Best History Movies of the 1960s

1. 1
   Harakiri 1962

   Directed by Masaki Kobayashi · Streaming on Criterion Channel
   8.3

   8.5 · 1.3K votes
2. 2
   Lawrence of Arabia 1962

   Directed by David Lean · Streaming on Netflix, Philo, Sony Pictures Core
   8.0

   8.0 · 3.6K votes
3. 3
   Judgment at Nuremberg 1961

   Directed by Stanley Kramer · Streaming on fuboTV, MGM+, Philo
   7.8

   8.0 · 1K votes
4. 4
   The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer 1961

   Directed by Masaki Kobayashi · Streaming on Criterion Channel
   7.8

   8.4 · 233 votes
5. 5
   Andrei Rublev 1966

   Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky · Streaming on Darkroom
   7.8

   7.9 · 991 votes
6. 6
   The Battle of Algiers 1966

   Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo · Streaming on HBO Max, Kanopy, Shout! Factory TV
   7.8

   7.9 · 942 votes
7. 7
   The Virgin Spring 1960

   Directed by Ingmar Bergman · Streaming on Kanopy, Criterion Channel
   7.7

   7.8 · 696 votes
8. 8
   The Miracle Worker 1962

   Directed by Arthur Penn · Streaming on fuboTV, MGM+, Philo
   7.6

   7.9 · 362 votes
9. 9
   The Longest Day 1962

   Directed by Ken Annakin
   7.5

   7.6 · 1.1K votes
10. 10
    Spartacus 1960

    Directed by Stanley Kubrick · Streaming on MGM Plus, TCM
    7.5

    7.5 · 2.5K votes
11. 11
    Marketa Lazarová 1967

    Directed by František Vláčil · Streaming on Criterion Channel
    7.2

    7.8 · 167 votes
12. 12
    Zulu 1964

    Directed by Cy Endfield · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Kanopy
    7.2

    7.4 · 592 votes
13. 13
    Birdman of Alcatraz 1962

    Directed by John Frankenheimer · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, Hoopla
    7.2

    7.5 · 365 votes
14. 14
    A Man for All Seasons 1966

    Directed by Fred Zinnemann · Streaming on YouTube Free, Fawesome
    7.2

    7.3 · 522 votes
15. 15
    The Lion in Winter 1968

    Directed by Anthony Harvey · Streaming on Kanopy, Plex, Plex Channel
    7.2

    7.4 · 422 votes
16. 16
    The Color of Pomegranates 1969

    Directed by Sergei Parajanov · Streaming on Eternal Family
    7.1

    7.4 · 362 votes
17. 17
    War and Peace 1968

    Directed by Sergei Bondarchuk
    7.1

    7.7 · 172 votes
18. 18
    The Bible: In the Beginning... 1966

    Directed by John Huston · Streaming on Wonder Project
    7.0

    7.3 · 305 votes
19. 19
    The Damned 1969

    Directed by Luchino Visconti
    7.0

    7.3 · 241 votes
20. 20
    Cleopatra 1963

    Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
    7.0

    7.1 · 897 votes
21. 21
    Chimes at Midnight 1965

    Directed by Orson Welles · Streaming on HBO Max, Criterion Channel
    6.9

    7.2 · 256 votes
22. 22
    The Alamo 1960

    Directed by John Wayne · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla, MGM Plus
    6.9

    7.1 · 418 votes
23. 23
    Salvatore Giuliano 1962

    Directed by Francesco Rosi
    6.9

    7.5 · 122 votes
24. 24
    Mutiny on the Bounty 1962

    Directed by Lewis Milestone · Streaming on The Roku Channel, Hoopla, YouTube TV
    6.9

    7.1 · 362 votes
25. 25
    Is Paris Burning? 1966

    Directed by René Clément
    6.9

    7.2 · 231 votes
26. 26
    King of Kings 1961

    Directed by Nicholas Ray
    6.9

    7.2 · 248 votes
27. 27
    Becket 1964

    Directed by Peter Glenville · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Kanopy
    6.9

    7.2 · 208 votes
28. 28
    War and Peace, Part I: Andrei Bolkonsky 1966

    Directed by Sergei Bondarchuk · Streaming on Criterion Channel, HBO Max
    6.8

    7.6 · 85 votes
29. 29
    The Trial of Joan of Arc 1963

    Directed by Robert Bresson · Streaming on HBO Max, Criterion Channel
    6.8

    7.2 · 157 votes
30. 30
    The Conspirators 1969

    Directed by Luigi Magni
    6.8

    7.6 · 74 votes
31. 31
    War and Peace, Part III: The Year 1812 1967

    Directed by Sergei Bondarchuk · Streaming on HBO Max
    6.8

    7.6 · 68 votes
32. 32
    Anne of the Thousand Days 1969

    Directed by Charles Jarrott
    6.7

    7.2 · 140 votes
33. 33
    Taxi for Tobruk 1961

    Directed by Denys de La Patellière
    6.7

    7.1 · 154 votes
34. 34
    Battle of the Bulge 1965

    Directed by Ken Annakin · Streaming on Hoopla, Plex Channel, Tubi TV
    6.7

    6.9 · 293 votes
35. 35
    The Night of Counting the Years 1969

    Directed by Shadi Abdel Salam · Streaming on Public Domain Movies
    6.7

    7.6 · 63 votes
36. 36
    The 317th Platoon 1965

    Directed by Pierre Schoendoerffer · Streaming on Hoopla, OVID
    6.7

    7.3 · 85 votes
37. 37
    The Agony and the Ecstasy 1965

    Directed by Carol Reed · Streaming on Xumo Play
    6.7

    7.0 · 159 votes
38. 38
    War and Peace, Part IV: Pierre Bezukhov 1967

    Directed by Sergei Bondarchuk · Streaming on HBO Max
    6.7

    7.5 · 62 votes
39. 39
    Battle of Britain 1969

    Directed by Guy Hamilton · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, History Vault
    6.7

    6.8 · 368 votes
40. 40
    The Story of Ruth 1960

    Directed by Henry Koster · Streaming on Wonder Project
    6.6

    7.5 · 59 votes
41. 41
    El Cid 1961

    Directed by Anthony Mann · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube Free, Tubi TV
    6.6

    6.8 · 317 votes
42. 42
    Barabbas 1961

    Directed by Richard Fleischer · Streaming on TCM
    6.6

    6.9 · 190 votes
43. 43
    55 Days at Peking 1963

    Directed by Nicholas Ray · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube Free, Tubi TV
    6.6

    6.9 · 193 votes
44. 44
    Triumph Over Violence 1965

    Directed by Mikhail Romm
    6.6

    7.5 · 58 votes
45. 45
    Culloden 1964

    Directed by Peter Watkins
    6.6

    7.4 · 58 votes
46. 46
    The Round-Up 1966

    Directed by Miklós Jancsó · Streaming on Kanopy
    6.6

    7.2 · 77 votes
47. 47
    America America 1963

    Directed by Elia Kazan
    6.6

    7.0 · 102 votes
48. 48
    War and Peace, Part II: Natasha Rostova 1966

    Directed by Sergei Bondarchuk · Streaming on HBO Max
    6.6

    7.2 · 75 votes
49. 49
    Samurai Assassin 1965

    Directed by Kihachi Okamoto
    6.6

    7.3 · 63 votes
50. 50
    Far from the Madding Crowd 1967

    Directed by John Schlesinger · Streaming on YouTube Free, Broadway HD
    6.5

    6.9 · 109 votes

Smart score = (votes × rating + 82 × 6.03) ÷ (votes + 82): the TMDB rating, pulled toward the catalog average as if every film had 82 extra average votes.

1. 1
   Hero of the Red Light District 1960

   Directed by Tomu Uchida
   6.3

   8.7 · 11 votes
2. 2
   The Adventures of Werner Holt 1965

   Directed by Joachim Kunert · Streaming on Kanopy
   6.4

   7.9 · 19 votes
3. 3
   I Was Nineteen 1968

   Directed by Konrad Wolf · Streaming on Kanopy, MUBI
   6.4

   7.6 · 27 votes
4. 4
   Early Spring 1963

   Directed by Xie Tieli
   6.4

   7.8 · 20 votes
5. 5
   Case of the Naves Brothers 1967

   Directed by Luiz Sérgio Person
   6.3

   7.8 · 17 votes
6. 6
   Samurai Banners 1969

   Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki
   6.4

   7.4 · 28 votes
7. 7
   Antigone 1961

   Directed by Yorgos Tzavellas · Streaming on Kanopy, Fandango at Home Free, Mometu
   6.3

   7.6 · 19 votes
8. 8
   The Old Testament 1963

   Directed by Gianfranco Parolini · Streaming on Fawesome
   6.3

   7.6 · 15 votes
9. 9
   Assassination 1965

   Directed by Jiří Sequens
   6.3

   7.5 · 17 votes
10. 10
    The Column 1968

    Directed by Mircea Drăgan
    6.3

    7.5 · 17 votes