Period Dramas Sorted by Historical Era

Looking for a period drama to watch?
Here are over 1100 films, sorted by era...

Ancient Period Dramas (4000 B.C - 500)
(such as: Jesus of Nazareth, Ben Hur, Troy,
The Ten Commandments, The Nativity Story and Cleopatra)

Medieval Period Dramas (500-1500)
(such as: Lord of the Rings, King Arthur, Tristan and Isolde,
The Princess Bride, A Knight's Tale and Robin Hood)

Renaissance Period Dramas (1400-1600)
(such as: Ever After, Shakespeare in Love, 1492, Elizabeth and The Other Boleyn Girl)



Baroque Period Dramas (1600-1750)
(such as: Pirates of the Caribbean, Le Roi Soleil, The Three Musketeers,
Vatel, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Lost in La Mancha)



Georgian Period Dramas (1714-1830)
(such as: The Aristocrats, Amazing Grace, Marie Antoinette,
John Adams, The Duchess and The Scarlet Pimpernel)
[Note: Jane Austen adaptations listed specifically in Regency era below]

Regency Period Dramas (1811-1820)
(such as: Pride and Prejudice, Bright Star, Persuasion,
Emma, and Sense and Sensibility)



Victorian Period Dramas (1837-1901)
(such as: The Young Victoria, Daniel Deronda, Little Women, Little House on the Prairie,
The Buccaneers, North and South, The Inheritance and Mrs. Brown)
[Considering that Queen Victoria's reign was so long,
this is the largest group of films sorted by era including almost 300 period dramas!]


Edwardian Period Dramas (1901-1914)

(such as: Downton Abbey, The Lost Prince, The Importance of Being Earnest,
Titanic, My Fair Lady, Anne of Green Gables)


Post-Edwardian Period Dramas (1915-1960s)
(such as: The Ladies in Lavender, The Remains of the Day, The Magic of Ordinary Days,
The Sound of Music, The Painted Veil, Foyle's War)

The above is solely a visual list of movies from each era.
The Film Index lists those period films which have been featured in greater detail.

Please keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list. I have included mainly those that I've seen myself and/or those that are suitable for most audiences. I know that plenty of you have favourite dramas that might be missing from this list (sorry!) but I've tried to include a good selection of the quantity of period films available out there!
(Many are available to watch online.)

Shopping, Seduction & Mr Selfridge

Andrew Davies is adapting Lindy Woodhead’s nonfiction bestseller Shopping, Seduction & Mr Selfridge for ITV Studios.

It's the story of "how brash American retailer Harry Gordon Selfridge --"The Showman of Shopping" -- opened the world’s first purpose-built department store in London in 1909.... Certainly there’s a plum role for the American actor playing Selfridge, who blew his fortune on mistresses and gambling before dying destitute. Selfridge’s girlfriends included famed dancer Isadora Duncan and Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. His massive overspending ultimately cost him control of Selfridges."
[Deadline]

Book description: "The men who created the first department stores—what Zola called "great cathedrals of shopping"—made vast fortunes, but no one understood how shopping could become sexy as well as Mr. Selfridge. In 1909, his department store—London’s first and built from scratch—opened in a glorious burst of publicity, spearheaded by the largest advertising campaign ever mounted in the British press. In his eponymous store, Harry Gordon Selfridge created nothing less than "the theater of retail." His personal life was just as flamboyant—one of mistresses and mansions, racehorses and yachts. In this revealing narrative, author Lindy Woodhead tells the extraordinary story of a revolution in shopping, depicts the rise and fall of a retail prince, and unravels a slice of social history that will surprise and entertain any woman who loves to shop." [Amazon.com]

This series is not yet commissioned.

The Poll Diaries (2010)

Description: "In the summer of 1914, thirteen-year-old Oda Schaefer (Paula Beer) leaves Berlin to join her family and an assortment of German and Russian aristocrats on an estate in Estonia. The Schaefer family home is a character in its own right, a hulking, neoclassical manor that hovers on stilts above the sea. Oda arrives there bearing her mother’s coffin and a gift requested by her surgeon father: a jarred, two-headed fetus to add to his laboratory of gruesome curiosities.
Ebbo Schaefer (Edgar Selge) sees himself in his daughter when she calmly and expertly learns to suture the corpse of a cat. What he fails to recognize – and what Oda luckily understands – is that their interest in science is their only similarity. His dedication to experimentation is linked to an appalling obsession with power and destruction, while Oda is genuinely curious about life. Her quick, quiet intelligence complements her humanity and her lucid understanding of right and wrong. When she strays from a family picnic and discovers a badly wounded Estonian anarchist, she helps him without a second thought, smuggling him into her father’s lab and putting her new surgical skills to good use. As their illicit friendship deepens, family turmoil escalates and war closes in. The safe haven of the community collapses, forcing Oda’s family to make impossible choices.
Shot in rich, muted tones and sharp shadows, The Poll Diaries is historical drama at its finest. Posing a range of ethical questions, the film offers a compelling commentary on a morally bankrupt brand of reasoning that would come to underlie some of the greatest tragedies of the twentieth century."
[written by Cameron Bailey, tiff]

[German with English subtitles]

This film made its debut at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2010.
Not sure of its current availability on DVD or Netflix...

Thanks to a fellow movie fan for mentioning this film!

The Swan (1956)

The Swan is a remake of a 1925 film, both based on a Hungarian play by Ferenc Molnár. The film was shot on location at the Biltmore Estate of George W. Vanderbilt in Asheville, North Carolina.

Starring: Grace Kelly, Alec Guinness and Louis Jourdan with Agnes Moorehead, Jessie Royce Landis, Brian Aherne, Leo G. Carroll, Estelle Winwood and Robert Coote.

Plot: Princess Beatrice's days of enjoying the regal life are numbered unless her only daughter, Princess Alexandra, makes a good impression on a distant cousin when he pays a surprise visit to their palace. Prince Albert has searched all over Europe for a bride and he's bored by the whole courtship routine. He is more interested in the estate's dairy than Alexandra's rose garden. And then he starts playing football with the tutor and Alexandra's brothers. Invite the tutor to the ball that night and watch how gracefully Alexandra dances with him. [IMDb]

I noticed this film since I admired its Edwardian costumes listed for sale in the upcoming auction.

Trailer

Watch movie on Youtube

Out of Africa (1985)

In 20th century colonial Kenya, a Danish baroness/plantation owner has a passionate but ultimately doomed love affair with a free-sprited big-game hunter.

Based on a true story.

Plot outline: (from Fandango)
Out of Africa is drawn from the life and writings of Danish author Isak Dinesen, who during the time that the film's events occured was known by her married name, Karen Blixen-Flecke. For convenience's sake, Karen (Meryl Streep) has married Baron Bor Blixen-Flecke (Klaus Maria Brandauer). In 1914, the Baron moves himself and his wife to a plantation in Nairobi, then leaves Karen to her own devices as he returns to his womanizing and drinking. Soon, Karen has fallen in love with charming white hunter Denys Finch Hatton (Robert Redford), who prefers a no-strings relationship. A woman who prides herself on her independence, Blixen finds herself unhappily in thrall to a aloof man -- and doubly unhappy for living out such a cliché situation. Although Redford received a lion's share of criticism for his too-American performance, Streep has rarely been better, and the film's perfectly measured pace is offset by David Watkin's stunning location photography. The movie was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 7, including Best Picture, Best Director for Sydney Pollack, Best Adapted Screenplay for Kurt Luedtke, and Best Cinematography for Watkin. ~ written by Hal Erickson
Trailer

Top Ten Edwardian Films

I realized that I never posted the results for the poll for Edwardian-era Films posted back in October. I've also added a few more films to that category since then (Iron Jawed Angels, Dean Spanley, Christy, The Last Station, Séraphine and Out of Africa) which are not included in the poll.

Thanks to all who voted! (3300 votes cast)

Here are the Top Ten
(Most Watched Films of the Edwardian era)

#1 Titanic
(no surprise there considering the box office that the film enjoyed!)

#2 Finding Neverland
#3 My Fair Lady
#4 The Importance of Being Earnest













#5 A Little Princess
#6 Anne of Green Gables
#7 Miss Potter













#8 A Room with a View
#9 Howard's End
#10 Doctor Zhivago














Downton Abbey came in at #11 which I anticipate would be higher up in the ranks if the poll better reflected recent viewings!

Edwardian shoes - vote on style of design

American Duchess is now designing Edwardian shoes for sale after the successful launch of the Georgiana's! She's narrowed it down to 2 styles of pumps so if you're interested in ordering a pair once they're finished, head over to Lauren's site and vote for your preferred design! While I personally don't have an occasion to wear such shoes, I definitely do have a favourite!