The 30 best History movies of the 1980s

1. 1

   The Elephant Man (1980)

   directed by David Lynch · 124 min · 8.1 4,040 votes

2. 2

   Amadeus (1984)

   directed by Miloš Forman · 180 min · 8.0 4,896 votes

3. 3

   Das Boot (1981)

   directed by Wolfgang Petersen · 209 min · 8.1 2,620 votes

4. 4

   Raging Bull (1980)

   directed by Martin Scorsese · 129 min · 7.9 4,878 votes

5. 5

   Come and See (1985)

   directed by Elem Klimov · 142 min · 8.2 1,945 votes

6. 6

   The Untouchables (1987)

   directed by Brian De Palma · 119 min · 7.8 6,306 votes

7. 7

   Ran (1985)

   directed by Akira Kurosawa · 162 min · 8.0 1,900 votes

8. 8

   The Color Purple (1985)

   directed by Steven Spielberg · 154 min · 7.7 2,027 votes

9. 9

   Gandhi (1982)

   directed by Richard Attenborough · 191 min · 7.6 2,559 votes

10. 10

    The Last Emperor (1987)

    directed by Bernardo Bertolucci · 163 min · 7.6 1,972 votes

11. 11

    Empire of the Sun (1987)

    directed by Steven Spielberg · 152 min · 7.5 2,194 votes

12. 12

    Glory (1989)

    directed by Edward Zwick · 122 min · 7.5 1,860 votes

13. 13

    Kagemusha (1980)

    directed by Akira Kurosawa · 160 min · 7.8 764 votes

14. 14

    The Mission (1986)

    directed by Roland Joffé · 126 min · 7.4 1,595 votes

15. 15

    The Killing Fields (1984)

    directed by Roland Joffé · 142 min · 7.5 858 votes

16. 16

    The Right Stuff (1983)

    directed by Philip Kaufman · 193 min · 7.4 1,001 votes

17. 17

    Out of Africa (1985)

    directed by Sydney Pollack · 161 min · 7.2 1,578 votes

18. 18

    Casualties of War (1989)

    directed by Brian De Palma · 113 min · 7.2 1,043 votes

19. 19

    Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)

    directed by Nagisa Ōshima · 124 min · 7.3 542 votes

20. 20

    Babette's Feast (1987)

    directed by Gabriel Axel · 104 min · 7.2 453 votes

21. 21

    Gorillas in the Mist (1988)

    directed by Michael Apted · 129 min · 7.0 676 votes

22. 22

    Henry V (1989)

    directed by Kenneth Branagh · 137 min · 7.1 420 votes

23. 23

    Gallipoli (1981)

    directed by Peter Weir · 112 min · 7.0 567 votes

24. 24

    Roger & Me (1989)

    directed by Michael Moore · 91 min · 7.1 326 votes

25. 25

    Chariots of Fire (1981)

    directed by Hugh Hudson · 125 min · 6.8 1,068 votes

26. 26

    Reds (1981)

    directed by Warren Beatty · 195 min · 6.9 383 votes

27. 27

    The Bounty (1984)

    directed by Roger Donaldson · 132 min · 6.8 668 votes

28. 28

    A Passage to India (1984)

    directed by David Lean · 163 min · 6.8 346 votes

29. 29

    Heaven's Gate (1980)

    directed by Michael Cimino · 217 min · 6.7 432 votes

30. 30

    Great Balls of Fire! (1989)

    directed by Jim McBride · 108 min · 6.3 350 votes

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Method: TMDb audience rating weighted by vote count, with a vote floor per list. No position is editorial opinion; it is the catalogue, ordered.

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