Movies like The Taking of Power by Louis XIV (1966)
The best movies like The Taking of Power by Louis XIV (1966) are The French Revolution (1989), The Libertine (2004) and 1612: Chronicles of the Dark Time (2007). If The Taking of Power by Louis XIV 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
- Highest ratedBarry Lyndon (1975)8.0/10 from 3,355 votes
- NewestThe Flood (2024)Released 2024
- In FrenchThe French Revolution (1989)Also in French
The French Revolution (1989)
A history of the French Revolution beginning from the decision of the king to convene the Etats-Generaux in 1789 in order to deal with France's debt problem. Part one spans the event until August 10, 1792 (when the King Louis XVI lost all authority and was imprisoned). Part two carries the story through the end of the terror in 1794.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Libertine (2004)
The story of John Wilmot, a.k.a. the Earl of Rochester, a 17th century poet who famously drank and debauched his way to an early grave, only to earn posthumous critical acclaim for his life's work.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like this1612: Chronicles of the Dark Time (2007)
The czar of Russia has died and a power vacuum has developed. This period in the late 16th and early 17th century has been called "The Time of Troubles." There are many impostors who claim to the right to rule, but there's only one heir, the Czarina Kseniya Godunova. She has married a Polish military leader who wants to claim the Russian throne in her name so he can rule all of Russia. As the Poles move in on Moscow in an attempt to install the czarina on the throne, Andrei, a serf with a life-long infatuation of the czarina attempts to save her from her brutal Polish husband.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisMarquise (1997)
Marquise is a drama about the rise and fall of a beauteous actress. As cheerfully portrayed by Sophie Marceau, the eponymous heroine is an engagingly ribald, but perhaps rather too modern, character. She rises from an impoverished background to become a favourite of the Sun King, Louis XIV, and the mistress of the celebrated Racine, who wrote roles especially for her; but her fate, in the end, is a tragic one.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisAngelique (1964)
In 17th-century France, beautiful country maiden Angélique marries wealthy neighbor Jeoffray de Peyrac out of convenience, but eventually, she falls in love with him. So when Jeoffray is arrested and then vanishes, she bravely sets out to find him. This is the first of many dramas based on Anne and Serge Golon's novels about strong-willed Angélique and her adventures during the reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVatel (2000)
Vatel is the cook of Prince Condé. When the prince invites Louis XIV to hunt, he has to give lavish banquets in order to fall in his favour. But when Vatel falls in love with the king's mistress, love and duty conflict.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAngelique and the King (1966)
Soon after her latest husband death, the King himself (Louis XIV) meets with our heroine and begs her to help convince the Persian Ambassador to agree to a treaty. However, what they didn't realize was that the handsome Persian was in fact a sexual sadist. So, it is up to the King's half- brother, some Hungarian prince, to save Angélique from the evil troll's clutches.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Royal Exchange (2017)
After many years of confrontation, the treasures of Spain and France are empty. In 1721, the regent of France draws up an ambitious plan to inaugurate an era of peace and prosperity that will heal the economies of both nations: his intention is to build a solid network of marriage alliances that will involve four children of very different ages who know nothing of betrayals and power games…
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisQueen Margot (1994)
Paris, Kingdom of France, August 18, 1572. To avoid the outbreak of a religious war, the Catholic princess Marguerite de Valois, sister of the feeble King Charles IX, marries the Huguenot King Henry III of Navarre.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Hour of the Pig (1993)
In medieval France, young lawyer Richard Courtois leaves Paris for the simpler life in the country. However, he is soon drawn into amorous and political intrigues. At the same time, he is pushed to defend a pig, owned by the mysterious gypsy Samira. The pig has been arrested for the murder of a young boy.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDanton (1983)
Danton and Robespierre were close friends and fought together in the French Revolution, but by 1793 Robespierre was France's ruler, determined to wipe out opposition with a series of mass executions that became known as the Reign of Terror. Danton, well known as a spokesman of the people, had been living in relative solitude in the French countryside, but he returned to Paris to challenge Robespierre's violent rule and call for the people to demand their rights. Robespierre, however, could not accept such a challenge, even from a friend and colleague, and he blocked out a plan for the capture and execution of Danton and his allies.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCyrano de Bergerac (1990)
Famed swordsman and poet Cyrano de Bergerac is in love with his cousin Roxane. He has never expressed his love for her as he his large nose undermines his self-confidence. Then he finds a way to express his love to her, indirectly.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCaravaggio (1986)
A retelling of the life of the celebrated 17th-century Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio through his brilliant, nearly blasphemous paintings and his flirtations with the underworld.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Flood (2024)
1792. Louis XVI, his wife Marie Antoinette, and their children have been arrested and imprisoned in the Tour du Temple, a sinister chateau in Paris, awaiting their trial. Far from the splendour of Versailles, they are isolated and vulnerable for the first time in their lives.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCaravaggio's Shadow (2022)
The Catholic Church secretly investigates Caravaggio as the Pope weighs whether to grant him clemency for killing a rival.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRestoration (1995)
An aspiring young physician, Robert Merivel found himself in the service of King Charles II and saves the life of someone close to the King. Merivel joins the King's court and lives the high life provided to someone of his position. Merivel is ordered to marry his King's mistress in order to divert the queens suspicions. He is given one order by the king and that is not to fall in love. The situation worsens when Merivel finds himself in love with his new wife. Eventually, the King finds out and relieves Merivel of his position and wealth. His fall from grace leaves Merivel where he first started. And through his travels and reunions with an old friend, he rediscovers his love for true medicine and what it really means to be a physician.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFarewell, My Queen (2012)
A look at the relationship between Marie Antoinette and one of her readers during the final days of the French Revolution.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
SnoozefestMovies like thisLes Misérables (1982)
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: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHenri 4 (2010)
A 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 more than a little bloodshed and frequent bawdy sexual interludes. In late 16th-century France, Catholics and Protestant Huguenots were at war. Seemingly seeking peace, the French dowager queen, Catherine de Medici summons Henry to her court to have him marry her daughter, uniting 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 both stay alive and maneuver for the throne. [Written by Palm Springs International Film Festival]
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Joan the Maid II: The Prisons (1994)
Jeanne has succeeded in lifting the siege of Orléans and Charles has been crowned King of France. However, she is injured in an attempt to take Paris, weakening her position at court. Captured by the enemy and put on trial, she finds both her life and the sanctity of her body at stake.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
The Madness of King George (1994)
Aging King George III of England is exhibiting signs of madness, a problem little understood in 1788. As the monarch alternates between bouts of confusion and near-violent outbursts of temper, his hapless doctors attempt the ineffectual cures of the day. Meanwhile, Queen Charlotte and Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger attempt to prevent the king's political enemies, led by the Prince of Wales, from usurping the throne.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Supper (1992)
France, 1815. After his defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon heads for exile. Royalists occupy Paris and attempt to restore the monarchy. However, the battle doesn't seem to be over. On July 6, Talleyrand, a shrewd politician of flexible convictions, invites chief of police and zealous revolutionary Fouché to supper and tries to convince him to serve the king. Over the meal they insult each other, accuse each other, and, at first sight, look like mortal enemies. But they definitely have one thing in common: they are both power-hungry.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Man for All Seasons (1966)
A depiction of the conflict between King Henry VIII of England and his Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas More, who refuses to swear the Oath of Supremacy declaring Henry Supreme Head of the Church in England.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMarie Antoinette (2006)
A retelling of the story of France’s iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette - from her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI at fifteen to her reign as queen at nineteen and ultimately the fall of Versailles.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Judge and the Assassin (1976)
France, 1893. Joseph Bouvier attempts to shoot his love who refused to marry him and to commit suicide. Upon release from the filthy asylum where he was placed, with bullets still remaining in his head, he wanders the country roads and rapes and murders many teenagers over years. The judge Rousseau captures him, but to serve his ambition seeks to avoid that Bouvier is simply declared insane.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Affair of the Necklace (2001)
In pre-Revolutionary France, a young aristocratic woman left penniless by the political unrest in the country, must avenge her family's fall from grace by scheming to steal a priceless necklace.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
SnoozefestMovies like thisBarry Lyndon (1975)
An Irish rogue uses his cunning and wit to work his way up the social classes of 18th century England, transforming himself from the humble Redmond Barry into the noble Barry Lyndon.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisKidnapped (2023)
The story of Edgardo Mortara, a young Jewish boy living in Bologna, Italy, who in 1858, after being secretly baptized, was forcibly taken from his family to be raised as a Christian. His parents’ struggle to free their son became part of a larger political battle that pitted the papacy against forces of democracy and Italian unification.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Return of Martin Guerre (1982)
Village of Artigat, southern France, summer 1542, during the reign of Francis I. Martin Guerre and Bertrande de Rols marry. A few years later, accused of having committed a robbery, Martin suddenly disappears. When, almost a decade later, a man arrives in Artigat claiming to be Martin, the Guerre family recognizes him as such; but doubts soon arise about his true identity.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Death of Louis XIV (2016)
August 1715. After going for a walk, Louis XIV feels a pain in his leg. The next days, the king keeps fulfilling his duties and obligations, but his sleep is troubled and he has a serious fever. He barely eats and weakens increasingly. This is the start of the slow agony of the greatest king of France, surrounded by his relatives and doctors.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Taking of Power by Louis XIV?
The closest matches to The Taking of Power by Louis XIV are The French Revolution (1989), The Libertine (2004) and 1612: Chronicles of the Dark Time (2007). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Taking of Power by Louis XIV?
People who watched The Taking of Power by Louis XIV most often go on to The French Revolution (1989), The Libertine (2004) and 1612: Chronicles of the Dark Time (2007).
What is the highest-rated movie like The Taking of Power by Louis XIV?
Barry Lyndon (1975), rated 8.0/10 by 3,355 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Taking of Power by Louis XIV?
The Flood (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like The Taking of Power by Louis XIV?
Yes: The French Revolution (1989), Marquise (1997) and Angelique (1964).
How are movies similar to The Taking of Power by Louis XIV chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Taking of Power by Louis XIV, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.