Best 18 History Movies Must-Watch Released in 1980

A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, intelligence and sophistication. Get info on The Elephant Man / IMDB / YouTube

A dramatization of the ascent to Caesar and subsequent reign of Caligula, one of the most notorious leaders of ancient Rome. Check out Caligula / IMDB / YouTube

A petty thief with an utter resemblance to a samurai warlord is hired as the lord's double. When the warlord later dies the thief is forced to take up arms in his place. More about Kagemusha: The Shadow Warrior / IMDB / YouTube

In 1924, Oskar Matzerath is born in the Free City of Danzig. At age three, he falls down a flight of stairs and stops growing. In 1939, World War II breaks out. Info on The Tin Drum / IMDB / YouTube

Three Australian lieutenants are court martialed for executing prisoners as a way of deflecting attention from war crimes committed by their superior officers. Read about Breaker Morant / IMDB / YouTube

The origins, exploits and the ultimate fate of the Jesse James gang is told in a sympathetic portrayal of the bank robbers made up of brothers who begin their legendary bank raids because of revenge. Get info on The Long Riders / IMDB / YouTube

Pasolini's artistic, sometimes violent, always vividly cinematic retelling of some of Chaucer's most erotic tales. Find out about The Canterbury Tales / IMDB / YouTube

An English navigator becomes both pawn and player in the deadly political games in feudal Japan. Details on Shogun / IMDB / YouTube

The daughter of a politically disgraced university professor struggles to find a place for herself in love and life, in the uncertain world of Japan leading into WWII. Find out about No Regrets for Our Youth / IMDB / YouTube

Female prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp (Auschwitz) are spared from death in return for performing music for their captors. Find out about Playing for Time / IMDB / YouTube

St. Petersburg, mid 19th century: the indolent, middle-aged Oblomov. He sleeps much of the day. His boyhood companion, Stoltz, now an energetic and successful businessman, adds Oblomov to his circle and introduces him to Olga. More about A Few Days from the Life of I.I. Oblomov / IMDB / YouTube

In the Siberian wilderness in the village of Yelan, two families live, who have long been at war with each other: the «kulaks» of Solomina and the «poor people» of Ustyuzhanina. More about Siberiade / IMDB / YouTube

The story of Clarence Earl Gideon and his fight for the right to have publicly funded legal counsel for the needy. See more about Gideon's Trumpet / IMDB / YouTube

An ex-aristocrat from France and an alcoholic English lawyer find themselves crossing paths and in love with the same woman during the French Revolution. Look into A Tale of Two Cities / IMDB / YouTube

A documentary on the history of garlic. Blank interviews chefs, garlic lovers, and historians about the their love of the 'stinking rose.' Learn about Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers / IMDB / YouTube

Germany 1939. Hans and Lene marry the day before the war breaks out, and Hans is sent to the Eastern front. During a bombing raid their daughter Anna is born. The house is destroyed and Lene and Anna moves in with relatives in Berlin. Hans survives the war but he is not the same person as in 1939, and he and Lene find it difficult to live together again. More about Germany Pale Mother / IMDB / YouTube

When honest young Tolly is forced on the run with 'Black Jack,' adventure and mishap are never far away. Based on Leon Garfield's popular novel, Ken Loach's 'Black Jack' is a dark, complex adventure film set in the 18th century. Look into Black Jack / IMDB / YouTube

Two friends from a small village in Cuenca, Spain, accused of murder by their neighbors, confess to the crime after being tortured, See more about The Cuenca Crime / IMDB / YouTube