (1928) – historical drama film based on the story of the commissioning of the Taj Mahal – the great monument of a Mughul prince for his dead queen

Verdun: Visions of History (French: Verdun, visions d'histoire) (1928) – French biographical drama film portraying the battle of Verdun, primarily by recreating the battle on its location, but also with the use of newsreel footage and dramatic scenes

1929

Andreas Hofer (1929) – German historical film based on the story of the Tyrolean innkeeper and patriot Andreas Hofer who led an Austrian uprising against Bavarian and French troops during the Napoleonic Wars

Atlantic (1929) – British drama film based on the RMS Titanic

Cagliostro (1929) – German silent drama film based on the life of the eighteenth century Italian occultist Alessandro Cagliostro

Disraeli (1929) – pre-code historical film revolving around the British plan to buy the Suez Canal and the efforts of two spies to stop it

The Divine Lady (1929) – pre-code drama film telling the story of the love affair between Horatio Nelson and Emma Hamilton

The Iron Mask (1929) – part-talkie adventure film based on the French legend of the Man in the Iron Mask

Ludwig II, King of Bavaria (German: Ludwig der Zweite, König von Bayern) (1929) – German silent historical film portraying the life and reign of the monarch Ludwig II who ruled Bavaria from 1864 to 1886

The Miraculous Life of Thérèse Martin (French: La Vie miraculeuse de Thérèse Martin) (1929) – French silent film depicting biographical account of the late 19th century Discalced Carmelite nun who died at age 24 from tuberculosis and was canonized in 1925

The New Babylon (Russian: Новый Вавилон) (1929) – Soviet historical drama film dealing with the 1871 Paris Commune and the events leading to it

The Queen's Necklace (French: Le collier de la reine) (1929) – French historical drama film about the Affair of the Diamond Necklace which occurred before the French Revolution

The Royal Box (German: Die Königsloge) (1929) – historical film about the life of the British actor Edmund Kean

Waterloo (1929) – German war film depicting the victory of the Allied Forces over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815

1930s

1930

A Lady's Morals (1930) – pre-code biographical film offering a highly fictionalized account of opera singer Jenny Lind

Abraham Lincoln (1930) – pre-code biographical film about Abraham Lincoln

Billy the Kid (1930) – pre-code Western film about the relationship between frontier outlaw Billy the Kid and lawman Pat Garrett

Dreyfus (1930) – German drama film chronicling the Dreyfus affair

The Flute Concert of Sanssouci (German: Das Flötenkonzert von Sans-souci) – German historical drama film telling the story of the rise to power of King Frederick II of Prussia and his military campaigns to make Prussia a major power in Europe

The Loves of Robert Burns (1930) – British historical musical film depicting the life of the Scottish poet Robert Burns

Ludwig II, King of Bavaria (German: Ludwig der Zweite, König von Bayern) (1930) – German silent historical film portraying the life and reign of the monarch Ludwig II who ruled Bavaria from 1864 to 1886

St.