10 Underrated Historical Holiday Movies Most People Haven't Seen

Written by Louisa May Alcott and published in 1868-69, Little Women is - among many other things - a snapshot of American civilian life during the Civil War.

The March sisters, whose absent father is serving as a chaplain in the Union Army, must content themselves with his letters as they grapple with their coming-of-age challenges.

Of the several available film versions, we're going with the 1994 adaptation, but each has its merits.

This beloved musical takes place against the backdrop of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair (also called the Louisiana Purchase Exposition), adding historical interest to its romantic storyline.

For setting a holiday mood, watching Judy Garland croon "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" is tough to beat. The historical interest only deepens when you consider all the people who watched this movie for the first time at the end of 1944, when the US was slogging through some of its toughest fighting in World War II.

The famous Christmas Truce of 1914 saw troops on opposite sides of World War I briefly suspend hostilities in order to sing together, exchange food and cigarettes, and even play soccer.

It was a rare moment when the shared humanity of soldiers outshone the harsh obligations of wartime, and not surprisingly, it's inspired people ever since. This 2005 multinational production dramatizes the events of that day.

Set in 1183 CE, this fictionalized account of England's King Henry II holding a "Christmas Court" with his immediate family (including wife Eleanor of Aquitaine and son Richard the Lionhearted) is likely the ultimate dysfunctional-family-gathering holiday movie.

Sure, every "home for the holidays" encounter has its share of drama and backbiting, but in this case the fates of whole kingdoms lie in the balance. The stellar cast is headlined by Peter O'Toole as Henry and Katharine Hepburn as Eleanor.

Before he was folk singer Llewyn Davis or Star Wars hero Poe Dameron, Oscar Isaac played Joseph to Keisha Castle-Hughes's Mary in this respectful, solid retelling of the Nativity story.

Castle-Hughes, who had previously won acclaim as the lead actress in Whale Rider, was only 16 when the film was made, lending authenticity to this tale of youthful motherhood.

It stands to reason that Max von Sydow played Jesus at some point in his career; he did pretty much everything else, so why not?

Directed by Golden Age veteran George Stevens, this 1965 biblical epic - which retells everything from the Nativity to the crucifixion - can be seen as either a bloated last gasp of pre-Bonnie and Clyde Hollywood, or as the kind of rich, large-scale storytelling that movies just don't do anymore.

Either way, it's worth a watch just for the outrageous cast: besides von Sydow, there's Claude Rains (in his last film role), Sidney Poitier, José Ferrer, and - oh yeah - John Wayne as a Roman centurion!