Notable women
Movies about great women in history -
All kind of movie: biopic, documentary, fiction/ bad ones and good ones, etc...
This list has no particular order. I choose not only the most famous ones. My selection is based in some cathegories:
1 - women artists: writers, musicians, painters, actresses, dancers, etc
2 - women in politics: queens, leaders, warriors, revolutionaries
3 - women scientists and philosophers
4 - feminists
5 - ordinary but brave/engaged women (category with almost unknown women)
6 - or only (not so)famous women with interesting profiles or that were beyond their time.
List under construction: I accept suggestions.
All kind of movie: biopic, documentary, fiction/ bad ones and good ones, etc...
This list has no particular order. I choose not only the most famous ones. My selection is based in some cathegories:
1 - women artists: writers, musicians, painters, actresses, dancers, etc
2 - women in politics: queens, leaders, warriors, revolutionaries
3 - women scientists and philosophers
4 - feminists
5 - ordinary but brave/engaged women (category with almost unknown women)
6 - or only (not so)famous women with interesting profiles or that were beyond their time.
List under construction: I accept suggestions.
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- DirectorBruno NuyttenStarsIsabelle AdjaniGérard DepardieuMadeleine RobinsonCamille Claude impresses already-famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. He hires her as an assistant, but soon Camille begins to sculpt for herself and she also becomes his mistress. But after a while, she would like to get out of his shadow.Camille Claudel (1864 - 1943) - sculptor
- DirectorStephen DaldryStarsMeryl StreepNicole KidmanJulianne MooreThe story of how the novel "Mrs. Dalloway" affects three generations of women, all of whom, in one way or another, have had to deal with suicide in their lives.Virginia Woolf (1882 - 1941) - writer
- DirectorTrevor NunnStarsHelena Bonham CarterCary ElwesJohn WoodThe story of Lady Jane Grey, who was Queen of England for only nine days.Joana Grey (1537 - 1554) - queen
- DirectorMarshall HerskovitzStarsCatherine McCormackRufus SewellOliver PlattA Venetian courtesan becomes a hero to her city, but later becomes the target of an inquisition by the Church for witchcraft.Veronica Franco (1546 - 1591) - writer and courtisan
- DirectorShekhar KapurStarsCate BlanchettLiz GilesRod CulbertsonThe early years of the reign of Elizabeth I of England and her difficult task of learning what is necessary to be a monarch.Elizabeth I (1533 - 1603) - queen
- DirectorCarl Theodor DreyerStarsMaria FalconettiEugene SilvainAndré BerleyIn 1431, Jeanne d'Arc is placed on trial on charges of heresy. The ecclesiastical jurists attempt to force Jeanne to recant her claims of holy visions.Jeanne d'Arc (1413 - 1431) - - french warrior and saint
- DirectorDaryl DukeStarsJaclyn SmithClaire BloomTimothy DaltonThe fact-based story of the pioneer of nursing, known as "the Lady with the Lamp".Florence Nightingale (1820 - 1910) - founder of the modern nursing
- DirectorJulie TaymorStarsSalma HayekAlfred MolinaGeoffrey RushA biography of artist Frida Kahlo, who channeled the pain of a crippling injury and her tempestuous marriage into her work.Frida Kahlo (1907 - 1954) - painter
- DirectorRichard EyreStarsJudi DenchJim BroadbentKate WinsletTrue story of the lifelong romance between novelist Iris Murdoch and her husband John Bayley, from their student days through her battle with Alzheimer's disease.Iris Murdoch (1919 - 1999) - writer
- DirectorClaude PinoteauStarsIsabelle HuppertPhilippe NoiretCharles BerlingA humoristic view of the lives of Marie and Pierre Curie and their discoveries around radioactivity.Marie Skłodowska-Curie (1867 - 1934) - scientist, Nobel prize (physics and chemistry)
- DirectorJames LapineStarsJudy DavisHugh GrantMandy PatinkinIn 1830s France, pianist/composer Frédéric Chopin is pursued romantically by the determined, individualistic woman who uses the name George Sand.Armandine Aurore Lucile Dupin, known as George Sand (1804 - 1876) - writer
- DirectorAna CarolinaStarsMarília PêraBéatrice AgeninCamila AmadoFictional story based on Sarah Bernhard's visit to Brazil in 1905. The actress, experiencing a personal and professional crisis, is encouraged by her personal Brazilian maid Amélia to perform in Rio de Janeiro. After arriving, she is forced to tolerate the company of Amélia's exotic sisters.Sarah Bernhardt (1844 - 1923) - actress
- DirectorAlan RudolphStarsJennifer Jason LeighCampbell ScottMatthew BroderickDorothy Parker remembers the heyday of the Algonquin Round Table, a circle of friends whose barbed wit, like hers, was fueled by alcohol and flirted with despair.Dorothy Parker (1893 - 1967) - writer
- DirectorPatrice ChéreauStarsIsabelle AdjaniDaniel AuteuilJean-Hugues AngladeYoung Queen Margot finds herself trapped in an arranged marriage amidst a religious war between Catholics and Protestants. She hopes to escape with a new lover, but finds herself imprisoned by her powerful and ruthless family.Marguerite de Valois (1553 - 1615) - queen
- DirectorClaude BerriStarsCarole BouquetDaniel AuteuilPatrice ChéreauA love story or a tale of the resistance, this poignant movie tells both the haunting story of a French resistance cell in Lyon but also the love of Lucie Aubrac for her husband, and the lengths she goes to to rescue her husband from prison on more than one occasion. Based on a true story Lucie Aubrac works as both history lesson and love story.Lucie Aubrac (1912 - 2007) - member of the French resistence during WW II
- DirectorFranco ZeffirelliStarsGraham FaulknerJudi BowkerLeigh LawsonDramatization of events in the life of St. Francis of Assisi from before his conversion experience through his audience with the pope, including his friendship with St. Clare.Santa Chiara d'Assisi (1194 - 1253) - saint
- DirectorNorma BengellStarsCarla CamuratiAntônio FagundesEster GóesBiography of Patrícia Galvão, aka Pagu, a legendary personage, muse and activist of Brazilian Modernism in art, during the 1920s until the 1940s. She shocked the society of her time, but charmed artists such as painter Tarsila do Amaral and writer Oswald de Andrade, having had an affair with the latter. For her political engagement, she was constantly harassed by Brazilian authorities.Patrícia Rehder Galvão "Pagu" (1910 - 1962) - writer, journalist and poet. First woman arrested in Brazil due to political reasons
- DirectorChristine JeffsStarsGwyneth PaltrowDaniel CraigLucy DavenportStory of the relationship between poets Edward James "Ted" Hughes and Sylvia Plath.Sylvia Plath (1932 - 1963) - writer
- DirectorAnand TuckerStarsEmily WatsonRachel GriffithsJames FrainThe tragic story of world renowned classic cellist Jacqueline du Pré, as told from the point of view of her sister, flautist Hilary du Pré-Finzi.Jacqueline du Pré (1945 - 1987) - cellist
- DirectorAndrey KonchalovskiyStarsGlenn ClosePatrick StewartJonathan Rhys MeyersKing Henry II meets with Eleanor of Aquitaine at Christmastide 1183 to choose one of his sons as his successor.Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122 - 1204) - queen
- DirectorAlejandro AmenábarStarsRachel WeiszMax MinghellaOscar IsaacA historical drama set in Roman Egypt, concerning a slave who turns to the rising tide of Christianity in the hope of pursuing freedom while falling in love with his mistress, the philosophy and mathematics professor Hypatia of Alexandria.Hypatia (370 d.C. - 415 d.C.) - philisopher and mathematician
- DirectorDanny HustonStarsKlaus Maria BrandauerMathilda MayVirginia MadsenThe story of a girl who become the toast of Paris high-society. Through her marriage to one of France's most notorious degenerates, Colette's eyes are opened to every form of sexual depravity - shameless adventures that stir her.Sidonie Gabrielle Colette (1873 - 1954) - writer
- DirectorMarc RothemundStarsJulia JentschFabian HinrichsAlexander HeldA dramatization of the final days of Sophie Scholl, one of the most famous members of the German World War II anti-Nazi resistance movement, The White Rose.Sophie Scholl (1921 - 1943) - revolutionary
- DirectorRobert BressonStarsFlorence DelayJean-Claude FourneauRoger HonoratA Joan of Arc's trial reconstruction concerning her imprisonment, interrogation and final execution at the hands of the English. Filmed in a spare, low-key fashion.Jeanne d'Arc (1413 - 1431) - warrior and saint
- DirectorAndré TéchinéStarsIsabelle AdjaniMarie-France PisierIsabelle HuppertIn a small presbytery in Yorkshire, living under the watchful eyes of their aunt and father, a strict Anglican pastor, the Bronte sisters write their first works and quickly become literary sensations.Charlotte Brontë (1816 - 1855) - writer
Emily Brontë (1818 - 1848) - writer
Anne Brontë (1820 - 1849) - writer - DirectorHelma Sanders-BrahmsStarsMartina GedeckPascal GreggoryMalik ZidiA look at the lives of 19th-century composers Clara and Robert Schumann.Clara Schumann (1819 - 1896) - pianist and composer
- DirectorCarla CamuratiStarsMarieta SeveroAntonio AbujamraThales Pan ChaconA hot blooded Spanish princess plots to conquer her enemies and become queen.Carlota Joaquina de Bourbon (1775 - 1830) - queen
- DirectorPierre Granier-DeferreStarsUte LemperPatrick ChesnaisDaniel MesguichLast days of queen Marie Antoinette stunningly portrayed by a director who's clearly done a massive historical research. An accurate plot and a very moving rendering.Marie Antoinette (1755 - 1793) - queen
- DirectorAnne FontaineStarsAudrey TautouBenoît PoelvoordeAlessandro NivolaThe story of Coco Chanel's rise from obscure beginnings to the heights of the fashion world.Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel (1883 - 1971) - fashion designer
- DirectorJulian JarroldStarsAnne HathawayJames McAvoyJulie WaltersA biographical portrait of a pre-fame Jane Austen and her romance with a young Irishman.Jane Austen (1775 - 1817) - writer
- DirectorJoseph VilsmaierStarsKatja FlintHans Werner MeyerHerbert KnaupThe movie follows the life and personality of the famous actress Marlene Dietrich.Marlene Dietrich (1901 - 1992) - actress, singer
- DirectorFranco ZeffirelliStarsFanny ArdantJeremy IronsJoan PlowrightThe last days of legendary opera singer Maria Callas.Maria Callas (1923 - 1977) - singer
- DirectorMichael AptedStarsSigourney WeaverBryan BrownJulie HarrisThe story of Dian Fossey, a scientist who came to Africa to study the vanishing mountain gorillas, and later fought to protect them.Dian Fossey (1932 - 1985) - zoologist
- DirectorCharles JarrottStarsRichard BurtonGeneviève BujoldIrene PapasKing Henry VIII of England discards one wife, Catharine of Aragon, who has failed to produce a male heir, in favor of the young and beautiful Anne Boleyn.Anne Boleyn (1501 - 1536) - queen
- DirectorMargarethe von TrottaStarsBarbara SukowaHeino FerchHannah HerzsprungThe life story of the multi-talented German nun Hildegard von Bingen. The film portrays an original woman - best known as a composer and religious visionary - whose grand claims often run counter to the patriarchal world around her. The monks and nuns at the convent become a kind of family, offering both confidants and enemies. For example Jutta, struggling with her jealousy of Hildegard's success, and the young Richardis who worships Hildegard both as an intellectual role model and a mother figure.Hildegard von Bingen (1098 - 1179) - philisopher, writer, composer, mystic, visionay - polymath
- DirectorPeter SchamoniStarsNastassja KinskiHerbert GrönemeyerRolf HoppeChronicles the illustrious 19th-century love affair between composer Robert Schumann and pianist Clara Wieck.Clara Schumann (1819 - 1896) - pianist and composer
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczRouben MamoulianStarsElizabeth TaylorRichard BurtonRex HarrisonQueen Cleopatra VII of Egypt experiences both triumph and tragedy as she attempts to resist the imperial ambitions of Rome.Cleópatra (69 a.C. - 30 a.C.) - queen
- DirectorJoel SchumacherStarsCate BlanchettColin FarrellBrenda FrickerAn Irish journalist writes a series of stories about drug dealers.Veronica Guerin (1958 - 1996) - journalist
- DirectorPhilip KaufmanStarsFred WardUma ThurmanMaria de MedeirosAnaïs Nin meets American writer Henry Miller in Paris in 1931. She keeps a diary of her sexual awakening, which includes Henry and his wife June.Anaïs Nin (1903 - 1977) - writer
- DirectorOlivier DahanStarsMarion CotillardSylvie TestudPascal GreggoryBiopic of the iconic French singer Édith Piaf. Raised by her grandmother in a brothel, she was discovered while singing on a street corner at the age of 19. Despite her success, Piaf's life was filled with tragedy.Edith Piaf (1915 - 1963) - singer
- DirectorMary HarronStarsGretchen MolLili TaylorChris BauerThe life of Bettie Page, a 1950s pin-up model and one of the first sex icons in America, who became the target of a Senate investigation because of her risqué bondage photos.Bettie Page (1923 - 2008) - model
- DirectorJosef von SternbergStarsMarlene DietrichJohn LodgeSam JaffeA German noblewoman enters into a loveless marriage with the dim-witted, unstable heir to the Russian throne, then plots to oust him from power.Catarina, the great (1729 - 1796) - queen
- DirectorSofia CoppolaStarsKirsten DunstJason SchwartzmanRip TornThe retelling of France's iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette. From her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI at 14 to her reign as queen at 19 and to the end of her reign as queen, and ultimately the fall of Versailles.Marie Antoinette (1755 - 1793) - queen
- DirectorLaurent JaouiStarsLudmila MikaëlJulie DebazacSamuel CahuSarah Bernhardt (1844 - 1923) - actress
- DirectorJean-Marc ValléeStarsEmily BluntRupert FriendPaul BettanyA dramatization of the turbulent first years of Queen Victoria's rule, and her enduring romance with Prince Albert.Victoria (1819 - 1901) - queen
- DirectorJane CampionStarsKerry FoxAlexia KeoghKaren FergussonJanet Frame was a brilliant child who, as a teen, was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia. Explore Janet's discovery of the world and her life in Europe as her books are published to acclaim.Janet Frame (1924 - 2004) - writer
- DirectorNigel ColeStarsSally HawkinsBob HoskinsAndrea RiseboroughA dramatization of the 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham car plant, where female workers walked out in protest against sexual discrimination.
- DirectorArthur PennStarsWarren BeattyFaye DunawayMichael J. PollardBored waitress Bonnie Parker falls in love with an ex-con named Clyde Barrow and together they start a violent crime spree through the country, stealing cars and robbing banks.Bonnie Parker (1910 - 1934) - american outlaw
- DirectorErnst MarischkaStarsRomy SchneiderKarlheinz BöhmMagda SchneiderIn the first of a trilogy of movies about Elisabeth "Sissi" of Austria, the vibrant young princess catches the eye of her sister's fiancé, Emperor Franz Josef.Elisabeth von Österreich "Sissi" (1837 - 1898) - queen
- DirectorErnst MarischkaStarsRomy SchneiderKarlheinz BöhmMagda SchneiderThe second in a trilogy of movies about Elisabeth "Sissi" of Austria, the film chronicles the married life of the young empress as she tries to adjust to formal and strict life in the palace and an overbearing mother-in-law.Elisabeth von Österreich "Sissi" (1837 - 1898) - queen
- DirectorErnst MarischkaStarsRomy SchneiderKarlheinz BöhmMagda SchneiderThe final film in a highly romanticized trilogy about Elisabeth "Sissi" of Austria finds the young empress traveling throughout Europe.Elisabeth von Österreich "Sissi" (1837 - 1898) - queen
- DirectorKen RussellStarsRobert PowellGeorgina HaleLee MontagueComposer Gustav Mahler's (Robert Powell) life, told in a series of flashbacks as he and his wife (Georgina Hale) discuss their failing marriage during a train journey.Alma Mahler (1879 - 1964) - composer
- DirectorNikolaj ArcelStarsAlicia VikanderMads MikkelsenMikkel Boe FølsgaardA young queen, who is married to an insane king, falls secretly in love with her physician - and together they start a revolution that changes a nation forever.Caroline Matilda of Great Britain (1751 - 1775) - queen
- DirectorBrian GibsonStarsAngela BassettLaurence FishburneRaéVen KellyThe story of singer Tina Turner's rise to stardom and how she gained the courage to break free from her abusive husband, Ike Turner.Anna Mae Bullock "Tina Tuner" (1939 - ) - singer
- DirectorHenry KosterStarsBette DavisRichard ToddJoan CollinsSir Walter Raleigh (Richard Todd) overcomes court intrigue to win favor with Queen Elizabeth I (Bette Davis) in order to get financing for a proposed voyage to the New World.Elizabeth I (1533 - 1603) - queen
- DirectorJustin ChadwickStarsNatalie PortmanScarlett JohanssonEric BanaTwo sisters contend for the affection of King Henry VIII.Anne Boleyn (1501 - 1536) - queen
- DirectorAndrzej ZulawskiStarsMarie-France PisierJanusz OlejniczakSophie Marceauthe film covers the last few days of fragile Chopin's professional life.Armandine Aurore Lucile Dupin, known as George Sand (1804 - 1876) - writer
- DirectorMaría Luisa BembergStarsAssumpta SernaDominique SandaHéctor AlterioThis fact-based film examines the life of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (Assumpta Serna), a Roman Catholic nun from Mexico City who, in the midst of the Spanish Inquisition, established herself as an important New World philosopher, poet, playwright and early feminist. When Sor Juana comes under the scrutiny of a vicious archbishop (Lautaro Murúa) for her unconventional ways, she must appeal to a powerful political connection -- the Viceroy's scholarly wife.Sóror Juana Inés de la Cruz (1651 - 1695) - writer and poet
- StarsBernard-Pierre DonnadieuVincent MartinEmmanuelle BéartThéroigne de Méricourt (1762 - 1817) - participate at french revolution
Charlotte Corday (1768 - 1793) - participate at french revolution
Adélaïde de Flahaut (1761 - 1836) - wirter
Marie Antoinette (1755 - 1793) - queen - StarsMarie TrintignantWladimir YordanoffLambert WilsonSidonie Gabrielle Colette (1873 - 1954) - writer
- DirectorKen RussellStarsGabriel ByrneJulian SandsNatasha RichardsonThe Shelleys visit Lord Byron and compete to write a horror story.Mary Shelley (1797 - 1851) - writer
- DirectorDiane KurysStarsJuliette BinocheBenoît MagimelStefano DionisiA story of doomed passion between two genius writers of the 19th century - novelist George Sand and poet Alfred de Musset.Armandine Aurore Lucile Dupin, known as George Sand (1804 - 1876) - writer
- DirectorGonzalo SuárezStarsHugh GrantLizzy McInnernyValentine PelkaLord Byron, poet Percy Shelley, his future wife, Mary Shelley (writing Frankenstein) and others spend the summer of 1816 together.Mary Shelley (1797 - 1851) - writer
- DirectorStephen FrearsStarsHelen MirrenMichael SheenJames CromwellAfter the death of Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth II struggles with her reaction to a sequence of events nobody could have predicted.Elisabeth II (1926 - ) - queen
- DirectorLuc BessonStarsMilla JovovichJohn MalkovichRab AffleckA young girl receives a vision that drives her to rid France of its oppressors.Jeanne d'Arc (1413 - 1431) - warrior and saint
- DirectorJan KounenStarsAnna MouglalisMads MikkelsenElena MorozovaParis 1913. Coco Chanel is infatuated with the rich and handsome Boy Capel, but she is also compelled by her work. Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring is about to be performed. The revolutionary dissonances of Igor's work parallel Coco's radical ideas. She wants to democratize women's fashion; he wants to redefine musical taste. Coco attends the scandalous first performance of The Rite in a chic white dress. The music and ballet are criticized as too modern, too foreign. Coco is moved but Igor is inconsolable. Paris 1920, Coco is newly wealthy and successful but grief-stricken after Boy's death in a car crash. Igor, following the Russian Revolution is now a penniless refugee living in exile in Paris. Coco is introduced to Igor by Diaghilev, impresario of the Ballets Russes. The attraction between them is instant and electric. Coco invites Igor along with his wife - now sick with consumption - together with his four children and a menagerie of birds to stay at her new villa, Bel Respiro, in Garches.Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel (1883 - 1971) - fashion designer
- DirectorAlan ParkerStarsMadonnaJonathan PryceAntonio BanderasThe hit musical based on the life of Eva Perón (Evita Duarte), a B-picture Argentinian actress who eventually became the wife of Argentinian president Juan Domingo Perón, and the most beloved and hated woman in Argentina.Eva Perón (1919 - 1952) - first lady of Argentina
- DirectorJan TroellStarsMaria HeiskanenMikael PersbrandtJesper ChristensenIn a time of social change and unrest, war and poverty, a young working class woman, Maria, wins a camera in a lottery. The decision to keep it alters her whole life.Maria Larsson - photographer
- DirectorChristian DuguayStarsBarbora BobulovaShirley MacLaineOlivier SitrukThe life story of legendary fashion designer Coco Chanel.Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel (1883 - 1971) - fashion designer
- StarsAlfred BurkeVickery TurnerAnn PenfoldDramatized biography of the Brontë sisters Charlotte, Anne and Emily.Charlotte Brontë (1816 - 1855) - writer
Emily Brontë (1818 - 1848) - writer
Anne Brontë (1820 - 1849) - writer - DirectorGeorge FitzmauriceStarsGreta GarboRamon NovarroLionel BarrymoreA semi-fictionalized account of the life of Mata Hari, an exotic dancer who was accused of spying for Germany during World War I.Margaretha Gertruida Zelle - Mata Hari (1876 - 1917) - dancer (accused to be spy on WW I)
- DirectorSidney FranklinStarsNorma ShearerFredric MarchCharles LaughtonElizabeth Barrett's tyrannical father has forbidden any of his family to marry. Nevertheless, Elizabeth falls in love with the poet Robert Browning.Elizabeth Barrett-Browning (1806 - 1861) - poet
- DirectorPeter BrookStarsPatrick MageeClifford RoseGlenda JacksonIn an insane asylum, Marquis de Sade directs Jean Paul Marat's last days through a theater play. The actors are the patients.Charlotte Corday (1768 - 1793) - participate at french revolution
- DirectorCurtis BernhardtStarsOlivia de HavillandIda LupinoPaul HenreidGenius authors Emily and Charlotte Brontë fall in love with their curate as they seek to get their work published.Charlotte Brontë (1816 - 1855) - writer
Emily Brontë (1818 - 1848) - writer
Anne Brontë (1820 - 1849) - writer - DirectorCharles S. DubinStarsJulie HarrisPortrait of 19th century American poet Emily Dickinson based on her poems, letters and notes. This is a taped broadcast of a live one-woman performance.Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886) - poet
- DirectorMichael AptedStarsDustin HoffmanVanessa RedgraveTimothy DaltonIn December 1926, Agatha Christie's husband asks for a divorce. She leaves her car and goes missing for 11 days. She books into a hotel as Mrs. Neele. A US reporter looks for her and investigates.Agatha Christie (1890 - 1976) - writer
- DirectorPhyllida LloydStarsMeryl StreepJim BroadbentRichard E. GrantAn elderly Margaret Thatcher talks to the imagined presence of her recently deceased husband as she struggles to come to terms with his death while scenes from her past life, from girlhood to British prime minister, intervene.Margaret Hilda Thatcher (1925 - 2013) - primer minister of the UK
- DirectorHenri HelmanStarsÉmilie DequenneBernard BlancanThierry GibaultSet In July 1793 During The Outbreak Of The Revolution In France In This 2008 Crime Thriller A Young Girl From Caen Named Charlotte Corday Who Assasinated A Jacobin Newspaper Editor Jean-Paul Marat,She Was Then Convicted And Arrested For That Political Crime,And On July 17 1793 Just Before The Unleashing Of The Reign Of Terror.She Is Then Sent To A Revolutionary Court To Answer For Her Horrible Crime,She Then Bravely Explains To Them That She Put Marat To Sleep So That Peace And Happiness Would Terminate The Revolution.She Is Then Finally Executed.Charlotte Corday (1768 - 1793) - participate at french revolution
- DirectorGeorge KaczenderStarsMarie-France PisierTimothy DaltonRutger HauerThis movie tells the story of the early life and rise to fame and fortune of French fashion designer Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel (Marie-France Pisier), beginning with her upbringing in an orphanage and training as a milliner, but concentrating on her relationship with Etienne de Balsan (Rutger Hauer) and her tempestuous love affair with his friend Boy Capel (Timothy Dalton), and the role the two men played in setting her up as an independent business woman.Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel (1883 - 1971) - fashion designer
- DirectorSacha GuitryStarsGeori-BouéSuzy PrimMona GoyaThe rise and fall of a diva circa 1820.Maria Malibran (1808 - 1836) - singer
- DirectorMiguel Contreras TorresStarsMedea de NovaraConrad NagelJason Robards Sr.Rival version of drama of Carlotta, Maximilian and Juarez, story better known from simultaneously filmed 1939 Juarez. This different production, financed by Mexico and Columbia , was bought out by Warners to play down competition.Carlotta of Mexico (1840 - 1927) - empress
- DirectorVicente ArandaStarsPilar López de AyalaDaniele LiottiRosana PastorThe love story that transformed Juana, Queen of Spain, into Juana "the Mad". A story of passions, lies and jealousy with a political motive behind.Juana (1479 - 1555) - queen
- DirectorBenoît JacquotStarsLéa SeydouxDiane KrugerVirginie LedoyenA look at the platonic relationship between Marie Antoinette and one of her female readers during the first days of the French Revolution.Marie Antoinette (1755 - 1793) - queen
- DirectorJo BaierStarsJulien BoisselierJoachim KrólAndreas SchmidtA wide-ranging, energetic period piece tracing the rise of the Protestant Henry of Navarre as he goes from battlefield warrior to France's beloved King Henri IV. Director Jo Baier's epic is a classically-entertaining adventure, albeit one with much bloodshed and frequent bawdy sexual interludes. In late-16th-century France, Catholics and Protestant Huguenots are at war. Seemingly seeking peace, French dowager Queen Catherine de Medici summons Henry to her court to marry him to her daughter, which would unite the two warring factions. However, the Catholics slaughter the Protestant wedding guests in what became known as the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre and Henry--now married--must use all his guile to stay alive and maneuver for the throne.Marguerite de Valois (1553 - 1615) - queen
- DirectorBryn HigginsStarsJasper BrittonGreg CostelloJulie CoxThe trials and horrific visions that made the most famous mystic of all time.Caterina de Medicis (1519 - 1589) - queen
- DirectorCharles JarrottStarsVanessa RedgraveGlenda JacksonPatrick McGoohanDuring the sixteenth century, the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots engages in over two decades of religious and political conflict with her cousin, the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I of England, amidst political intrigue in her native land.Mary Stuart (1542 - 1587) - queen
- DirectorEugen BurgStarsWanda TreumannHans LacknerJulius StroblAnne "Ninon" de Lenclos (1620 - 1705) - courtisan
- DirectorMary DownesStarsMaureen LipmanHarriet WalterJohn SessionsA narration of the life of the great 19th Century English author George Eliot, born Mary Ann Evans, using footage from films of her novels as well as original footage with a cast including Harriet Walter as Eliot.George Eliot (1819 - 1880) - writer
- DirectorJacques DoillonStarsAnne BrochetBenoît RégentHanns ZischlerAnne Louise Germaine de Staël-Holstein, Madame de Staël (1766 - 1817) - writer
- DirectorPamela Mason WagnerStarsJared MorrisonKera O'BryonKrystal BrowningLouisa May Alcott (1832 - 1888) - writer
- DirectorJulie DelpyStarsJulie DelpyDaniel BrühlWilliam HurtA 17th century Hungarian countess embarks on a murderous undertaking, with the belief that bathing in the blood of virgins will preserve her beauty.Erzsébet Báthory (1560 - 1614) - comtess and labelled the most prolific female serial killer in history
- DirectorJoël FargesStarsDominique BlancNicolas BrioudesLobsang DhondupThis biographical telefilm retraces the journey of Alexandra David-Néel, accompanied by Aphur Yougden, a child lama who was to become her adopted son, for 13 years of wanderings from India to the lands of the Himilayas and the Tibetan plains, and of their arrival in Lhassa on Feb. 28, 1924 as the first modern Westerner to set foot in TIbet.Alexandra David-Néel (1868 - 1969) - explorer
- DirectorYves SimoneauStarsDiane KeatonRutger HauerBruce DernIn 1928, Amelia Earhart gains fame by undertaking a transatlantic flight as a passenger. In 1937, she and her navigator Fred Noonan undertake her longest flight: a round-the-world attempt. However, the plane disappears in the process.Amelia Mary Earhart (1897 - 1937) - aviation pioneer
- DirectorDiego RísquezStarsBeatriz ValdésMariano ÁlvarezErich WildpretIn 1856, a whaler arrives in Paita, Peru; on board is Herman Melville, who is astonished to learn that Manuela Sáenz, for eight years the lover of Simón Bolívar, is still alive. He calls on her, and although she will not talk to him about her life, his visit sends her to her chest of Bolívar's letters. As she reads them, the sepia-toned present gives way to flashbacks in color: she meets 'the Liberator' in 1822, becomes his lover, and also becomes a colonel in his military movement to realize the 'Gran Colombia', one nation across South America. As plague (brought by the ship) closes in on Manuela's household, so does her tempestuous story move toward Bolívar's betrayal and death.Manuela Sáenz (1797 - 1856) - revolutionary
- DirectorRené FéretStarsMarie FéretMarc BarbéDelphine ChuillotA reimagined account of the early life of Maria Anna 'Nannerl' Mozart, five years older than Wolfgang, and a musical prodigy in her own right.Marianna "Nannerl" Mozart (1751 - 1829) - musician
- DirectorJayme MonjardimStarsCamila MorgadoCaco CioclerLuís MeloBased upon the true story of Olga Benário, the German-born wife of Brazilian communist leader Luís Carlos Prestes. During the dictatorship of Getúlio Vargas (1930-1945) she was arrested and sent to Nazi Germany, where she was put to death in a concentration camp. After World War II began, Vargas decided to support the Allies.Olga Benário (1908 - 1942) - wife of Brazilian communist leader Luís Carlos Prestes
- DirectorSaul DibbStarsKeira KnightleyRalph FiennesDominic CooperA chronicle of the life of 18th-century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was revered for her extravagant political and personal life.Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1757 - 1806) - women of letters and influent "salonière"
- DirectorRobert EnricoRichard T. HeffronStarsKlaus Maria BrandauerJane SeymourFrançois CluzetA chronicle of the French Revolution from the calling of the Etats General in 1789 until the end of the Jacobin Terror in 1794.Charlotte Corday (1768 - 1793) - participate at french revolution
Marie Antoinette (1755 - 1793) - queen - DirectorMarvin J. ChomskyJohn GoldsmithStarsCatherine Zeta-JonesPaul McGannIan RichardsonTrapped in a loveless arranged marriage to the immature future Czar, a young German Princess proves a skillful political infighter and rises to become Catherine the Great.Catarina, the great (1729 - 1796) - queen
- DirectorMichael AndersonStarsVanessa RedgraveChristopher PlummerFranco NeroA German princess is chosen to marry the heir to the Russian Throne, but faces plots and intrigues against her.Catarina, the great (1729 - 1796) - queen