10 Best Movies Based on History Novels

Movies are a great place to go for escapism. While it’s important to be aware of what’s going on in the world right now, sometimes we need a break from our reality. Some people turn to fantasy for said escapism, but historical films are another avenue to take. If you’re still interested in grounded stories that impact everyday people, but want to learn about the past, this genre is perfect. Luckily, many authors have provided great foundations for these types of films by penning engrossing history novels.

Schools and forced book reports have given a negative connotation toward history novels, with many believing they are a dry recounting of dates and events. On the contrary, historical novels can have some of the most intense plots and be a prime space for analysis as we have the hindsight of knowing how many of the issues and events played out. Here are 10 of the best movies based on history novels.

10 The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner is a touching tale first penned by Khaled Hosseini before being adapted to the big screen. It’s about a boy named Amir growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan in the late-1970s. He comes from a privileged family who can afford servants, and he befriends the son of one of them, a boy named Hassan. While their families come from different tax brackets, the boys bond, especially over kite running. During a kite-fighting contest, Amir finds a group of bullies trapping Hassan. They demand Amir’s kite in order to free Hassan, but Hassan refuses and the bullies violently beat and sexually assault him.

The events at that competition, of course, change the boys’ friendship. Alongside the personal turmoil the boys are facing, the country is going through its own social and political changes: the falling of the monarchy, the introduction of the Soviet military, the Taliban coming into power, and Afghans fleeing to other countries. Amir in many ways is an unlikeable character, he is selfish and makes countless mistakes. Yet he is not irredeemable and through both his childhood and the scenes of him as an adult, viewers will come to understand why he made some of the choices he did.

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9 The Phantom of the Opera

Hardcore Broadway fans will have many opinions about what the best version of the beloved classic The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux is. Which actress could capture Christine’s naivete and spunk, or which actor would portray the Phantom’s tortured soul without dialing it up too far? The 2004 adaptation starring Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler is a great contender. Set in 1870, the film follows Christine and the other performers at a Parisian opera house. Theater lore has it that an opera ghost haunts the place, which causes the current leading lady to step down and allow Christine to finally shine.

The Phantom will go to extreme lengths to influence Christine’s career, foil her kindling romance with her childhood love Raoul, and have her fall for him instead. As with the original book and musicals, this adaptation is sweeping, dramatic, and romantic. Butler’s lack of vocal experience stood out among his co-stars and he perhaps could’ve been recast for the role. Rossum made up for that with her soaring vocals and dynamic acting, which is even more impressive given that she was 16 years old at the time of filming.

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8 The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby

Release Date

May 10, 2013

Director

Baz Luhrmann

Cast

Lisa Adam, Frank Aldridge, Amitabh Bachchan, Steve Bisley, Richard Carter, Jason Clarke

Rating

PG-13

Main Genre

Drama

1920s New York is a prime setting to indulge in the glitz and glamor of the Flapper era mixed with the crime and grit consequences of Prohibition. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby that eventually turned into a critically acclaimed film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. Nick Carraway (Maguire) moves to New York after giving up his dream of writing. His small place can’t compare to the decadent mansion of his neighbor Jay Gatsby. Nick eventually worms his way into Gatsby’s life and that of his inner circle. A perk of rubbing noses with this crowd is an invitation to Gatsby’s many lavish parties.

Gatsby was once in love with Nick’s cousin Daisy, who is now married. Nick convinces Daisy to go to one of Gatsby’s shindigs and a tangled mess of complicated family dynamics, friendships, and relationships form. Criticism of social class privileges and hindrances, as well as the American Dream, are dripping through this film alongside dribbles of champagne. Nick is the perfect vehicle to witness all the Rich People Drama. Additionally, the frame narrative device showing Nick years later in a psychiatric hospital feeds viewers’ curiosity as to how these different relationships will pan out.

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7 Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing

Release Date

July 15, 2022

Director

Olivia Newman

Cast

Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, David Strathairn

Rating

PG-13

Main Genre

Drama

Coming-of-age. Courtroom thriller. Murder mystery. Where the Crawdads Sing has a lot of elements coursing through its DNA, but it works. It’s why author Delia Owens has sold over 18 million copies. Our main character is a girl named Kya growing up in the marshes of North Carolina. One by one her mother and siblings leave their home, making Kya have to fend for herself against her violent father. Eventually, he leaves too, and Kya learns to survive by herself out in the wilderness. She has help from a couple who buy the mussels she catches, but most people tend to avoid the Marsh Girl. Except for two boys: Tate and Chase.

This is not a love triangle story. Tate was arguably Kya’s first love, but when he ditches her it triggers the abandonment wounds she’s yet to heal, and there to help her cope (or take advantage of her predicament) is the wealthy Chase. The flash-forward scenes depict Kya on trial for Chase’s murder and audiences get to try and piece the puzzle together as well. The story is an ode to nature, to loneliness, to acceptance. While some of the courtroom scenes and timeline distracted from the more engaging timeline of witnessing Kya grow up, it was still worth it to arrive at the ending that both ties up loose ends and leaves viewers with more questions.

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Related: How Where the Crawdads Sing Succeeds as a Movie Adaptation

6 Holes

Holes

Release Date

April 18, 2003

Director

Andrew Davis

Cast

Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, Tim Blake Nelson, Shia LaBeouf, Khleo Thomas, Jake M. Smith

Rating

PG

Main Genre

Adventure

Holes is a dual-timeline story with a surprising amount of depth of character and scope than one might expect from a children’s movie or book. Louis Sachar penned the novel centering a boy named Stanley Yelnats. Stanley’s family has a long history of bad luck, and it impacts him directly when he’s falsely accused of stealing and sentenced to eighteen months at Camp Green Lake. But this isn’t your average camp: here, the boys have to dig holes to “build character.”

As Stanley is getting to know the other boys and counselors, as well as his own family’s connection to the place, there are flashbacks to the nineteenth century. A woman named Katherine is a schoolteacher who is sweet and mild-mannered. She falls in love with a Black man named Sam, a big no-no at the time. Her feelings for Sam make him a target for the racists in the town, and he ends up getting shot. Katherine takes revenge on the men who killed Sam and transforms into the outlaw Kissin’ Kate Barlow. She could have a film dedicated solely to her story, though how the two timelines weave together is fantastic.

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5 Rebecca (1940)

Rebecca started as a gothic novel written by Daphne du Maurier. The 1940 Alfred Hitchcock film adaptation captured the eerie and macabre elements of the original story. We follow an unnamed protagonist who begins the film working for her demanding employer when she meets Maxim de Winter. The two have a quick romance, and she agrees to marry him despite hearing about Maxim’s ex-wife, Rebecca, who tragically drowned.

When the second Mrs. de Winter and Maxim arrive at his seaside estate called Manderley, she realizes Rebecca’s presence is practically built into the walls. The housekeeper was quite fond of Rebecca and has a hard time accepting Maxim’s new love. And the house itself, or spirits within it, also seem to want to rid this Monte Carlo mansion of its new occupant. Netflix reimagined the tale in 2020, but this earlier black-and-white version has just the right touch of melodrama and melancholy to captivate viewers with its timeless charm.

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Related: Best Murder Mystery Movies Based on Books, Ranked

4 The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees

Release Date

September 17, 2008

Director

Gina Prince-Bythewood

Cast

Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo, Paul Bettany

Rating

PG-13

Main Genre

Drama

If you’re looking for a Southern film with a rich setting and well-rounded characters, watch The Secret Life of Bees. Based on the bestselling book by Sue Monk Kidd, this story is the epitome of found family. In 1964 South Carolina, Lily lives with her father after she accidentally killed her mother. Her father is a nasty, abusive man and the only place the young girl can turn to is her Black maid Rosaleen. The two of them eventually flee from town and end up in another town which may give more insight into Lily’s mother.

The pair end up on the property of August Boatright and her sisters who run a beekeeping and honey business. Despite the Boatrights being Black women and having reason to deny taking in a White girl for fear of repercussions, they invite her into their family. Each of the Boatright sisters has depth, but it’s August (played by Queen Latifah) who holds the heart of the film. In a time when differences were emphasized, August connects with Lily on a human level. The backdrop of racial tensions gives an edge to an otherwise wholesome story and is an important movie to watch.

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3 Gone with the Wind

Gone With the Wind

Release Date

February 16, 1940

Director

Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood

Cast

Thomas Mitchell, Barbara O’Neil, Vivien Leigh, Evelyn Keyes, Ann Rutherford, George Reeves

Rating

G

Main Genre

Drama

War romance films can really strike an emotional chord with audiences, given the life-or-death stakes associated with war and the strong emotions tied to a great love. Author Margaret Mitchell nailed this when she published Gone with the Wind in 1936. But a great base story is nothing without fantastic leading actors. Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable portrayed the roles of Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler, two individuals living in the American South during the American Civil War period.

Scarlett comes from a wealthy family where she is expected to behave a certain way and marry a certain kind of man. Scarlett meets Rhett before he joins the war effort, but eventually marries another. Their paths cross again after the death of her husband. Life is much different for them now, and with the South losing in the war, Scarlett needs Rhett’s help to find safety.

The film shows the characters questioning the ideals of the South they grew up in, especially Scarlett whose family owned a plantation. She can be a frustrating character at times, never truly happy with herself and her life, but her flaws are also what makes her feel so real.

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2 Of Mice and Men (1992)

Of Mice and Men is one of the most common required reading books for children in schools. The novella was written by John Steinback and published in 1937. There have been a couple of adaptations of this classic, but the 1992 film starring Gary Sinise and John Malkovich truly taps into the resonance of the original work. Set during the Great Depression, it’s about two farmers named George and Lennie. Lennie has a mental disability, and it has gotten him in trouble in the past.

George has an urge to protect Lennie from the judgment of others, which there’s a lot of on the new ranch they find work on. The new cast of people around them makes it hard for them to keep their dream of owning their own piece of land. It’s not often that stories focus on adult friendship between two men, and the two leads do a great job at translating the connection George and Lennie have. It also tackles the stigma against mental disabilities and what kind of people fit within the confines of the American Dream.

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1 In Cold Blood

True crime has a strong hoard of devotees tuning in to and supporting various media from podcasts to YouTube channels to miniseries. In Cold Blood, both the 1967 film and 1966 book by Truman Capote, were pioneers that brought fascination of true crime to the mainstream. The book is considered a non-fiction novel, meaning it is based on real events, but the author took some liberties with plot, conversations, and characterization. Director and producer Richard Brooks made other alterations in the film adaptation.

The murder of all four members of the Clutter family is the central crime. This gruesome event rocks the town of Holcomb, Kansas. The audience isn’t kept in the dark about the killers’ identities. In a bold move, viewers know who committed the murders and their reasons behind it early on, but that doesn’t suck any of the tension from the film. In fact, it only heightens it. Perhaps it’s the black-and-white cinematography adding to the noir tone or the fact that many of the filming locations are the places where the actual crimes occurred, but there is an ominous hanging over the entire film until the very end.

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