Movies Like Mr. Whitney Had a Notion

If you liked Mr. Whitney Had a Notion (1949), a history movie directed by Gerald Mayer, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
The Current War (2018)
★ 6.7/10Also history
Electricity titans Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse compete to create a sustainable system and market it to the American people.
2
Radium Girls (2020)
★ 6.6/10Also history
Young women toiling in a factory are exposed to hazardous material which takes a disastrous toll on their health.
3
For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)
★ 6.5/10Also history
Spain in the 1930s is the place to be for a man of action like Robert Jordan. There is a civil war going on and Jordan—who has joined up on the side that appeals most to idealists of that era—has been given a high-risk…
4
Mayerling (1968)
★ 6.2/10Also history
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…
5
The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)
★ 6.8/10Also history
Two young gentlemen living in 1890s England use the same pseudonym ('Ernest') on the sly, which is fine until they both fall in love with women using that name, which leads to a comedy of mistaken identities.
6
The Birth of a Nation (1915)
★ 5.9/10Also history
Two families, abolitionist Northerners the Stonemans and Southern landowners the Camerons, intertwine. When Confederate colonel Ben Cameron is captured in battle, nurse Elsie Stoneman petitions for his pardon. In…
7
Eight Men Out (1988)
★ 6.8/10Also history
Buck Weaver and Hap Felsch are young idealistic players on the Chicago White Sox, a pennant-winning team owned by Charles Comiskey - a penny-pinching, hands-on manager who underpays his players and treats them with…
8
Köln 75 (2025)
★ 7.2/10Also history
The true story of Vera Brandes, teenage patron saint of the 1970s Cologne music scene, who risked everything to organize the greatest solo concert in music history: Keith Jarrett’s legendary Köln Concert.
9
Désirée (1954)
★ 6.5/10Also history
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…
10
Glory Road (2006)
★ 7.4/10Also history
In 1966, Texas Western coach Don Haskins led the first all-black starting line-up for a college basketball team to the NCAA national championship.
11
Lady Jane (1986)
★ 6.9/10Also history
The death of King Henry VIII throws his kingdom into chaos because of succession disputes. His weak son, Edward, is on his deathbed. Anxious to keep England true to the Reformation, a scheming minister John Dudley…
12
Julia (1977)
★ 6.5/10Also history
At the behest of an old and dear friend, playwright Lillian Hellman undertakes a dangerous mission to smuggle funds into Nazi Germany.
13
David and Bathsheba (1951)
★ 5.8/10Also history
King David enters into an adulterous affair with the beautiful Bathsheba, which has tragic consequences for his family and Israel.
14
Where Is Anne Frank (2021)
★ 6.6/10Also history
The film follows the journey of Kitty, the imaginary friend to whom Anne Frank dedicated her diary. A fiery teenager, Kitty wakes up in the near future in Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam and embarks on a journey to…
15
The Devil Is a Woman (1935)
★ 6.4/10Also history
In the carnival in Spain in the beginning of the Twentieth Century, the exiled republican Antonio Galvan comes from Paris masquerade to enjoy the party and visit his friend Capt. Don Pasqual 'Pasqualito' Costelar…
16
A Passage to India (1984)
★ 6.8/10Also history
Cultural mistrust and false accusations doom a friendship in British colonial India between an Indian doctor, an Englishwoman engaged to marry a city magistrate, and an English educator.
17
The Last Rifleman (2023)
★ 6.6/10Also history
A WWII veteran escapes his care home in Northern Ireland and embarks on an arduous but inspirational journey to France to attend the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, finding the courage to face the ghosts of his…
18
First Cow (2020)
★ 7/10Also history
In the 1820s, a taciturn loner and skilled cook travels west to Oregon Territory, where he meets a Chinese immigrant also seeking his fortune. Soon the two team up on a dangerous scheme to steal milk from the wealthy…
19
Raintree County (1957)
★ 6.4/10Also history
In 1859, idealist John Wickliff Shawnessey, a resident of Raintree County, Indiana, is distracted from his high school sweetheart Nell Gaither by Susanna Drake, a rich New Orleans girl. This love triangle is further…
20
Judy (2019)
★ 6.7/10Also history
Thirty years after starring in 'The Wizard of Oz', beloved actress and singer Judy Garland arrives in London to perform sold-out shows at the Talk of the Town nightclub. While there, she reminisces with friends and…