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Movies like 1789 (1974)

The best movies like 1789 (1974) are #AnneFrank. Parallel Stories (2019), Lumière & Company (1995) and Four Daughters (2023). If 1789 hooked you with its drama and history, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. #AnneFrank. Parallel Stories (2019)

    One single Anne Frank moves us more than the countless others who suffered just as she did but whose faces have remained in the shadows-Primo Levi. The Oscar®-winning Helen Mirren will introduce audiences to Anne Frank's story through the words in her diary. The set will be her room in the secret refuge in Amsterdam, reconstructed in every detail by set designers from the Piccolo Theatre in Milan. Anne Frank this year would have been 90 years old. Anne's story is intertwined with that of five Holocaust survivors, teenage girls just like her, with the same ideals, the same desire to live: Arianna Szörenyi, Sarah Lichtsztejn-Montard, Helga Weiss and sisters Andra and Tatiana Bucci. Their testimonies alternate with those of their children and grandchildren.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama

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  2. Lumière & Company (1995)

    40 international directors were asked to make a short film using the original Cinematographe invented by the Lumière Brothers, working under conditions similar to those of 1895. There were three rules: (1) The film could be no longer than 52 seconds, (2) no synchronized sound was permitted, and (3) no more than three takes.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & documentary

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  3. Four Daughters (2023)

    Between light and darkness stands Olfa, a Tunisian woman and the mother of four daughters. One day, her two older daughters disappear. To fill in their absence, the filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania invites professional actresses and invents a unique cinema experience that will lift the veil on Olfa and her daughters' life stories. An intimate journey of hope, rebellion, violence, transmission and sisterhood that will question the very foundations of our societies.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  4. Van Gogh: Painted with Words (2010)

    A drama-documentary presented by Alan Yentob, with Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role. Every word spoken by the actors in this film is sourced from the letters that Van Gogh sent to his younger brother Theo, and of those around him. What emerges is a complex portrait of a sophisticated, civilised and yet tormented man.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & documentary

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  5. Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet (2002)

    Ten Minutes Older is a 2002 film project consisting of two compilation feature films entitled The Trumpet and The Cello. The project was conceived by the producer Nicolas McClintock as a reflection on the theme of time at the turn of the Millennium. Fifteen celebrated film-makers were invited to create their own vision of what time means in ten minutes of film.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & documentary

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  6. All That Breathes (2022)

    Against the darkening backdrop of New Delhi's apocalyptic air and escalating violence, two brothers devote their lives to protecting one casualty of the turbulent times: the bird known as the black kite.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama

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  7. The Image Book (2018)

    In Le Livre d’Image, Jean-Luc Godard recycles existing images (films, documentaries, paintings, television archives, etc.), quotes excerpts from books, uses fragments of music. The driving force is poetic rhyme, the association or opposition of ideas, the aesthetic spark through editing, the keystone. The author performs the work of a sculptor. The hand, for this, is essential. He praises it at the start. “There are the five fingers. The five senses. The five parts of the world (…). The true condition of man is to think with his hands. Jean-Luc Godard composes a dazzling syncopation of sequences, the surge of which evokes the violence of the flows of our contemporary screens, taken to a level of incandescence rarely achieved. Crowned at Cannes, the last Godard is a shock film, with twilight beauty.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama

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  8. 20,000 Days on Earth (2014)

    A semi-fictionalized documentary about a day in the life of Australian musician Nick Cave's persona.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  9. Audrey (2020)

    An unprecedented and intimate look at the life, work and enduring legacy of British actress Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history

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  10. The War Room (1993)

    A behind-the-scenes documentary about the Clinton for President campaign, focusing on the adventures of spin doctors James Carville and George Stephanopoulos.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history

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  11. The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004)

    Documentary about the art of film editing. Clips are shown from many groundbreaking films with innovative editing styles.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  12. Life in a Day (2011)

    A documentary shot by filmmakers all over the world that serves as a time capsule to show future generations what it was like to be alive on the 24th of July, 2010.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  13. Indie Game: The Movie (2012)

    Follows the dramatic journeys of video game developers as they create and release their games to the world. It's about making video games, but at its core, it's about the creative process, and exposing yourself through your work.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee (2016)

    The strange story of John McAfee, who went from millionaire software mogul to yogi, Kurtz-like jungle recluse to potential murderer, and most recently a prospective presidential candidate for the American Libertarian Party.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama

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  15. Ronaldo (2015)

    Filmed over 14 months with unprecedented access into the inner circle of the man and the sport, this is the first official and fully authorised film of one of the most celebrated figures in football. For the first time ever, the world gets vividly candid and un-paralleled, behind-closed-doors access to the footballer, father, family-man and friend in this moving & fascinating documentary. Through in-depth conversations, state of the art football footage and never before seen archival footage, the film gives an astonishing insight into the sporting and personal life of triple Ballon D'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo at the peak of his career. From the makers of ‘Senna’ and ‘Amy’, Ronaldo takes audiences on an intimate and revealing journey of what it’s like to live as an iconic athlete in the eye of the storm.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  16. The Green Book: Guide to Freedom (2019)

    In 1936, Victor H. Green (1892-1960) published The Negro Motorist Green Book, a book that was both a travel guide and a survival manual, to help African-Americans navigate safe those regions of the United States where segregation and Jim Crow laws were disgracefully applied.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  17. The Age of Stupid (2009)

    Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated future world of 2055, looking at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history

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  18. Paris Is Burning (1991)

    Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City's African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, PARIS IS BURNING offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion "houses," from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women — including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history

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  19. Shoah (1985)

    Director Claude Lanzmann spent 11 years on this sprawling documentary about the Holocaust, conducting his own interviews and refusing to use a single frame of archival footage. Dividing Holocaust witnesses into three categories – survivors, bystanders, and perpetrators – Lanzmann presents testimonies from survivors of the Chelmno concentration camp, an Auschwitz escapee, and witnesses of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, as well as a chilling report of gas chambers from an SS officer at Treblinka.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  20. Deep Water (2006)

    DEEP WATER is the stunning true story of the fateful voyage of Donald Crowhurst, an amateur yachtsman who enters the most daring nautical challenge ever – the very first solo, non-stop, round-the-world boat race.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  21. The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil (1974)

    In their songs, comedy and exuberant music, a travelling theatre company give a fiercely polemic account of Scottish history, from the aftermath of Culloden to the oil boom. Their production before a live audience is intercut with filmed reconstructions of the Highland Clearances and the Victorian obsession with hunting stags.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & history

  22. Don't be late, Myra (2024)

    Ten-year old Myra is forced to walk home alone, dodging men harassing her on the streets of Lahore. Soon things escalate in this thriller where a sinister turn quietly awaits her.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  23. Hollywood Dirt (2017)

    Hollywood arrives in force to Quincy, the small town where the secret Crown Cola billionaire's live. They want to film about the billionaire's and how they made their fortunes. Summer Jenkins, who was the town pariah, joins forces with the scout, Ben, and finds filming locations, extras, lessons with the town officials and house owners, etc. When Cole Masten arrives, they hate each other, but sparks fly. Cole is running from a nasty divorce, yet is captivated by Summer. Summer is dying to leave town to get away from the gossip. This is a great story about Southern customs, a Southern girl, and a Hollywood star who finds his lady.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

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  24. Pure Love: The Voice of Ella Fitzgerald (2017)

    Ella Fitzgerald's voice is a phenomenon and unrivalled to this day. She had the perfect pitch and perfect intonation. Ella's voice spanned three octaves, her phrasing seemed effortless. There is almost no style of music, in which she did not excel, and her numerous - now legendary - recordings of the 'Great American Songbook' with pieces of US composers such as George and Ira Gershwin, Harald Arlen, Cole Porter or Duke Ellington, remained a benchmark for the "right" interpretation of those songs for generations of singers. In the film the focus will be on the voice of Ella Fitzgerald. We want to unravel the secret of her voice through many different people (musicians, singers, critics etc.), who will tell about what impact her voice had on them and still has. We want to learn more about Ella´s life to find out what made her sing like she did and only she could.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  25. Two Women (2014)

    A headstrong young woman is married to land baron. Her feelings for her son's tutor becomes a complex web of unrequited love.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  26. Do Fish Do It? (2002)

    16-year old Jan is absent-mindedly strolling through the streets when he's run over by roller-skating Nina. As fast as she has stormed into his life, however, she rushes off again. Nina is 15 years old and full of crazy ideas. She lives together with her brother, her father and his new girlfriend. Her mother isn't in touch much. That's why there is the unconventional Angel whose own daughter disappeared years ago and who is Nina's best friend and substitute mother.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  27. The Hurt Locker (2008)

    During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  28. Abxang (2003)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  29. Allies (1983)

    ALLIES is a landmark documentary from 1983, made at the time of Bob Hawke’s unequivocal embrace of the American alliance.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  30. Roy Cohn/Jack Smith (1995)

    When Jill Godmilow’s movie Roy Cohn/Jack Smith premiered at the 1994 Toronto International Film Festival, the number of AIDS-related deaths was reaching an all-time high in the United States (over 270,000). In New York City, the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic, many artists and filmmakers were grappling with the disease. While Broadway was hosting the second part of Tony Kushner’s award-winning play Angels in America, downtown New Yorkers were fondly recalling another recent production, Ron Vawter’s one-man show Roy Cohn/Jack Smith, in which the actor, who died of AIDS in April 1994, performed two monologues, first as Cohn, the conservative lawyer, and secondly, as Smith, the flamboyant experimental filmmaker—both of whom died of AIDS-related causes in the late 1980s.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

Like 1789 and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like 1789?

The closest matches to 1789 are #AnneFrank. Parallel Stories (2019), Lumière & Company (1995) and Four Daughters (2023). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after 1789?

Start with #AnneFrank. Parallel Stories (2019), the closest match to 1789.

What is the highest-rated movie like 1789?

Shoah (1985), rated 8.2/10 by 228 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like 1789?

Don't be late, Myra (2024) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there French movies like 1789?

Yes: Lumière & Company (1995), Four Daughters (2023) and The Image Book (2018).

How are movies similar to 1789 chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside 1789, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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