Summary

• Movies about the French Revolution are diverse, including costume dramas, horror films, comedies, and more, all set during this turbulent time period.
• Some movies aim for historical accuracy and shed light on the horrors faced by ordinary people during the French Revolution.
• Notable films on the French Revolution include "The Affair of the Necklace," "Napoléon," "Brotherhood of the Wolf," and "Marie Antoinette," each offering a unique perspective on this significant historical event.

Few events in Western civilization have been as important as the French Revolution, and French Revolution movies prove its inspiration throughout the years. This expression of popular unrest that toppled the monarchy and ultimately led to a bloody era of repression known as The Terror (and the rise of Napoleon) has proven to be fertile ground for movies. The films have been around since the silent era and remain in demand in 2023, with Ridley Scott's Napoleon another addition to the historical subgenre.

While some filmmakers chose the genre of costume dramas to explore the issues of inequality and social decay, others are adaptations of famous works of literature, adapted from everyone from Charles Dickens to Baroness Emmuska Orczy. There are also horror movies and comedies based around this period. What they have in common is that they are set during this most turbulent period of French history. The best movies aren't afraid to shine a light on the horrors that happened to regular people during the French Revolution.

15 The Affair Of The Necklace (2001)

The Story Of The Necklace That Led To The French Revolution

The Affair of the Necklace is one of those events that historians have pinpointed as leading to a gradual disillusionment between Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. In the real event, Marie Antoinette was falsely accused of attempting to fraud the Crown's jewelers. In reality, a French thief had forged her signature and did it. Regardless, the public turned against the Queen, and this moment eventually led to the French Revolution.

Several critics also accused the film of several inaccuracies concerning the thief.

The film of the same name is gorgeous, with all the trappings typically associated with costume dramas. It is a bit unusual in its casting of Hilary Swank as Jeanne, a notorious thief, given that she had never appeared in a costume drama. Critics slammed the movie, but audiences appreciated it more (15% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 42% audience score). Several critics also accused the film of several inaccuracies concerning the thief, Jeanne de Saint-Rémy de Valois.

14 The Visitors: Bastille Day (2016)

The Third Movie In The Les Visiteurs Film Series

When thinking about French Revolution movies, images of rich nobles beheaded by the guillotine, angry mobs wearing their tri-colored cockades while fighting for justice, or major events like the Storming of the Bastille come to mind. The Visitors: Bastille Day (Les Visiteurs: La Révolution) is the rare movie that can find humor in such a tumultuous period. Heads may roll, but it was still lauded for being funny. It is also the third installment of the Les Visiteurs time-travel comedy series, which started in 1993.

The first movie was about a 12th-century knight and his squire time traveling to the 20th century. They continue to travel in time, but the second movie ends with the twist in that they end up in during the French Revolution, and this movie is the next in line and picks up from that point, where Jacquouille and Godefroy have to escape the war and find their way back home.

13 One Nation, One King (2018)

One Of The More Historically Accurate French Revolution Movies

This French film, directed by Pierre Schoeller, shows three of the most important scenes of the Revolution: the Storming of the Bastille, the Women’s March on Versailles, and the execution of King Louis XVI. It also manages to depict the evolution of the government bodies, from the Estates-General through the National Constituent Assembly up to the National Assembly, giving time to different Revolutionary leaders such as Danton, Marat, and Robespierre.

This film can feel clunky but strives for cinematic grandeur and historical fidelity. It initially screened out of competition at the Venice Film Festival and was released by StudioCanal in . One Nation, One King earned two award nominations at the Cesar Awards for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. As a smaller international movie, there are very few critical reviews. However, the main criticism is that the film does little to show the real revolution and focuses on the commoners standing up against the ruling class.

12 The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)

A Movie About A Man Trying To Save Those Persecuted During The Revolution

In some ways, the 1930s was a golden age for adventure films when various studios tried to push out as many of these swashbuckling films as possible. The Scarlet Pimpernel is about an English aristocrat who adopts a different identity to help save those being persecuted by the Revolution, and it is a perfect fit. The characters are perfectly cast, and while it might lack some of the adrenaline of more modern movies about the French Revolution, it’s still a lovely film from a bygone era of Hollywood.

Based on the novel by Baroness Orczy, already turned into a stage play by this time.

Based on the novel by Baroness Orczy, already turned into a stage play by this time, The Scarlet Pimpernel stars Leslie Howard as Sir Percy Blakeney, a man who leads a secret society that saves the lives of aristocrats from the French mobs who want them dead. This film is mostly a smaller movie about rebels during the French Revolution but is also a fun action adventure tale about overcoming great odds.

11 The French Revolution (1989)

A Six-Hour Epic Telling Of The Entire French Revolution

So much happened in the French Revolution that most movies about it fail to capture the scope. This movie (originally titled La Révolution française) was made to commemorate the bicentennial of the Revolution. It was divided into two parts: Years of Hope (les Années lumière) and Years of Rage (les Années terribles). It captures everything from the beginning, remaining true to history while letting the characters have a chance to feel like real people. This is the only movie that encomes the entire French Revolution.

The two movies total six hours, with the first part showing the early days of the French Revolution and the second part focusing on the aftermath of the 10 August Insurrection and the Reign of Terror. The cast is huge, with the most recognizable faces being Jane Seymour and Peter Ustinov. Most historians praised the movie's historical accuracy while also criticizing the film's decision to remain neutral about the war, making it hard to find anyone to follow.

10 The Lady And The Duke (2001)

One Of The More Violent French Revolution Movies

While violence lurks just off the screen in many French Revolution movies, this one takes a few risks by showing the destruction that the Terror perpetrated against the enemies of the Revolution. Directed by Éric Rohmer, the film is based on Grace Elliott's memoirs as a royalist caught in the aftermath of the French Revolution.

It was sharply criticized by many in because it didn't hold back in showing the revolutionary violence. However, it is a well-constructed film, and the narrative is full of suspense as the main character, an Englishwoman caught up in the Revolution, must try to stay alive. The movie shows more violence than other French Revolution films, but it also proves to be extremely realistic. The complaints about the violence might be the point here, as the movie shows the terrors of the war, and doesn't ease back on its ugly truths.

9 Napoléon (1927)

A SIlent Era French Revolution Masterpiece

​​​​​​This silent film, written, directed, and produced by Abel Gance, is one of the masterpieces of early cinema and stands up well with most modern French Revolution movies. It follows Napoléon Bonaparte from his early military training through significant events of his career, such as his victory at the Siege of Toulon, his early romance with Joséphine, and his control of the army in the wars with Italy.

This first movie was ahead of its time, using things like fast cutting, close-ups, POV shots, multiple camera angles, and more.

The movie was restored to its original glory in 1981, a second time in 2016, and a more recent Napoléon film based on the true story arrived in 2023. However, this first movie was ahead of its time, using things like fast cutting, close-ups, POV shots, multiple camera angles, and more at a time when these techniques were just becoming known in the movie-making world. The movie was a very long 562 minutes, with mostly positive reviews, sitting at 88% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

8 Saint-Just And The Force Of Things (1975)

A Forgotten French Revolution Movie

Saint-Just and the Force of Things (Saint-Just ou La force des choses) is a movie about the French Revolution that has all but been forgotten. Directed by Pierre Cardinal, Saint-Just and the Force of Things follows the Jacobin leader Louis Antoine de Saint-Just (Patrice Alexsandre), who was Robespierre’s friend during the Reign of Terror. In the movie, Alexsandre skillfully portrays the titular hero as an erudite and imioned radical who tries to reshape his nation. It all finally comes to an end with his execution via the guillotine.

This film was released in two parts on French television. It follows Louis Antoine Saint-Just from his time as a child to his role in the Terror when he took on the role on the Committee of Public Safety. The movie has few critical reviews, but the audience seemed to love it, giving it a 7.5 out of 10 scores on IMDb, with all but 10 reviews giving it a 5 or higher score.

7 History Of The World, Part 1 (1981)

Mel Brooks Spoofs The French Revolution

Mel Brooks’ send-up of the historical drama is a great comedy movie about different historical moments, including the French Revolution. Brooks, of course, has always had an eye for finding those things that make seemingly serious genres (horror, epic, western) unintentionally hilarious. While the Revolution only takes up a part of this film, it’s memorable in large part because Mel Brooks himself portrays the hapless Louis XVI.

It’s a truly glorious spoof of the costume drama. It also remains a cult classic and got a sequel over 40 years later on Hulu. Other than the French Revolution, the movie also has sections over the Stone Age, the Old Testament (Moses and the 10 Commandments), the Roman Empire (Julius Caesar), and the Spanish Inquisition (which includes a song and dance number). History of the World, Part 1 received mixed to negative reviews, but fans disagreed with the pundits, giving the movie an 81% fresh rating for audience score at Rotten Tomatoes.

6 Brotherhood Of The Wolf (2001)

A Supernatural Horror Movie In The French Revolution

Though most films about the Revolution are either biopics or costume dramas, this one is a little different. Told in flashback by a nobleman about to be executed during the Revolution, Brotherhood of the Wolf focuses on a huntsman and his efforts to track down an elusive beast slaughtering people in one of the provinces. It’s a rather haunting film, to be sure, though it also has moments of excess that remain dated in hindsight.

One of the few films about the French Revolution that plays out as a straight horror story.

Christopher Gans proved his masterful directorial eye in this movie, which is loosely based on real-life killings and the legend of the beast of Gévaudan. One of the few films about the French Revolution that plays out as a straight horror story, it remains one of the best French horror movies of all time. For fans who want a movie about the war itself, look elsewhere, as this film only uses it as a backdrop for its horror tale. Brotherhood of the Wolf won the Cesar Award for Best Costume Design.