In the 1880s, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria (Sharif) clashes with his father, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria (Mason) and his mother Empress Elisabeth (Gardner), over implementing progressive policies for their country. Rudolf soon feels he is a man born at the wrong time in a country that does not realize the need for social reform. The Prince of Wales (Robertson Justice), later to become Britain's King Edward VII, provides comic relief.
A swashbuckling swordsman is tricked into enlisting into the army of Louis XV in the mistaken belief that he will therefore be allowed to marry one of the King's daughters.
Ann, the crown princess of an unspecified country, has started a widely publicized tour of several European capitals. In Rome she becomes frustrated with her tightly scheduled life, to the point of throwing a fit. Her doctor gives her a sedative to calm her down and help her sleep, but she secretly leaves her country's embassy.
In 1862 Siam, the King of Siam rules with traditional beliefs and refusal to change. With the arrival of Englishwoman Anna Leonowens and her son Louis, his evil, but villainous Prime Minister, Kralahome, plots to have the King overthrown with deceit. At the same time, the Crown Prince Chulalongkorn falls in love with Tuptim, a servant given to the King as a gift from Burma, but their love and friendship must remain a secret as such is strictly forbidden.
Hidetora Ichimonji, a powerful warlord, experiences a dream reminding him that he's showing his age and decides to divide his kingdom among his three sons: Taro, Jiro, and Saburo. Taro, the eldest, will receive the prestigious First Castle and become leader of the Ichimonji clan, while Jiro and Saburo will be given the Second and Third Castles. Hidetora will retain the title of Great Lord and Jiro and Saburo are to support Taro.
In 1995, during the Kashmir conflict, Hilaal Meer, a doctor, agrees to perform an appendectomy on the leader of a pro-separatist group. To avoid detection, he performs the surgery at his house, much to the chagrin of his wife Ghazala, who questions his allegiance. The following day, during a military raid, Hilaal is accused of harbouring terrorists. A shootout ensues at his home, during which the leader of the separatist group is killed and Hilaal is taken away for questioning. The doctor's house is bombed subsequently to kill any other militant hiding inside. Several days later, Hilaal and Ghazala's son, Haider, returns from his university to seek answers about his father's disappearance. Upon arrival, he is shocked to find his mother singing and laughing along with her brother-in-law, Khurram. Unable to understand his mother's behaviour, he begins searching for his father in various police stations and detention camps with the help of his fiancee Arshia, a journalist.
The film begins with Chorus, in this case a person in modern dress, introducing the subject of the play. He is walking through an empty film studio and ends his monologue by opening the doors to begin the main action. Chorus reappears several times during the film, his speeches helping to explain and progress the action.
After having been appointed by King Louis XIV of France on a project for the gardens of Versailles, landscaper Monsieur André Le Nôtre interviews various contractors for embarking on this project, one of whom is a woman with an unconventional sense of gardening, Sabine de Barra. When noticing her move a plant pot in his garden prior to her interview, André confirms Sabine is not a conformist in gardening, which she explains during the interview as wanting to give something uniquely French and not simply abide by the past.
Several screens of text giving some background are shown before a bust is shown flying over a palace wall and shattering into countless pieces. The film shows the story of a bereaved Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) and her relationship with a Scottish servant, John Brown (Billy Connolly), and the subsequent uproar it provoked. Brown had been a trusted servant of Victoria's then deceased and beloved Prince Consort, Prince Albert; Victoria's chief servants thought Brown might help to ease an inconsolable Queen since the Prince Consort's death in 1861. In 1863, hoping to subtly coax the Queen toward resuming public life after years of seclusion, Mr Brown is summoned to court.
Le film raconte la prise de la cité de Constantinople, capitale de l'Empire byzantin agonisant par le jeune Mehmed II. Il commence à l'époque de Mahomet. Là, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari raconte que Constantinople sera conquise par un commandant et une armée bénie.
Mongol chief Temujin (later to be known as Genghis Khan) falls for Bortai, the daughter of the Tartar leader, and steals her away, precipitating war. Bortai spurns Temujin and is taken back in a raid. Temujin is later captured. Bortai falls in love with him and helps him escape. Temujin suspects he was betrayed by a fellow Mongol and sets out to find the traitor and to overcome the Tartars.
In spring 1939, Sara Delano, the mother of Franklin D. Roosevelt, asks his sixth cousin Margaret "Daisy" Suckley to visit the ill President of the United States at their country estate in Hyde Park, New York. Although Daisy and Roosevelt had not seen each other for years, the distant relatives form a romantic relationship, and Roosevelt often asks Daisy to visit Hyde Park when he stays with his mother. Daisy becomes one of the several women close to Roosevelt, including Sara; Missy LeHand, the president's secretary; and Eleanor, the president's wife. Despite his power, the president is often unable to control the other women; the quiet, shy Daisy is his confidante, and he tells her that Top Cottage will be their shared refuge after his presidency.
Le film met en vedette l'actrice Camille Cottin dans le rôle de Camilla, une femme égocentrique et insupportable qui se rend compte qu'elle ne mène pas la vie qu'elle mérite et décide de devenir une altesse royale. Elle se rend alors au Royaume-Uni dans l'idée de rencontrer le prince Harry, persuadée que ce dernier tombera aussitôt amoureux d'elle et l'épousera.
Larry Cook (Jason Robards), a prosperous Iowa farmer, decides to retire and split his acres of land among his three daughters, Ginny (Jessica Lange), Rose (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Caroline (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Ginny and Rose happily accept the lucrative agreement to live and work on the farm but Caroline abandons farming for a law career in Des Moines and refuses to take part in the deal.
The story begins with the birth of Tsarevich Alexei on 12 August 1904 during the Russo-Japanese War. Tsar Nicholas (Michael Jayston) is warned by the Prime Minister Count Witte (Laurence Olivier) and his uncle Grand Duke Nicholas (Harry Andrews) that the war is futile and costing too many lives. They tell him the Russian people want representative government, health care, voting and workers' rights, but Nicholas wants to maintain the autocracy. Meanwhile, underground political parties led by Vladimir Lenin (Michael Bryant), Joseph Stalin (James Hazeldine) and Leon Trotsky (Brian Cox) have formed.