Movies like Madame Guillotine (1916)
The best movies like Madame Guillotine (1916) are Désirée (1954), Orphans of the Storm (1921) and Vincere (2009). If Madame Guillotine hooked you with its history, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022)7.3/10 from 539 votes
- NewestDuse (2025)Released 2025
- In ItalianVincere (2009)Also in Italian
Désirée (1954)
In Marseilles, France in 1794, Desiree Clary, a young millinery clerk, becomes infatuated with Napoleon Bonaparte, but winds up wedding General Jean-Baptiste Berandotte, an aid to Napoleon who later joins the forces that bring about the Emperor's downfall. Josephine Beauharnais, a worldly courtesan marries Napoleon and becomes Empress of France, but is then cast aside by her spouse when she proves unable to produce an heir to the throne.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOrphans of the Storm (1921)
France, on the eve of the French Revolution. Henriette and Louise have been raised together as sisters. When the plague that takes their parents' lives causes Louise's blindness, they decide to travel to Paris in search of a cure, but they separate when a lustful aristocrat crosses their path.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVincere (2009)
The story of the descent into madness of Mussolini's secret first wife, Ida Dasler, who was seduced by his passion and vigor but blind to the fascist dictator's many flaws.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMayerling (1968)
Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria clashes with his father, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, over implementing progressive policies for their country. Rudolf soon feels he is a man born at the wrong time in a country that doesn't realize the need for social reform. The Prince of Wales, later to become Britain's King Edward VII, provides comic relief. Rudolf finds refuge from a loveless marriage with Princess Stéphanie by taking a mistress, Baroness Maria Vetsera. Their untimely demise at Mayerling, the imperial family's hunting lodge, is cloaked in mystery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLes Misérables (1978)
In 19th century France, Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDalíland (2022)
In 1973, a young gallery assistant goes on a wild adventure behind the scenes as he helps aging genius Salvador Dali prepare for a big show in New York.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
SnoozefestMovies like thisPrizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher (2022)
At the turn of the 19th century, Pugilism was the sport of kings and a gifted young boxer fought his way to becoming champion of England.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReign of Terror (1949)
The French Revolution, 1794. The Marquis de Lafayette asks Charles D'Aubigny to infiltrate the Jacobin Party to overthrow Maximilian Robespierre, who, after gaining supreme power and establishing a reign of terror ruled by death, now intends to become the dictator of France.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStart the Revolution Without Me (1970)
Two sets of identical twins are accidentally switched at birth. One pair, Phillipe and Pierre DeSisi, are aristocratic and haughty, while the other, Charles and Claude Coupé, are poor and dim-witted. On the eve of the French Revolution, both sets find themselves entangled in palace intrigue.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Current War (2018)
Electricity titans Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse compete to create a sustainable system and market it to the American people.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Young Victoria (2009)
As the only legitimate heir of England's King William, teenage Victoria gets caught up in the political machinations of her own family. Victoria's mother wants her to sign a regency order, while her Belgian uncle schemes to arrange a marriage between the future monarch and Prince Albert, the man who will become the love of her life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGoltzius & the Pelican Company (2012)
Hendrik Goltzius, a late-16th-century Dutch printer and engraver of erotic prints, seduces the Margrave of Alsace into paying for a printing press to make and publish illustrated books.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMunich - The Edge of War (2021)
At the tense 1938 Munich Conference, former friends who now work for opposing governments become reluctant spies racing to expose a Nazi secret.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMemories of Anne Frank (2010)
The story of Anne Frank and her friend, Hanneli Goslar, their first meeting in Amsterdam, their daily lives, the German occupation, and their sudden separation when the Frank family went into hiding.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDuse (2025)
In the years between WWI and the rise of Fascism, legendary thespian Eleonora Duse shocks everyone by getting back onstage at over 60 years of age. Struggling with the brutality of historical events unfolding and clinging to the possibility of utopia, she makes her art a revolutionary act, even at the cost of sacrificing health and affection—facing her final journey aware she could give up life itself, but not her own true nature.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNapoleon and Me (2006)
Elba island, 1814. Martino is a young teacher, idealist and strongly anti Napoleon, in love with the beautiful and noble Baroness Emily. The young man finds himself serving as librarian to the Great Emperor in exile, whom he deeply hates, yet soon begins recording Napoleon's memoirs, getting to know and learning to value the man behind the myth. Among seductions and affairs, expectations and fears, he will craft a precise portrait that nevertheless will not manage to hide a final, inevitable, disappointment.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022)
A 1950s London cleaning lady falls in love with an haute couture dress by Christian Dior and decides to gamble everything for the sake of this folly.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMia Martini - I Am Mia (2019)
The movie is a biopic about Mia Martini, an italian singer who died in 1995.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSin (2019)
The life of Michelangelo Buonarroti.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
SnoozefestMovies like thisMe and Orson Welles (2008)
New York, 1937. A teenager hired to star in Orson Welles' production of Julius Caesar becomes attracted to a career-driven production assistant.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lady and the Duke (2001)
Grace Dalrymple Elliot is a British aristocrat trapped in Paris during the French Revolution. Determined to maintain her stiff upper lip and pampered life despite the upheaval, Grace continues her friendship with the Duke of Orléans while risking her life and liberty to protect a fugitive.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history
Reunion in Travers (1989)
The time is the French Revolution; the place is the village of Travers, ensconsed in neutral Switzerland. Prussian aesthete Herman Beyer is on the verge of divorcing wife Corinna Harfouch. Radical writer Uwe Kokisch, Corinna's lover, hopes to find a way of smoothing out animosities. What follows, however, is a nonstop drinking binge. The film subliminally addresses the then-prevalent issue of a divided Germany. Whether or not it succeeds is unimportant; Treffen in Travers (Reunion in Travers) has proven to be a crowd pleaser wherever it has been shown.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history
La Marseillaise (1938)
The early days of the French Revolution, as seen through the eyes of the ordinary citizens in Marseille and the royal court, including King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMarie Antoinette (1938)
The young Austrian princess Marie Antoinette is arranged to marry Louis XVI, future king of France, in a politically advantageous marriage for the rival countries. The opulent Marie indulges in various whims and flirtations. When Louis XV passes and Louis XVI ascends the French throne, his queen's extravagant lifestyle earns the hatred of the French people, who despise her Austrian heritage.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history
Lady Oscar (1979)
Oscar François de Jarjayes was born female, but her father insisted she be raised as a boy as he had no sons. She becomes the captain of the guards at Versailles under King Louis XVI and Marie Antonette. Her privileged, noble life comes under fire as she discovers the hard life of the poor people of France. She is caught up in the French Revolution, and must choose between her loyalty and love.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history
La Barricade du Point-du-Jour (1978)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history
A Tale of Two Cities (1958)
Set against the conditions leading up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, French doctor Alexandre Manette serves an 18-year imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris, followed by his release to live in London with the daughter he has never met.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history
Assassin’s Creed Unity: Rob Zombie’s French Revolution (2014)
Assassin’s Creed Unity teams up with famed musician and Master of Horror Rob Zombie to depict the chaotic and brutal events behind the French Revolution. Illustrated by The Walking Dead co-creator, Tony Moore, this animated short brings to life the gory details, bloody battles, and terrifying events of the revolution. Set during the events of Assassin's Creed: Unity, the film depicts the events of the Reign of Terror and the execution of Maximilien de Robespierre during the French Revolution.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history
A Tale of Two Cities (1980)
Set against the conditions leading up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, French doctor Alexandre Manette serves an 18-year imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris, followed by his release to live in London with the daughter he has never met.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Madame Guillotine?
The closest matches to Madame Guillotine are Désirée (1954), Orphans of the Storm (1921) and Vincere (2009). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Madame Guillotine?
Start with Désirée (1954), the closest match to Madame Guillotine.
What is the highest-rated movie like Madame Guillotine?
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022), rated 7.3/10 by 539 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Madame Guillotine?
Duse (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Italian movies like Madame Guillotine?
Yes: Vincere (2009), Memories of Anne Frank (2010) and Duse (2025).
How are movies similar to Madame Guillotine chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Madame Guillotine, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.