Movies Like Friendly Persuasion (1956)

Friendly Persuasion is a 1956 drama, war film from William Wyler with a MovieMagicScore of 6.7/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Gone with the Wind and Hacksaw Ridge.

Drama War

Gone with the Wind

1939

The spoiled daughter of a Georgia plantation owner conducts a tumultuous romance with a cynical profiteer during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era.

7.9

MagicScore

Hacksaw Ridge

2016

WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first Conscientious Objector in American history to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.

8.2

MagicScore

War for the Planet of the Apes

2017

Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.

7.2

MagicScore

The Beguiled

1971

Offbeat Civil War drama in which a wounded Yankee soldier, after finding refuge in an isolated girls' school in the South towards the end of the war, becomes the object of the young women's sexual fantasies. The soldier manipulates the situation for his own gratification, but when he refuses to completely comply with the girls' wishes, they make it very difficult for him to leave.

7.0

MagicScore

The Color Purple

2023

A decades-spanning tale of love and resilience and of one woman's journey to independence. Celie faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.

7.0

MagicScore

Glory

1989

Robert Gould Shaw leads the US Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices of both his own Union army and the Confederates.

7.5

MagicScore

C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America

2005

Through the eyes of a British "documentary", this film takes a satirically humorous, and sometimes frightening, look at the history of an America where the South won the Civil War.

5.7

MagicScore

Priest

1995

The deeply held religious convictions of an idealistic young priest are challenged when he must face extraordinary events within his own congregation.

6.3

MagicScore

Peterloo

2018

An epic portrayal of the events surrounding the infamous 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where a peaceful pro-democracy rally at St Peter’s Field in Manchester turned into one of the bloodiest and most notorious episodes in British history. The massacre saw British government forces charge into a crowd of over 60,000 that had gathered to demand political reforms and protest against rising levels of poverty.

6.8

MagicScore

#10

We Believed

2010

1828. In the wake of the repression of revolutionary uprisings in the monarchist South, three young friends join Giuseppe Mazzini's patriotic cause, seeking to finally unify Italy under a republican government. Their idealism will clash with the inevitable disillusionment as they grow apart over the following fifty years.

6.6

MagicScore

#11

Custer of the West

1967

The story of U.S. Army commander George Armstrong Custer, a flamboyant hero of the Civil War who later fought and was exterminated with his entire command by warring Sioux and Cheyenne tribes at the battle of Little Big Horn in 1876.

5.9

MagicScore

#12

Nickel Boys

2024

Chronicles the powerful friendship between two young Black teenagers navigating the harrowing trials of reform school together in Florida.

6.6

MagicScore

#13

The Retrieval

2013

On the outskirts of the Civil War, a boy is sent north by a bounty hunter gang to retrieve a wanted man.

6.4

MagicScore

#14

Testament of Youth

2015

Testament of Youth is a powerful story of love, war and remembrance, based on the First World War memoir by Vera Brittain, which has become the classic testimony of that war from a woman’s point of view. A searing journey from youthful hopes and dreams to the edge of despair and back again, it’s a film about young love, the futility of war and how to make sense of the darkest times.

7.3

MagicScore

#15

Stars in My Crown

1950

An orphaned man recalls his upbringing with his aunt and her husband, the parson, in a small Western town during the Reconstruction.

6.9

MagicScore

#16

Little Women

1933

Four sisters come of age during the American Civil War. With their father away fighting, the family, headed by their mother, experiences tribulations, joy, and kindness from their wealthy neighbor and his high-spirited grandson.

6.8

MagicScore

#17

Sahara

2005

Seasoned adventurer and treasure hunter Dirk Pitt, a former Navy SEAL, sets out for the African desert with his wisecracking buddy Al in search of a confederate ironclad battleship rumored to have vanished long ago, the main draw being the treasure supposedly hidden within the lost vessel. When the daring duo come across Dr. Eva Rojas, a beautiful scientist who is juggling an escape from a warlord and a mission to stop the spread of a powerful plague, their desert expedition begins to heat up.

5.9

MagicScore

#18

Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin

2024

As the world teeters on the brink of annihilation, Dietrich Bonhoeffer joins a deadly plot to assassinate Hitler, risking his faith and fate to save millions of Jews from genocide.

6.8

MagicScore

#19

Love Begins

2011

Clark Davis adventurous dreams of seeing the world are put into jeopardy after he and a friend start a fight which damages a local cafe. Through a plea deal with the Sheriff and café owner Millie, Clark works off his sentence as a farmhand for the Barlow sisters, Ellen and Cassie. Older sister Ellen doesnt understand Cassies friendly nature with Clark; she agreed to the Sheriffs offer only because the farm has become too much to maintain alone. Clark is slowing winning Ellen over, but suddenly suffers a traumatic head injury in a fall. After Ellen nurses him back to health, her former fiancé returns to win her back. Will Clark travel on or stay behind where love begins?

7.9

MagicScore

#20

Sense and Sensibility

1995

The Dashwood sisters, sensible Elinor and passionate Marianne, find that their chances at marriage seem doomed by their family's sudden loss of fortune. When Henry Dashwood dies unexpectedly, his estate must pass on by law to his son from his first marriage. But these circumstances leave Mr. Dashwood's current wife and daughters without a home and with barely enough money to live on. As Elinor and Marianne struggle to find romantic fulfillment in a society obsessed with financial and social status, they must learn to mix sense with sensibility in their dealings with both money and men.

7.4

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Friendly Persuasion?

The top films similar to Friendly Persuasion by MovieMagicScore are Gone with the Wind (7.9), Hacksaw Ridge (8.2), War for the Planet of the Apes (7.2). Each shares drama/war themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Friendly Persuasion worth watching?

Friendly Persuasion holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.7/10 from 134 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Friendly Persuasion?

Friendly Persuasion (1956) is a drama, war film directed by William Wyler, starring Gary Cooper, Dorothy McGuire, Anthony Perkins.

Where can I find more recommendations like Friendly Persuasion?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Gone with the Wind Movies like Hacksaw Ridge Movies like War for the Planet of the Apes Movies like The Beguiled Movies like The Color Purple Movies like Glory

About movies like Friendly Persuasion

This ranked list pairs Friendly Persuasion (1956), a drama and war film from William Wyler, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Gary Cooper take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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