Film by Historical Era Trivia Quiz

Charlton Heston portrays the wealthy Jewish prince and merchant Judah Ben-Hur in the religious epic "Ben-Hur" (1959) set in the first century AD in the time of Christ. It is a remake of a 1925 silent film and adapted from the 1880 novel "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ" by Lew Wallace. Ben-Hur is falsely condemned by a former childhood friend to become a galley slave with his family also being punished.

After various adventures he ends up confronting his former friend in a chariot race. The film broke records for the costs of the film-making at the time, involving over 200 camels, 2,500 horses and 10,000 extras.

The film won eleven Oscars amongst other awards.

Another award-winning historical epic set in Roman times, this time in the 2nd century AD, the film "Gladiator" (2000) stars Russell Crowe as the Roman general whose family is murdered and is himself reduced to a slave by an emperor's son with ambitions for the throne.

Inspired by the Daniel P. Mann novel "Those About to Die" (1958), Crowe's character rises through the ranks as a gladiator before encountering the cause of his downfall. A sequel was released in 2024.

Directed by Akira Kurosawa, "Rashomon" (1950) is the first Japanese film to gain recognition through awards in the West. It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival as well as an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. It has given rise to the Rashomon effect, a plot device where characters give conflicting, subjective versions of the same incident, in this case the murder of a Samurai warrior. Based on a short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa called "In a Grove", this is set in the 12th century Heian era of Japan by which time the Rashomon gate is in ruins.

In the 1938 Soviet-era film "Alexander Nevsky" directed by film-making pioneer Sergei Eisenstein, the Teutonic Order attempts to invade Novgorod in the 13th century. They are met by an army under Alexander Yaroslavich (or Nevsky) at the Battle of Lake Peipus (also known as the Battle of the Ice) in 1242. As with many of the Soviet films from this era, there was a political message. The actual history around the conflict is contradictory and unclear, though this did mark the eastern limit of the crusaders' expansion.

The 15th century King of England is the subject of the 1989 "Henry V", an adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same name. Kenneth Branagh portrays the king in the film in his directorial debut. The film shows that Henry is persuaded that he is the rightful heir to the throne of France and is encouraged to take it when his claim is turned down.

The French and English come to blows at the Battle of Agincourt (1415).

The 1972 film "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" depicts a search for the legendary city of El Dorado during the conquistador era. It was directed by Werner Herzog and developed a cult following as well as receiving wide-spread critical acclaim. The Spanish soldier Lope de Aguirre (portrayed by Klaus Kinski) is part of a party of conquistadors travelling the Amazon River in search of the fabled city of gold.

This is a fictional portrayal of the final expedition of the 16th century Basque conquistador nicknamed El Loco and who styled himself "the Wrath of God".

The production became known for its arduous filming, being shot entirely on location in Peruvian rainforest.

The setting is the late 18th century for the multi-award winning 1984 drama "Amadeus". The film portrays an imagined relationship between two Viennese composers Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce), driven by Salieri's professional jealousy.

The film takes the form of a confession by Salieri at a psychiatric hospital. It was adapted by Peter Shaffer from his 1979 play, itself inspired by Alexander Pushkin's 1830 play "Mozart and Salieri".

Although there is overlap between Napoleon and Mozart, Mozart died in 1791 at the age of 35 and before Napoleon came into his powers. The film starring Albert Dieudonné in the title role was the 1927 silent-era film "Napoléon". It was intended to be the first of six films covering Napoleon's career, however only the first was made.

The original film does not survive. There are records of over 30 versions ranging in run time from about two hours to over nine hours, with well-known reconstructions in 1980 and 2000 (incorporating previous missing footage). Screenings continue to be made. The film covers Napoleon's early years, through the French Revolution, his marriage to Josephine and his preparations for invading Italy.

The film starring Nate Parker (and directed by him) is the 2016 version of "The Birth of a Nation" which focuses on an 1831 slave rebellion. Nate Parker portrays Nat Turner who is raised in a Virginian plantation, becomes a roving preacher with his master where he witnesses the mistreatment of slaves on other plantations, before leading an ill-fated slave rebellion.

The film can be seen as a response to the controversial 1915 silent film of the same name.

Further into the 19th century and after Napoleon's time comes the 2013 film "12 Years a Slave" directed by Steve McQueen. It is based on the 1853 memoir by Solomon Northup who was sold into slavery in 1841. He was kidnapped in Washington D.C. and forced to work on a Louisiana plantation. Chiwetel Ejiofor portrays Northup with supporting roles portrayed by actors such as Michael Fassbender and Benedict Cumberbatch with the film winning numerous awards including three Oscars.