When you think of a period piece, that typically means a movie that takes place in roughly the last 250 years. There are plenty of movies set in the 19th or 20th centuries, but there are far fewer set in the 15th century. In that time, societies were organized differently, and technology was roughly the same for hundreds of years.
With the recent release of Robert Eggers’ critically acclaimed Viking film The Northman, it’s worth considering other movies that are set in the more distant past. These movies can often shine a light on the ways that people have changed over the years, and equally important, how they haven’t. These movies reflect the vast array of human experience, even as they are all set before 1500.
The Last Duel (2021)
Braveheart (1995)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Rashomon (1950)
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
Ran (1985)
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
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