Best movies like The Column
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The Roman Emperor Trajan has just murdered all the local men of Dacia and holds a military stronghold in what will later become Rumania. He places a Roman centurion in his place to occupy his latest conquest. After lopping off the head of the Dacian warlord, the soldier uses his blood-stained hands to dine on cheese and bread, unable to suppress his laughter. The centurion has a change of heart when he is put in charge of the region, freely dispensing justice and forgiveness to the conquered inhabitants. When the peace is threatened by marauding barbarians in masks of fur, the locals help the Romans fend off the invasion.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 748
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Romania, West Germany
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags:
Best tv shows and movies like The Column (1968):
Similar in 80%
Slave Queen of Babylon (1963)
Plot Summary:
General Onnos returns from a successful military campaign to the Assyrian capital of Nineveh. He presents King Minurte with a number of newly-captured slaves including Kir, defeated king of the Dardanians. Kir attracts the attention of Semiramis, a beautiful young woman who's a member of Minurte's court and who has imperial ambitions. She persuades Minurte to give her a province and then uses slave labor, including Kir, to build herself a city which becomes Babylon. All this time she schemes to overthrow Minurte using shifting alliances with both Kir and General Onnos.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 158
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Italy
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: campy
Similar in 77%
Boris Godunov (1986)
Plot Summary:
Praised for its fine photography and production design if not its narrative, Sergei Bondarchuk directed this adaptation of the tale by Alexander Pushkin. Boris Godunov came to the Czarist throne at the end of the 16th century, after the original heir to Ivan the Terrible had died. At first, things went well for Godunov (played by Bondarchuk), but when the Russian people began to believe he had killed Ivan the Terrible's son in order to gain the throne, an alliance sprang up against the new Czar. Events continued to spin out of control as a young monk was presented as the son Godunov had supposedly killed. Now he was openly accused of failing an assassination attempt, which seems to be even worse than succeeding. In addition to these woes, Boris Godunov began to suffer serious health problems. So much for the joys of kingship.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 279
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, West Germany, Poland
Duration: 141 min
Plot tags: spiritual
Similar in 78%
Pharaoh (1966)
Plot Summary:
Young Pharaoh Ramses XIII clashes with Egypt's clergy over influence on the affairs of the state and its coffers.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, History
Country: Poland
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: epic
Similar in 79%
Burebista (1980)
Plot Summary:
The life of Dacian war-leader Burebista who ruled between 80-44 B.C.and founded a strong Dacian Kingdom despite considerable pressure from the neighboring Celtic warlords and the Greek cities of the Black Sea coast.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 390
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: Romania
Duration: 142 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 75%
Vlad the Impaler: The True Life of Dracula (1979)
Plot Summary:
Vlad Tepes, otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler and Dracula, fights the Ottoman Turks on the battlefield and the Hungarian Boyars in his court.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Romania
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: gothic, political
Similar in 78%
79 A.D. (1962)
Plot Summary:
Intrigue at the Roman Emperor's court prior to its destruction by Vesuvius.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 132
Genere: Action, Drama, History, Romance
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 86%
A Queen for Caesar (1962)
Plot Summary:
Story of the power struggle between Egyptian queen Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy, and how a common soldier risks his life to serve her.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 127
Genere: Adventure, History
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 84%
Duel of Champions (1961)
Plot Summary:
A Roman nobleman, Horatius leads an imperial legion during the long and bloody war between the Romans and the Albans. A desperate arrangement is agreed on how to settle the war. Three valiant brothers are chosen from each side to fight one last fierce and bloody duel.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 343
Genere: Action, Drama, History
Country: Italy, Yugoslavia
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: serious
Similar in 79%
Julius Caesar (1979)
Plot Summary:
The assassination of the would be ruler of Rome at the hands of Brutus and company has tragic consequences for Brutus and the republic.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 253
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 161 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 84%
A.D. (1985)
Plot Summary:
Set just after the death of Jesus Christ, this mini-series chronicles the life & adventures of Jesus's disciples, and events in Rome during the reigns of the Emperors Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 511
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Italy, France, USA
Duration: 600 min
Plot tags: christian film, biblical, epic
Similar in 79%
The Centurion (1961)
Plot Summary:
Protests break out in Corinth against Roman domination, injuring Caius Vinicius, a Roman centurion. He's rescued by Hebe -- daughter of the anti-Roman governor, Critolaus -- who's being unsuccessfully wooed by the governor's second-in-command, the villainous Diaeus. Smitten, Hebe sends the handsome Roman to recuperate at the home of Callicrates, a political moderate. Artemide, wife of Callicrates, also falls for Caius Vinicus but when he spurns her, she has him arrested and imprisoned. Hebe then agrees to marry Diaeus if he will spare the Roman's life but Caius Vinicius is soon freed by Callicrates and his allies, just as a Roman army arrives to battle Corinthian forces.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 147
Genere: Drama
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 77 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 81%
The Last Roman (1968)
Plot Summary:
A Roman noble, Cethegus, tries to start a war, setting the Ostrogoths and their Queen, Amalasuntha, against the Byzantine Emperor Justinian; Cethegus wants to swoop in after they have destroyed each other and create a new Roman Empire from their combined kingdoms; however, he does not factor into his plans the vagaries of love and the personal integrity of the people in both kingdoms.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 438
Genere: Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: Italy, West Germany, Romania
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: sexy, epic
Similar in 84%
Brennus, Enemy of Rome (1963)
Plot Summary:
AKA: Brennus, Enemy of Rome, AKA: Battle of the Valiant A 1963 film about the sack of Rome in 387 BC.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 101
Genere: Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: Italy
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 90%
Duel of the Titans (1961)
Plot Summary:
Steve Reeves and George Scott are raised by wolves, but grow up to become the founders of Rome.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 928
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: perverse, exciting, serious, captivating, realistic, stylized, psychotronic, campy
Similar in 83%
Decline of an Empire (2014)
Plot Summary:
The life of Katherine of Alexandria. Constantine joins the Roman army to find his missing childhood friend. Once alerted to his friend's whereabouts, he prepares for an all out war between the East and the West. Contains the last film role of Peter O'Toole, who died before the film was released.
IMDB Rating: 3.3
IMDB Votes: 484
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, disturbing, suspenseful, weird
Similar in 81%
Proud Heritage (1989)
Plot Summary:
Following the 1394 Battle of Rovine between the Wallachian and Ottoman armies Wallachian ruler Mircea the Elder consolidates his reign.In a small civil war he manages to oust his brother Dan from Wallachia.Dan's dream of usurping the Wallachian throne is destroyed and he is banished from the kingdom.After this confrontation Prince Mircea the Elder ruler of Wallachia receives envoys from the Polish king and from the Ottoman sultan.In their attempt to conquer Europe the Ottoman Turks are seeking European allies.Their envoys to Wallachia want to persuade Prince Mircea to join them but the Polish envoys also are hoping to sway Wallachia to their side.Prince Mircea of Wallachia hesitates.An alliance with fellow Christian Poles seems logical but their conditions are harsh.The conditions of a possible military alliance with the Ottoman Turks are more attractive.However,the Ottoman Turks are Muslim and they also are the traditional enemies of the small Christian kingdom of Wallachia.Caught.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 832
Genere: Action, Drama, History, War
Country: Romania
Duration: 136 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 76%
Stephen the Great - Vaslui 1475 (1975)
Plot Summary:
In 1475 when Stephen the Great, ruler of Moldavia is facing an invading Ottoman army of 120 000 men, the fate of Christian Europe largely depends on the battle's outcome.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 730
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: Romania
Duration: 137 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 88%
The Dacians (1966)
Plot Summary:
The great King of Dacia, Decebal (Decebalus), is disposed to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to keep the integrity of his people. His own son, Cotyso, is given to the god Zamolxis to the dismay of the King and his daughter Meda. Septimius Severus a young roman devoted to his adopted country, must make the choose between his blood origins and the culture he was raised to.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: Romania, France
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 90%
Constantine and the Cross (1961)
Plot Summary:
Constantin is fighting against Barbarians with his father when he is called to Rome. In his way to Rome, he falls in an ambush planned by Maxence, who wants to become emperor.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 550
Genere: Adventure, Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: Italy, Yugoslavia
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: epic, serious, realistic, saga, christian film, independent film
Similar in 75%
Pompeii: The Last Day (2003)
Plot Summary:
In 79 AD, one of the infamous natural disasters in human history occurred when Mount Vesuvius erupted. With speculative dramatizations of various inhabitants' final hours along with detailed documentation of the known facts concerning the eruption, the horrific day is vividly brought to life.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK, USA, Germany, France
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: rough, bleak, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, psychotronic, semi documentary, period drama, disaster movie
Similar in 90%
Antony and Cleopatra (1972)
Plot Summary:
Adaptation of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, a historical drama that attempts to bring an epic visual style to the Bard's original stage play. The story concerns Marc Antony's attempts to rule Rome while maintaining a relationship with the queen of Egypt (Hildegarde Neil), which began while Antony was still married. Now he is being forced to marry the sister of his Roman co-leader, and soon the conflict leads to war.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK, Spain, Switzerland
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: epic, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, gloomy, independent film
Similar in 83%
Boudica (2003)
Plot Summary:
The Celtic queen who shook the Roman Empire. Boudica is one of history’s first and fiercest women warriors. Sickened by ceaseless war, the king of the Iceni accepts a treaty with the Romans in exchange for his tribe’s continued independence. But oppressively high taxes impoverish the tribe and soon the Romans want something more — slaves. Refusing to submit, the Romans, led by the greedy and psychotic Emperor Nero, move to crush the Iceni and control their lands. Drawing on the strength of her warriors, mystical druidic powers, and her own pain, Boudica unites the historically fractious tribes of Briton to unleash a stunning onslaught on the Roman colonial camps. The ferocity of Boudica’s attacks will shake the foundations of the Roman empire and make her a legend.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Drama, History, War
Country: UK, Romania
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, epic, realistic, rough, costume drama, serious, period drama
Similar in 82%
Hannibal: Rome's Worst Nightmare (2006)
Plot Summary:
It is 200 years before the birth of Christ and Rome is the new superpower of the ancient world. She believes she is invincible - but one man is destined to change that. He is a man bound by oath to avenge the wrongs inflicted on his home and, in pursuit of revenge, he will stop at nothing. Hannibal explores the man behind the myth, revealing what drove the 26-year-old to mastermind one of the most audacious military moves in history. With 40,000 soldiers and 37 elephants, he marched 1,500 miles to challenge his enemies on their own soil. It was an act so daring that few people believed it possible.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: UK
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, captivating, realistic, inspirational, historical drama, epic
Similar in 90%
Julius Caesar (1970)
Plot Summary:
All star cast heads up this 1970 remake of the William Shakespeare classic tale of the betrayal of the the Roman senate against their emperor, the plotting and scheming that led up to the assassination of the title charecter, and all of Romes' fickleness towards the events.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: UK
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: epic, cult classic, tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, psychotronic, independent film
Similar in 81%
The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
Plot Summary:
Drawn from the same events that later inspired Gladiator, the film charts the power-hungry greed and father-son betrayal that led to Rome's collapse at the bloody hands of the Barbarians.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 188 min
Plot tags: epic, captivating, exciting, serious, stylized, retro, breathtaking, spiritual, visually appealing, technicolor
Similar in 77%
Druids (2001)
Plot Summary:
In the year 60 B.C. a group of Druids, including the arch-druid Guttuart (Max von Sydow), witness the passing of a comet and interpret it as the sign of the coming of a king for their country Gaul, which has not had a king for a long time. Guttuart goes to Gergovia, the capital of the Arvenes tribe, to attend a meeting of Gallic tribal chieftains. The young boy Vercingetorix, along with his friend the young girl Eponia, sneak into a large cavern where Celtill, Vercingetorix's father and chieftain of the Arvenes, hosts the meeting of chieftains with the intention of proclaiming himself king of all Gauls. When Celtill shows off the crown once worn by the old kings of Gaul, an arrow from two Roman spies (dressed as Gauls) hits Celtill in the back.
IMDB Rating: 2.7
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: France, Belgium, Canada
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: rough, exciting, serious, epic, captivating, realistic
Similar in 77%
Barbarians Rising (2016)
Plot Summary:
Told from the perspective of the rebel leaders, the series chronicles a wave of rebellions against absolute power by those the Roman Empire called “barbarians” – tribes they viewed as beyond the fringe of civilization that lived a brutish and violent existence. But these also were men and women who launched epic struggles that shaped the world to come with a centuries-long fight to defeat the sprawling empire.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Documentary, Action, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, semi documentary
Similar in 88%
Augustus: The First Emperor (2003)
Plot Summary:
Caesar Augustus tells of how he became the emperor to his reluctant daughter, Julia following the death of her husband Agrippa.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Austria
Duration: 200 min
Plot tags: epic, serious, realistic, stylized, exciting, political, political thriller, costume drama, historical drama, crying
Similar in 85%
Empire (2005)
Plot Summary:
As Conqueror Julius Caesar is drawing his last breath, he swears Tyrannus—Rome's finest warrior—to an oath to protect his successor, Octavius, his 18-year-old nephew. Tyrannus and Octavius are forced into exile to protect the young man from those who want to sever Caesar's bloodline once and for all.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 360 min
Plot tags: epic, realistic, exciting, serious, historical drama
Similar in 83%
Nero (2004)
Plot Summary:
As a young boy, future emperor Nero witnesses the mad Emperor Caligula kill his father and exile his mother. While in exile in the pontine islands, Agrippina, his mother, sees a vision telling her that her son can become emperor, but she will have to die first. She accepts the proposal. Back in Rome, Nero, now being raised by emperor Claudius after Caligula's death, Agrippina returns. She poisons Claudius' food and Nero becomes emperor. At first, Nero cuts taxes and introduces successful programs and invades Brittania. Soon he meets a beautiful slave named Claudia Acte, and marries her, throwing off his engagement with Claudius' daughter, Claudia Octavia, telling her she can marry someone she will be happy with. Heartbroken, she arrives at an island and kills herself. Nero enjoys being married to Claudia Acte, but soon he gradually goes mad with power and sets fire to Rome.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 691
Genere: Biography, Drama, War
Country: Italy, Germany, UK, France, Tunisia
Duration: 192 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, epic, period drama