Top 50 Most Popular Slave Movies Of All Time

 

Slavery is an evil practice of stripping humans of all their rights and binding them under the will and ownership of another human master.

 

A slave has to work without any remuneration or respite for their master, who usually gives them little to no human rights.

 

The practice of slavery has been abolished in all parts of the world since the 20th century. However, throughout history, there were many civilizations and empires where slavery was the backbone and driving force.

 

Most commonly, the Roman empire, the British empire, American history, the Egyptian empires, etc., were built on the hard work, sweat, and blood of slaves.

 

This shameful aspect of our history has been recorded and documented through Hollywood movies. Today, ENTOIN brings you a list of all those movies that are based on the theme of slavery or have depicted the life and struggles of slaves.

 

Although it is a sad and shameful thing, we need to identify and acknowledge it so that we do not repeat it in the future.

 

Here is the list of 50 popular movies on the topic of slavery that have caught the fancy of the audiences or have tugged at our heartstrings and made us take note of them.

 

 

50. Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1987)

 

 

Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a TV movie that was based on a book of the same name. It was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

 

The film received praise and acclaim when it was telecast on television. The film is about the life of an aging black slave by the name of Tom.

 

It was a look into the everyday living conditions of a slave during the 1800s. The novel, when it was released, had a profound impact on the perception of slavery and the African American community.

 

 

49. The Slave (1962)

 

 

The Slave is an Italian film that is an unofficial sequel to Spartacus. The Slave is set in 46 BC, 25 years after the third Serville revolt that was spearheaded by Spartacus.

 

The son of Spartacus has been living in Alexandria, and he is unaware of his history as the son of Spartacus.

 

He is a centurion in the Roman army and unwittingly gets caught in the power struggles of powerful senators.

 

 

 

48. Pompeii (2014)

 

 

Pompeii is another movie that explores the world of slaves during the Roman empire. The film Pompeii is a disaster film that focuses on the romance between an English slave gladiator from England who falls in love with the daughter of a senator.

 

The romance blossoms in the doomed city of Pompeii, and they are caught in the middle of the most violent volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and the ensuing tsunami that obliterates all chances of escape.

 

 

 

47. 47 Ronin (2013)

 

 

47 Ronin is a Japanese- American fantasy adventure movie based on a very famous tale of the forty ronin who avenge the assassination of their daimyo.

 

The film was made by a debutant director Carl Rinsch and borrows heavily from the Japanese mythology of kitsune.

 

In medieval Japan, a mixed heritage child, Kai is sheltered by a kind daimyo, Lord Asano. Despite the ostracization of his samurai and the society, Lord Asano gave him a home.

 

When a rival daimyo, Lord Kira poisons the mind of their Shogun and assassinates Lord Asano, he also sells Kai into slavery and declares his 47 samurais as ronin (masterless fighters).

 

 

 

46. The Legend of Hercules (2014)

 

 

The Legend of Hercules is a story about the demigod before he gains fame. It is a Greek mythological story made by Renny Harlin.

 

The film was released the same year as another movie about Hercules. As a result, the other movie overshadowed this version.

 

Queen Alcmene gives birth to Hercules, the son of Zeus, who will be the savior of the people. King Amphitryon and the elder brother Iphicles plot against Hercules and send him away on a mission to Egypt.

 

There, he is sold into slavery and bids his time till he has to return to Crete to avenge his mother.

 

 

 

45. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)

 

 

Underworld: The Rise of the Lycans is a fantasy action-horror film that talks about the beginning of the feud between Vampires and Lycans.

 

It is the third installment in the Underworld film franchise and is directed by Patrick Tatopoulos. Vampires lived as the lords of darkness and subjugated the Lycan race to slave status.

 

They are treated as animals who protect the Vampires during the day but have no power or rights. Lucian, the most powerful Lycan, falls in love with Sonja, the daughter of Vampire Lord Victor.

 

Infuriated by this, Victor forces them apart and kills Sonja. This pushes Lucian to begin a blood feud that carries on for centuries.

 

 

 

44. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)

 

 

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a supernatural action film that fictionalized the American civil war and the life of the 16th American president.

 

The film is based on the novel of the same name by Seth Grahame-Smith. The film gives a fictional account of Abe Lincoln as a secret Vampire Hunter.

 

He uncovers a plot by the 5000-year vampire who uses the slave trade to maintain a steady supply of food and plantation workers.

 

The plot is to take over America and make it a Vampire nation with slaves providing constant food and labor.

 

 

 

43. Conan the Barbarian (1982)

 

 

Conan the Barbarian is a sword and sorcery film set in an imaginary world of Cimmerians. The film is based on the works of Robert E. Howard’s pulp magazine, titled Conan. Oliver Stone used the characters of this fictional world to make a successful film series of Conan.

 

When Conan was a child, his father, a blacksmith, forges a sword for him. Later, the raiders of the evil Thulsa Doom invade the land of Cimmerians and kill his parents.

 

Conan is sold into slavery and made to work at a large mill on the wheel of pain. Conan uses this pain to become stronger and revolt against his slave masters and escape. Now, he seeks revenge from Thulsa Doom.

 

 

 

42. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

 

 

Battle For The Planet of the Apes is the fifth and final installment of the Planet of the Apes franchise.

 

The film follows 10 years after the events of Conquest for the Planet of the Apes. This science fiction film is told mostly in flashbacks.

 

The flashback tells the audience about the state of society where humans were slaves and treated badly. Despite the best efforts of Caesar to bring the ape society and the human society together, the Gorillas refuse to integrate.

 

They insist on enslaving humans and mistreating them. How Caesar handles this is the crux of the film.

 

 

 

41. Raintree County (1957)

 

 

Raintree County is a tale of love, insanity, and ideals set against the backdrop of the American Civil War.

 

The film is based on the novel of the same name by Ross Lockridge Jr. The film is set in the American South during the Antebellum period and displays the rise of the abolitionist mindset of the youth.

 

John Shawnessey is an idealistic school teacher who believes in the abolition of slavery, and his ideas are supported by his childhood sweetheart, whom he hopes to marry.

 

Yet after meeting a southern beauty, Susanna Drake, he has a passionate affair with her and is eventually tricked into marrying her.

 

After a bout of madness and a stint in the American civil war, both husband and wife recognize their true feelings and follow them through.

 

 

 

40. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

 

 

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes is the fourth film in the Planet of the Apes franchise. It is based on the characters created by Pierre Boulle, and it carries the story forward from Escape From the Planet of The Apes.

 

As per the predictions of the Chimpanzees from the future, Cornelius and Zira, a space-borne viral pandemic wipes out the dog and cat population.

 

Men start to breed apes and chimpanzees as pets and make them do slave labor. The gorillas, chimps, and apes are treated badly by their human masters, and this angers the primates. They decide to revolt and pick up arms.

 

 

 

39. Aferim! (2015)

 

 

Aferim! is a Romanian film that was submitted as the official entry for the 88th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language film.

 

Aferim! is a medieval comedy-drama that gives a peek into life during that age. A gypsy slave Carfin Pandolean escapes from the estate of the boyar Iordache.

 

The mayor enlists the help of a policeman, Costandin to track down Carfin, claiming that he had an affair with his wife and needs to be brought back for punishment.

 

 

38. The Eagle (2011)

 

 

The Eagle is a British-American film adapted from Rosemary Sutcliffe’s adventure novel, The Eagle of the Ninth. There is no proof of historical accuracy in the story.

 

However, it is based on the quest of a Roman centurion during the Roman occupation of Britain. The Eagle standard of the Ninth Legion fell into the hands of the barbaric Northern tribes during their ill-fated mission.

 

This has been a point of dishonor for the family of Marcus Flavius Aquila. So he sets out to reclaim his family's honor and the missing Eagle standard.

 

Marcus’ slave Esca is very helpful and instrumental in his mission.

 

 

37. Blade Runner (1982)

 

 

Blade Runner is a science fiction film of a futuristic world where humans have built androids that work as slaves and perform all menial and dangerous tasks for us.

 

The film is based on the novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick. Four Bioengineered replicants (androids) have illegally returned to earth to meet their creator.

 

They are highly intelligent Nexus 6 replicants assigned to build the Mars colony and explore space. The four replicants are Roy Batty, Pris, Zhora, and Leon, who reveal their dream of being able to live and procreate like humans.

 

 

36. Queen (1993)

 

 

Queen, also known as Alex Haley’s Queen, is a biographical tale of a biracial woman in Early American society.

 

The film was telecast as a miniseries over three episodes, and it is based on the novel Queen: The Story of an American Family by Alex Haley and David Stevens.

 

Queen is the biracial daughter of Col. James Jackson and his slave Easter. She was born on the Jackson Plantation, and after the civil war, she became a free woman.

 

However, due to her biracial status, she was neither accepted by her father’s family nor the African American community.

 

 

35. In Dubious Battle (2016)

 

 

In Dubious Battle is a film that was based on the John Steinbeck novel of the same name. The film was directed by James Franco and received mixed reviews, with critics accepting that the movie was watchable and the movie has a subtle message that makes us think.

 

The film is set in the 1930s during the Great Depression. The film is not particularly about slavery. However, it showcases the living conditions that come close to living like a slave.

 

The laborer’s pay was reduced from $3 per day to just $1 per day, and they decided to go on a strike, but to what end is the question.

 

 

34. Army of Darkness (1992)

 

 

Army of Darkness is a spin-off series of the Evil Dead franchise. It is a comedy horror film co-written and directed by Sam Raimi.

 

The events of Army of Darkness take place between Evil Dead and its sequel Evil Dead II, involving Ash Williams.

 

In Evil Dead, Ash Williams is transported to the Middle Ages. Ash Williams is suspected of being a spy for Duke Henry and is immediately imprisoned by Lord Arthur’s men.

 

They make him their slave and take away his weapons. He is sent to the pits to fight Deadites.

 

Only after killing Deadites, Ash is trusted, and his weapons are returned.

 

 

33. Fantastic Planet (1973)

 

 

Fantastic Planet is an adult animated film made in a French-Czech collaboration. The film is an experimental film based on the story by Laloux and Roland Topor.

 

Fantastic Planet won the Grand Prix special jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival. The film is set on a distant planet where large humanoid creatures called Draags rule the planet.

 

They enslaved all humans and treated them harshly with strict measures for population control like periodic slaughters, etc. Humans are bullied and mistreated till they decide to revolt against their masters.

 

 

32. Belle (2013)

 

 

Belle is a historical fiction based on a real person from the painting of Dido Elizabeth Belle beside her cousin Lady Elizabeth Murray at Kenwood House.

 

The painting was the first time a person of color was painted in equal standing with a lady of fair skin.

 

Dido Elizabeth Belle is the biracial daughter of a naval officer, John Lindsay. He entrusts his daughter William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, then Lord Chief Justice of England.

 

Despite the prevailing customs of society, Lord Mansfield accepts Belle and treats her equally to her cousin. Simultaneously he also passes the judgment of a landmark case of the Zong Massacre that deals with the killing of slaves on board a ship for insurance claims.

 

 

31. Slavery By Another Name (2012)

 

 

Slavery By Another Name is a documentary film based on a Pulitzer prize-winning book. The book, titled Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II, was written by Douglas A. Blackmon.

 

The film is narrated by Laurence Fishburne and explains all the established systems that enslaved black men and women in the Southern states of the USA.

 

The forced labor of convicts using the Convict Lease programs, sharecropping, and peonage have all been means of subjugating African Americans long after slavery was abolished.

 

 

30. The Horse Soldiers (1959)

 

 

The Horse Soldiers is a film about the conquest of the Union cavalry brigade during the American Civil War.

 

It is an adventure war film that mixes real events with fictionalized accounts to tell the events of the Grierson Raid in Mississippi and the novel by Harold Sinclair.

 

A Union Cavalry Brigade is sent to destroy the railway lines and supply station of the confederate army. Along the way, the unit commander faces trouble with a soft-hearted medical officer and a soldier who second guesses all his orders.

 

They are also forced to pick up a plantation mistress and her slave, who eavesdrop on their conversation.

 

 

29. Beloved (1998)

 

 

Beloved is a psychological horror film set in the period after the American Civil War. The film is based on a novel by Toni Morrison of the same name.

 

The film was a box office failure, yet it garnered critical acclaim for the acting performance, especially of Danny Glover and Kimberly Elise.

 

A newly liberated slave, Sethe, arrives in a home along the outskirts of the town. However, the house is haunted, and the poltergeist starts traumatizing Sethe and her daughter.

 

An old friend from her plantation comes to help, but he too is turned away after learning the true story of Sethe and her struggles as a slave.

 

 

28. The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993)

 

 

The Adventures of Huck Finn is a Disney adventure film based on the highly acclaimed novel of the same name by Mark Twain.

 

The film covers only three-quarters of the novel, and the story has been adapted into movies and Tv series multiple times.

 

Yet the film got good reviews. The film starts with Huckleberry Finn, a young child who is sent to foster care to save him from his drunkard father.

 

Despite the love shown by his foster parents, Huck Finn yearns for adventure and thus runs away from home.

 

Along the way, he meets a runaway slave Jim. Together, they travel along the Mississippi River and encounter all the challenges.

 

 

27. Sounder (1972)

 

 

Sounder is a drama based on the novel with the same name, written by William H. Armstrong. The story is a deeply moving tale that earned four Academy Award nominations in major categories.

 

Sounder was also a commercial hit. The story revolves around a family of sharecroppers during the Great Depression. In the Deep South, a family of Morgans live in Louisiana and work on the sugarcane farm.

 

Tragedy strikes when the father is arrested for stealing a ham, and their son is forced to quit school to help out on the farm.

 

 

26. Unbroken (2014)

 

 

Unbroken is a film about the triumph of the human spirit over a situation. The film is not a slave movie, but it is a movie about the Japanese prisoner of war camp and the sub-human conditions meted out to the Americans at the hands of the Japanese Imperial Army.

 

The film was directed by Angelina Jolie and the story was written by the Coen brothers. It is based on the biography, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand.

 

Unbroken was nominated for three Academy Awards among several more nominations.

 

 

25. The Ten Commandments (1956)

 

 

The Ten Commandments is a biblical tale of epic proportions. It was made by Cecil B. DeMille and is the eighth highest-grossing film of all time.

 

The film was based on the Book of Exodus from the Bible, Prince of Egypt by Dorothy Clarke Wilson, On Eagle's Wings by A. E. Southon, and derives from a couple of other books. The film tells the tale of the slavery of the Jewish people at the hands of the Egyptian empire.

 

The suffering and hardships of the Jewish people come to an end when Yehwah comes to help in the form of Moses.

 

He delivers the Jews from Egypt to Mount Sinai, where God gives him the Ten Commandments.

 

 

24. Planet of the Apes (1968)

 

 

Planet of The Apes is a science fiction movie that spawned a successful film franchise. It was rebooted in 2001 by Tim Burton.

 

The original film, Planet of the Apes is based on the French novel La Planete De Singes by Pierre Bouille.

 

The film became a popular success and has been preserved in the Nation Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

 

Planet of The Apes begins with the crash landing of a spaceship on a planet similar to earth. The astronauts begin to explore the planet and realize that in this world, humans are mute slaves living in small camps while apes are the dominant race. They hunt humans, enslave them and mistreat them.

 

 

23. The Patriot (2000)

 

 

The Patriot is a historical fiction drama that was written by Robert Rodat. It was made by Roland Emmerich with a star cast made up of Mel Gibson, Chris Cooper, Heath Ledger, Jason Isaacs, etc.

 

The film has been criticized for the unnecessary use of violence perpetrated against colonists. The film has very little truth in relation to the Revolutionary War.

 

The patriot tells about the family of Benjamin Martin, who is a colonist and is against a war with Great Britain.

 

In the American War of Independence, he, along with other plantation owners, decided to join the war after seeing the cruelty of the British army.

 

 

22. Harriet (2019)

 

 

Harriet is a biographical drama about the life and achievements of Harriet Tubman. The film was in the making for a while, with many actresses interested in the role.

 

Harriet was well received by critics and audiences. It received nominations for Academy Awards, Black Reel Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Grammy Awards, etc.

 

The film starts with Minty Ross, the daughter of a freedman and a slave mother. The owner of her mother refuses to free her as per the previous agreement.

 

In turn, he threatens to sell Minty as a slave. Triggered by this, Minty escapes and crosses over to Pennsylvania.

 

Here, she meets abolitionists who help her in her cause and rename her Harriet (after her mother) and Tubman (after her husband).

 

After escaping, Harriet joins the abolitionist party to free more slaves and works as a Union spy to free more than 750 slaves.

 

 

21. Quo Vadis (1951)

 

 

Quo Vadis is an epic film that is historical fiction based on the 1896 novel of the same name by Henryk Sienkiewicz.

 

Quo Vadis is a Latin phrase that translates as Where Are You Going?. This film was a critically acclaimed film that earned eight Oscar nominations.

 

The film depicts the events during the rule of Roman emperor Nero that contributed to the fall of the empire.

 

He was a famously anti-Christian ruler who enslaved Christians and subjugated them to stamp out the spread of the religion.

 

 

20. Sankofa (1993)

 

 

Sankofa is an Ethiopian film directed and written by the famed Ethiopian director Haile Gerima. Sankofa was nominated for the Golden Bear award at the Berlin International Film Festival, and it was described as a must-watch film to expand one’s good taste in films.

 

Sankofa is from the Ghanaian Akan language and loosely translates to 'go back into the past and look for wisdom, power, etc.' The film tells us about a model who leads a self-absorbed life till she is transported into the life of a West Indian slave.

 

Only after experiencing the difficulties of slave life, the model realizes the worth of what she has.

 

 

19. I Am Slave (2010)

 

 

I Am Slave is a television film about slavery in modern society, more shockingly in Britain. The film is the true story of Mende Nazer, who was brought into London as a slave to serve in the home of a family.

 

I Am Slave throws light on a situation that is widely prevalent, with close to 5000 slaves working in Britain today.

 

The story begins in a village in Sudan when young girls are kidnapped by Arab militia and sold into slavery in Khartoum.

 

Here they are treated as animals, and beaten and harshly punished for the slightest mistake. Slaves trained like this are sold elsewhere with their passports seized, and identities changed to discourage escape.

 

 

18. Friendly Persuasion (1956)

 

 

Friendly Persuasion is a story about the American Civil War from the eyes of a pacifist family. The story for the film is based on the 1945 novel of the same name by Jessamyn West.

 

It was adapted into a screenplay and directed by William Wyler. The Birdwell family is a Quaker family who does not believe in violence of any kind.

 

They believe that there is a light in every man’s soul that needs to be recognized and appreciated. They lead an idyllic life working on their farm till the Union soldier comes to remind them that the confederates will loot and plunder their home if they do not pick up weapons and fight.

 

Each member of the family reacts differently to the threat, and their pacifist beliefs are tested during the war.

 

 

17. Spartacus (1960)

 

 

Spartacus is an epic historical film set during the reign of the Roman empire. It depicts the events of the Third Servile War, and it was inspired by the novel of the same name written by Howard Fast.

 

The screenplay was written by Dalton Trumbo, who was blacklisted by the House UnAmerican Committee at the time of this film.

 

The story tells us about the deeply entrenched culture of the slave trade and slavery that was the backbone of the empire.

 

Unable to take any more oppression, a gladiatorial slave, Spartacus rebels and encourages a huge army of slaves to spark the Third Servile war.

 

 

16. Cobra Verde (1987)

 

 

Cobra Verde is a German film based on the novel titled The Viceroy of Ouidah, written by Bruce Chatwin.

 

The film was directed by Werner Herzog and stars Klaus Kinski in their last collaboration. The film tells us about a fictional slave trader during the 1800s.

 

He was a bandit by the name Cobra Verde, but the Brazillian count paroled him and employed him as his personal slave trader to travel to the West African Coast and smuggle slaves for his plantation.

 

 

15. Gettysburg (1993)

 

 

Gettysburg is a war film based on the events that took place during the Battle of Gettysburg in the Civil War.

 

The film follows the novel Killer Angels by Michael Shaara and has an ensemble cast of great performers. The film received positive reviews and was telecast as a miniseries on TNT.

 

Gettysburg is the location of a decisive battle between the Union army and the Confederate army, with many famous and renowned generals on both sides participating.

 

The Union Army won the battle and turned the tide of the American Civil War.

 

 

14. Free State of Jones (2016)

 

 

Free State of Jones is a true story about the time of the American Civil War. The film was written and directed by Gary Ross and depicts the events in the life of Newton Knight and Jones County, Mississippi.

 

The film received mixed reviews and failed at the box office. Newton Knight is a Confederate soldier who becomes disillusioned with the ideology of the Confederate leader.

 

He deserts and returns to Jones County to start a militia of deserters. He overthrows the local Confederate government and sets up a Free State.

 

 

13. 13th (2016)

 

 

13th is a documentary film made by Ava DuVerney about the 13th Amendment of the US constitution and the various ways that it has been flouted and misled in modern American society since then.

 

The film documents the different ways in which the African American community is targeted with a high conviction rate and incarcerated.

 

DuVerney explains how the clause of involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a conviction of a crime, is used to promote convict leasing.

 

Practices like Jim Crow, lynching, disenfranchisement, war on drugs, etc. are used to target minorities.

 

 

12. Amazing Grace (2006)

 

 

Amazing Grace is a story about the events that brought about the abolition of slavery and the slave trade in Great Britain.

 

The film is a biographical account of the endeavors led by William Wilberforce in steering the anti-slave trade legislation in Britain.

 

William Wilberforce listens to the experiences of John Newton, who was a crew member of a slave ship, and is moved to have the practice abolished.

 

He joins politics and makes attempts to have the law passed, but faces stiff resistance. Over the course of 20 years, he fights and almost gives up, but with the help of other legislators and lawyers, the bill is passed.

 

 

11. Amistad (1997)

 

 

Amistad is a historical tale of slave mutiny onboard a Spanish slave ship called La Amistad. The film was based on the novel Mutiny on the Amistad: The Saga of a Slave Revolt and Its Impact on American Abolition, Law, and Diplomacy, by Professor Howard Jones.

 

On the Slave ship Amistad, a batch of Mende Tribesmen was being transported as slaves, but they manage to overpower their captors and take over the ship.

 

Later, a long-drawn legal battle ensued, which was only settled in the US Supreme Court.

 

 

10. The Birth of a Nation (2016)

 

 

The Birth of a Nation is an American film that depicted the life of Nat Turner, an illiterate slave who preached the Bible and roused the slave rebellion.

 

The film was co-written, directed, and co-produced by Nate Parker, who was accused of rape, and this generated a lot of negative publicity.

 

The story of Nat Turner is that of an uneducated slave who becomes a preacher for his fellow slaves.

 

With his sermons and his encouragement, the other slaves get emboldened and plan a rebellion. All attempts to suppress him by his slave owners are unsuccessful.

 

 

9. Glory (1989)

 

 

Glory is a historical war film based on the books Lay This Laurel by Lincoln Kirstein and One Gallant Rush by Peter Burchard.

 

The personal letters of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw during the American Civil War also acted as inspiration for this tale.

 

Glory was nominated for five Academy Awards and won three of them. Glory is a tale about the first all-black regiment in the Union Army.

 

The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, fought in the American Civil War and contributed greatly to the Second Battle of Fort Wagner.

 

 

8. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974)

 

 

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman is a biographical tale based on a novel of the same name written by Ernest J Gaines.

 

The film is a made-for-TV movie, and it was telecast on CBS. It won nine Emmy Awards, a Directors Guild Award, and it was nominated for a BAFTA.

 

The film opens with the birthday of 110-year-old Jane Pittman, who was a former slave. At the party, two young men tell her about the ongoing civil rights movement and narrate the incident of a young girl who drank from a segregated water fountain.

 

Pittman tells them about her life and journey from being a slave to earning civil rights.

 

 

7. Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)

 

 

Exodus: Gods and Kings is an epic biblical film that was made by Ridley Scott. It is about the tale of the great exodus of Jews from Egypt to Mount Sinai.

 

The film has a strong ensemble cast that performed with critical and commercial success. The film starts with the birth of Moses and his childhood alongside Ramses.

 

He later realizes his purpose in life, devotes himself to his Jewish faith, and delivers all the Jews from Egypt to Mt. Sinai, where he receives the Ten Commandments from god.

 

 

6. Gladiator (2000)

 

 

Gladiator is an epic historical film made by Ridley Scott and gives us a peek into the life of slaves during the peak of the Roman Empire.

 

The film was the second highest-grossing movie of 2000 and won five Academy Awards among other accolades. Gladiator tells about a Roman general whose star was on the rise, but a jealous son of the emperor betrayed him and sold him into slavery after slaughtering his family.

 

Restarting his life as a slave, the general works his way to become a Gladiator and seek revenge on the emperor Commodus.

 

 

5. Lincoln (2012)

 

 

Lincoln is a Steven Speilberg film about the life and work of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of America.

 

Speilberg drew inspiration from the work of Doris Kearns Goodwin and her 2005 biography Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.

 

In Lincoln, we see the effort put in by Abraham Lincoln to gather all the abolitionists and bring about the 13th Amendment to the constitution.

 

We see his campaign to end slavery and how much he is affected by the acts of the Confederate legislators.

 

 

4. Ben-Hur (1959)

 

 

Ben-Hur is an epic film based on the book by Lew Wallace, titled Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.

 

The film was one of the highest-grossing films at the time, and it swept the Oscars by earning eleven Academy Awards in all the top categories.

 

Ben-Hur is a Jewish prince from Jerusalem who is a devout jew without any political ambitions. His childhood friend, who is a Roman general, visits him and urges him to ally with the Romans.

 

When Ben-Hur denies it, his friend Messala betrays him and sells him into slavery, and exiles his family. The rest of the film is about how Ben-Hur and his faith help him triumph over hardships.

 

With Jesus as inspiration, he reclaims his former life back.

 

 

3. Gone With The Wind (1939)

 

 

Gone With The Wind is an epic American Civil War drama that is based on a novel of the same name written by Margaret Mitchell.

 

The film was directed by the famous director Victor Fleming, and he won the Oscar for his work on this film.

 

The film won a total of ten Academy Awards among many more accolades. Gone With the Wind tells us about the families of two plantations that struggle through life and the American Civil War.

 

While Scarlet O'Hara loves Ashley Wilkes, he loves his cousin, whom he marries. Scarlet is heartbroken and marries Rhett Butler but is unable to forget her first love.

 

All this happens against the backdrop of the civil war and how it changes their fortunes.

 

 

2. Django Unchained (2012)

 

 

Django Unchained is a spaghetti western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is not an American Civil War film but a western that relies heavily on the slave culture in the Antebellum South.

 

The film won nominations and awards at the Oscars, BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and more. Django and his wife are slaves who are being transported in shackles when a bounty hunter, Dr. King Schultz, proposes to buy him for his knowledge of an outlaw.

 

Later, after helping Schultz and training under him, he comes back to find his wife. He locates her on the estate of a cruel and mean-spirited plantation owner called Candie. Now, he has to hatch a plan to rescue her.

 

 

1. 12 Years a Slave (2013)

 

 

12 Years a Slave is a biographical tale about the life of Solomon Northup, who was born a free man.

 

The film is based on the slave memoir of the same name by Northup. The film was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won three of them.

 

Solomon Northup was a free black man in New York but he was tricked and sold into slavery in Washington DC.

 

From this, he struggles for twelve years on the plantation along with his wife before he wins back his freedom, only to be separated from his wife.