Chick Flicks for Smart Women
by moonmom-295-621699 | created - 08 Jun 2016 | updated - 1 week ago | PublicThe best movies & TV out there that a discerning woman would want. Comlex tales of love, vulnerability & great sex. Not one of them shallow or empty. It's all here: romantic, sexy, demure, glamorous & quirky.
Some drama, some comedy & some campy :)
All are top notch 10's for me; well written & acted, with a strong female narrative or emotional thread because that is so important.
Included are historical notes so you can track the times and places.
Movies = historic, Gothic, fantasy, modern.
TV = historic, comedy, coming of age, modern.
Documentaries = film, sex, LGBTQ, fashion, dance.
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1. The Last Mistress (2007)
Unrated | 115 min | Drama, Romance
Secrets, rumors and betrayals surround the upcoming marriage between a young dissolute man and virtuous woman of the French aristocracy.
Director: Catherine Breillat | Stars: Asia Argento, Fu'ad Aït Aattou, Roxane Mesquida, Claude Sarraute
Votes: 3,789 | Gross: $0.79M
1830's France (worth the subtitles!!!) A raw, sexy love story from a time of arranged marriages and strict codes of conduct. One Spanish courtesan breaks all the rules with her passion and spirit. She is adored for it. Deeply romantic, incredibly written, beautiful, historic.
2. Cyrano (2021)
PG-13 | 123 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
Too self-conscious to woo Roxanne himself, wordsmith Cyrano de Bergerac helps young Christian nab her heart through love letters.
Director: Joe Wright | Stars: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ben Mendelsohn
Votes: 14,886
1640 Paris France. Oh...my...god...what a terrific movie. The light is mystical, sets incredible, acting amazing, even the songs are good. It mesmerized me and made me cry. Peter Dinklage was great in this role. Everyone knows the story is about inner beauty. It also was about war. The Thirty Years' War 1618-1648 was an international conflict taking place in northern Europe from 1618 to 1648. The war was fought between Catholics and Protestants and also drew in the national armies of France, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, and the Habsburg dynasty that ruled the Holy Roman Empire. One of the longest brutal wars in history with over 8 million casualties from battle, famine and disease.
3. Tristan + Isolde (2006)
PG-13 | 125 min | Action, Drama, Romance
An affair between the second in line to Britain's throne and the princess of the feuding Irish spells doom for the young lovers.
Director: Kevin Reynolds | Stars: James Franco, Sophia Myles, Rufus Sewell, David O'Hara
Votes: 54,300 | Gross: $14.73M
1560's England & Ireland Medieval legend. Wonderful, romantic, tragic and soulful. Well written and acted. Rufus Sewell is marvelous as usual. History: Set in the Dark Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire, Lord Marke of Cornwall plans to unite Britain – Celts, Picts, Angles, Saxons and Jutes – against Irish domination. 9 years later star crossed lovers lord Markes ward Tristan and princess Isolde are thrown together during war between kings. Isolde is to be the peace offering as a bride, but sadly not to Tristan...
4. Dangerous Beauty (1998)
R | 111 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
A Venetian courtesan becomes a hero to her city, but later becomes the target of an inquisition by the Church for witchcraft.
Director: Marshall Herskovitz | Stars: Catherine McCormack, Rufus Sewell, Oliver Platt, Fred Ward
Votes: 19,641 | Gross: $4.53M
1583 Venice. The true story of the woman Veronica Franco, a Venetian courtesan who lived from 1546-1591. She was a poet, who used looks, wit and seduction to defy the conventions of 16th century Venice. Smart, romantic, historic. Well written and acted.
5. Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996)
R | 114 min | Crime, Drama, History
Two female friends become sexual rivals at maturity.
Director: Mira Nair | Stars: Naveen Andrews, Sarita Choudhury, Indira Varma, Ramon Tikaram
Votes: 11,366 | Gross: $4.11M
1500's India. A densely atmospheric portrayal of the impact of sexual and emotional obsession. Told from the perspective of Maya, from innocent serving girl of the princess, to accomplished dancer. All hell breaks loose at the princesses wedding. Maya is banished and becomes a famous courtesan after love wounds her heart. Deeply romantic, lavish, raw and beautiful! Well written and acted.
6. King Arthur (2004)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A demystified take on the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Director: Antoine Fuqua | Stars: Clive Owen, Stephen Dillane, Keira Knightley, Ioan Gruffudd
Votes: 176,154 | Gross: $51.88M
Late 5th - 6th century legend. Arthur led Britain against Saxon invaders during Roman occupancy. Great plot, not what you'd expect. Less fantasy more history. Funny moments, gorgeous, romantic, intelligent. Well written and acted. WIKI: The 5th century is the time period from 401 (CDI) through 500.It saw the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, which came to an end in 476 AD (approx 1,500 years ago).
7. Vatel (2000)
PG-13 | 103 min | Biography, Drama, History
Vatel is the cook of Prince Condé. When the prince invites Louis XIV to hunt, he has to give lavish banquets in order to fall in his favor. But when Vatel falls in love with the king's mistress, love and duty come into conflict.
Director: Roland Joffé | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Julian Glover
Votes: 8,257 | Gross: $0.05M
1661 Paris. Vatel, master of grand parties, served Louis XIV's superintendent, in the context of the Franco-Dutch War. A financially struggling Louis, Grand Condé is visited by King Louis XIV for three days of festivities at the Château de Chantilly. Subtitles! But so worth it! Glamorous, romantic, sweet and sad.
8. Farinelli (1994)
R | 111 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The story of castrato opera singer Carlo Broschi, who enthralled 18th-century European audiences under his stage name Farinelli.
Director: Gérard Corbiau | Stars: Stefano Dionisi, Enrico Lo Verso, Elsa Zylberstein, Caroline Cellier
Votes: 7,353 | Gross: $2.12M
1705 –1782 Naples, Italy. Farinelli, celebrated Italian castrato singer of the 18th century.
Subtitles, but worth it!!! Glamorous, romantic, historic. Well written and acted.
History:
castrato were male soprano or contralto voice of great range, flexibility, and power, produced as a result of castration before puberty. The castrato voice was introduced in the 1500's, when women were banned from church choirs and the stage. It reached its greatest prominence in 17th- and 18th-century opera (1600's-1700's).
The practice of castration, illegal and inhumane, produced an adult voice of extraordinary power attributable to the greater lung capacity and physical bulk of the adult male. The unique tone quality of the voice, coupled with the ability of the intensively trained singers to execute extremely difficult florid vocal passages, made the castrati the rage of opera audiences and contributed to the spread of Italian opera. In 18th-century opera the majority of male singers were castrati. The most famous of the Italian castrati was Carlo Broschi, known as Farinelli.
9. Elizabeth (1998)
R | 124 min | Biography, Drama, History
The early years of the reign of Elizabeth I of England and her difficult task of learning what is necessary to be a monarch.
Director: Shekhar Kapur | Stars: Cate Blanchett, Liz Giles, Rod Culbertson, Paul Fox
Votes: 105,155 | Gross: $30.08M
1558-1603 England, Queen Elizebeth. An intense, compelling and romantic drama. Beautiful, heroic, sad. Well written and acted.
10. Amadeus (1984)
R | 160 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The life, success and troubles of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as told by Antonio Salieri, the contemporaneous composer who was deeply jealous of Mozart's talent and claimed to have murdered him.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Roy Dotrice
Votes: 428,293 | Gross: $51.97M
Late 1700's Vienna, Austria. The life and times of a spoiled music prodigy who withdrew into a life of drink and debt. Finally succumbing to deep superstition about his own death. Beautiful, sexy, funny and tragic. This is an amazing film.
11. Hysteria (2011)
R | 100 min | Biography, Comedy, Romance
The truth of how Mortimer Granville devised the invention of the first vibrator in the name of medical science.
Director: Tanya Wexler | Stars: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Hugh Dancy, Jonathan Pryce, Felicity Jones
Votes: 33,191 | Gross: $1.80M
1880's England. Very, very witty comedy-drama about a true, yet startling part of sexual history. Romantic, funny, sweet. Well written and acted.
12. Sense and Sensibility (1995)
PG | 136 min | Drama, Romance
Rich Mr. Dashwood dies, leaving his second wife and her three daughters poor by the rules of inheritance. The two eldest daughters are the title opposites.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, James Fleet, Tom Wilkinson
Votes: 125,791 | Gross: $43.18M
1792 England. Gorgeous, deeply romantic, very well written & acted. Wonderful sets and setting. Historic fiction.
13. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)
PG-13 | 92 min | Comedy, Romance
Guinevere Pettigrew, a middle-aged London governess, finds herself unfairly dismissed from her job. An attempt to gain new employment catapults her into the glamorous world and dizzying social whirl of an American actress and singer, Delysia Lafosse.
Director: Bharat Nalluri | Stars: Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Ciarán Hinds, David Alexander
Votes: 29,740 | Gross: $12.29M
1939 England. Wonderful!!! Funny, romantic, sweet. Well written and acted.
14. Maurice (1987)
R | 140 min | Drama, Romance
Two English school chums find themselves falling in love at Cambridge. To regain his place in society, Clive gives up Maurice and marries. While staying with Clive and his wife, Maurice discovers romance in the arms of the gamekeeper Alec.
Director: James Ivory | Stars: James Wilby, Rupert Graves, Hugh Grant, Denholm Elliott
Votes: 23,597 | Gross: $3.13M
1909 England. Bohemian Era upper-crust love story about the existential crisis of a man's love for men and the perils of being gay in Edwardian society. This is a lush and emotional movie. The acting is wonderful, settings gorgeous and story delicious. Hugh Grant is convincingly gay.
15. A Knight's Tale (2001)
PG-13 | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Romance
After his master dies, a peasant squire, fueled by his desire for food and glory, creates a new identity for himself as a knight.
Director: Brian Helgeland | Stars: Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Rufus Sewell, Shannyn Sossamon
Votes: 201,844 | Gross: $56.57M
1360 Medieval England Fantasy. Set in French cities and London. Very witty, very funny, romantic. Well written and acted! Fantasy-history
16. Penelope (2006)
PG | 104 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
A modern romantic tale about a young aristocratic heiress born under a curse that can only be broken when she finds true love with "one who will accept her as one of their own."
Director: Mark Palansky | Stars: Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Reese Witherspoon, Richard E. Grant
Votes: 66,239 | Gross: $10.01M
2006 London, England. Wonderful in every way. Witty, romantic, funny
17. Beauty and the Beast (2014)
PG-13 | 112 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
An unexpected romance blooms after the the youngest daughter of a merchant who has fallen on hard times offers herself to the mysterious beast to which her father has become indebted.
Director: Christophe Gans | Stars: Vincent Cassel, Léa Seydoux, André Dussollier, Eduardo Noriega
Votes: 22,436
1700's France. French sub tittles!!! Gorgeous, romantic.
18. Mystery Men (1999)
PG-13 | 121 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy
A group of inept amateur superheroes must try to save the day when a supervillain threatens to destroy a major superhero and the city.
Director: Kinka Usher | Stars: Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, William H. Macy, Hank Azaria
Votes: 70,649 | Gross: $29.76M
1990'S Fantasy City USA. Quirky, wickedly smart, ironic, funny indie comedy. Phenomenal performance from Janeane Garofalo, Tom Waits, Paul Reubens & Louise Lasser.
19. Legend (1985)
PG | 94 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
A young man must stop the Lord of Darkness from destroying daylight and marrying the woman he loves.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, Tim Curry, David Bennent
Votes: 72,520 | Gross: $15.50M
Fantasy Gem! Tim Curry as the devil! Tom Cruise & Mia Sara (both teenagers). Great costumes, sound track by Tangerine Dream, Jon Anderson of Yes and Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music. Won Cinematographers Award for Best Cinematography in 1985, nominated for multiple awards: Academy Award for Best Makeup; Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Saturn Award for Best Makeup; BAFTA Awards for Best Costume Design, Best Makeup Artist, Best Special Visual Effects; DVD Exclusive Awards; and Young Artist Awards.
20. But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)
R | 85 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A naive teenager is sent to rehab camp when her straitlaced parents and friends suspect her of being a lesbian.
Director: Jamie Babbit | Stars: Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, Michelle Williams, Brandt Wille
Votes: 41,270 | Gross: $2.21M
1990's CA USA. CAMPY, LGBTQ, quirky, hilarious, well written and acted.
21. Pumpkin (2002)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A sorority girl finds her life falling apart after she develops romantic feelings for a mentally-challenged man.
Directors: Anthony Abrams, Adam Larson Broder | Stars: Christina Ricci, Hank Harris, Brenda Blethyn, Dominique Swain
Votes: 9,546 | Gross: $0.31M
2000's Southern Carolina USA. Odd, quirky comedy, existential, ironic. Well written and acted.
22. The Notorious Bettie Page (2005)
R | 91 min | Biography, Drama
The life of Bettie Page, a 1950s pin-up model and one of the first sex icons in America, who became the target of a Senate investigation because of her risqué bondage photos.
Director: Mary Harron | Stars: Gretchen Mol, Lili Taylor, Chris Bauer, Jared Harris
Votes: 11,660 | Gross: $1.41M
1950's USA. New York Great movie. Sexy historic pop culture icon! Well written and acted.
23. Almost Famous (2000)
R | 122 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
A high-school boy in the early 1970s is given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone magazine about an up-and-coming rock band as he accompanies them on their concert tour.
Director: Cameron Crowe | Stars: Billy Crudup, Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson, Frances McDormand
Votes: 293,543 | Gross: $32.53M
1970's Las Angeles USA. This is a very smart film, about a really interesting time in history. It successfully juxtaposes 'free love' against women's identity' during the 1970's. It is also a great coming of age story. Lovely, funny, romantic and sweet.
24. High Fidelity (2000)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Rob, a record store owner and compulsive list maker, recounts his top five breakups, including the one in progress.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Todd Louiso, Jack Black
Votes: 189,827 | Gross: $27.29M
1995 Chicago USA. Super witty, existential, funny. Well written and acted. A man's reflection on romance.
25. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
R | 108 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
When their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories forever.
Director: Michel Gondry | Stars: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson, Gerry Robert Byrne
Votes: 1,078,547 | Gross: $34.40M
2003 New York USA. Ironic, romantic, well written and acted. Not your typical love story. A man's reflection on romance.
26. As Good as It Gets (1997)
PG-13 | 139 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A single mother and waitress, a misanthropic author, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship after the artist is assaulted in a robbery.
Director: James L. Brooks | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear, Cuba Gooding Jr.
Votes: 318,557 | Gross: $148.48M
1997 New York. Romantic odd ball movie. Excellent writing and acting.
27. Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
PG-13 | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
I.R.S. auditor Harold Crick suddenly finds his mundane Chicago life to be the subject of narration only he can hear: narration that begins to affect his entire existence, from his work to his love life to his death.
Director: Marc Forster | Stars: Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah
Votes: 236,510 | Gross: $40.14M
1997 Chicago USA. Funny, existential, romantic. Well written and acted.
28. The Good Girl (2002)
R | 93 min | Drama, Romance
A discount store clerk strikes up an affair with a stock boy who considers himself the incarnation of Holden Caulfield.
Director: Miguel Arteta | Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Jake Gyllenhaal, Deborah Rush, Mike White
Votes: 47,446 | Gross: $14.02M
2002 Ohio USA. Funny, existential, dark humor. Well written and acted. A woman's reflection on romance.
29. Shopgirl (2005)
R | 106 min | Drama, Romance
A film adaptation of Steve Martin's novel about a complex love triangle between a bored salesgirl, a wealthy businessman and an aimless young man.
Director: Anand Tucker | Stars: Steve Martin, Claire Danes, Jason Schwartzman, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
Votes: 24,694 | Gross: $10.28M
2005 Los Angele USA. Existential, romantic, ironic. Well written and acted. A woman's reflection on romance.
30. Whip It (2009)
PG-13 | 111 min | Drama, Sport
In Bodeen, Texas, an indie-rock-loving misfit finds a way of dealing with small-town misery after discovering a roller-derby league in nearby Austin.
Director: Drew Barrymore | Stars: Elliot Page, Drew Barrymore, Kristen Wiig, Sarah Habel
Votes: 70,220 | Gross: $13.04M
2009 Bodeen Texas USA. Great movie. Coming of age, friendship, courage. Very well acted and written.
31. Flirting (1991)
R | 99 min | Drama, Romance
Two freethinking teenagers - a boy and a girl - confront with authoritarian teachers in their boarding schools. The other students treat this differently.
Director: John Duigan | Stars: Noah Taylor, Thandiwe Newton, Nicole Kidman, Bartholomew Rose
Votes: 6,414 | Gross: $2.42M
,1960's Wales Great Britain. Romantic and really wonderful 'coming of age' story. Utterly charming!
32. Splendor in the Grass (1961)
Not Rated | 124 min | Drama, Romance
The love of high school sweethearts Deanie and Bud is weighed down by the oppressive expectations of their parents and society in smalltown Kansas in 1928, threatening the future of their relationship.
Director: Elia Kazan | Stars: Natalie Wood, Warren Beatty, Pat Hingle, Audrey Christie
Votes: 22,651 | Gross: $8.72M
1928 Small Town Kansas USA. Very sexy, emotional psychological 'coming of age' movie. Women began questioning their social freedoms after the industrial revolution. Passion in a pre-birth control era. Interestingly the movie was made right after 'the pill' was invented and sexual freedom for women vs abstinance was part of the philosophical menussa. Passion, passion and more....passion.
33. The Invention of Lying (2009)
PG-13 | 100 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
A comedy set in a world where no one has ever lied, until a writer seizes the opportunity for personal gain.
Directors: Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson | Stars: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K.
Votes: 149,006 | Gross: $18.44M
2009 Lowell, Massachusetts usa. Fantasy, funny, romantic, eccentric, great film!!! Well written and acted.
34. Dogma (1999)
R | 130 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
An abortion clinic worker with a special heritage is called upon to save the existence of humanity from being negated by two renegade angels trying to exploit a loop-hole and reenter Heaven.
Director: Kevin Smith | Stars: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Bud Cort
Votes: 228,718 | Gross: $30.65M
1999 New Jersey USA. Subversive, dark humor, very intelligent. Takes on the church. Some violence towards the end. Might be disturbing to some, but I thought it was hilarious.
35. The Chatterley Affair (2006 TV Movie)
Unrated | 90 min | Drama, Romance
The trial, under The Obscene Publications Act, of the publishers of D.H. Lawrence's 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' in 1960 was a sensation that consumed the nation. The movie follows two ... See full summary »
Director: James Hawes | Stars: Rafe Spall, Louise Delamere, Mary Healey, Gerard Horan
Votes: 469
1960's England. Smart, drama romance about the jury involved in the censorship of the book 'Lady Chatterly's Lover'. Well written and acted.
36. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
R | 134 min | Drama, Romance
Ennis and Jack are two shepherds who develop a sexual and emotional relationship. Their relationship becomes complicated when both of them get married to their respective girlfriends.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams, Randy Quaid
Votes: 382,427 | Gross: $83.04M
1963 Wyoming USA. A 'star crossed' love story between two young men. The lifelong romantic and complex relationship of the 2 lovers.
37. Mozart and the Whale (2005)
PG-13 | 94 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A love story between two savants with Asperger's syndrome, a kind of autism, whose conditions sabotage their budding relationship.
Director: Petter Næss | Stars: Josh Hartnett, Radha Mitchell, Gary Cole, Sheila Kelley
Votes: 9,295 | Gross: $0.04M
2005 Spokane, Washington. Romance USA between super quirky people. The lovers are on the autistic spectrum. Sweet, emotional and charming.
38. To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)
PG-13 | 109 min | Comedy, Drama
Three drag queens travel cross-country until their car breaks down, leaving them stranded in a small town.
Director: Beeban Kidron | Stars: Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, John Leguizamo, Stockard Channing
Votes: 36,579 | Gross: $36.47M
1995 New York and Snydersville Pennsylvania USA. Charming, glamorous, funny, sad and surprising. Patrick Swayze makes a glamorous drag queen.
39. Gypsy (1962)
Approved | 143 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Based on the Broadway hit about the life and times of burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee and her aggressive stage mother, Mama Rose.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Rosalind Russell, Natalie Wood, Karl Malden, Paul Wallace
Votes: 6,998 | Gross: $13.01M
1962 New York USA. Great campy classic about the coming of age of America's beloved burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee.
40. Big Eyes (I) (2014)
PG-13 | 106 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A drama about the awakening of painter Margaret Keane, her phenomenal success in the 1950s, and the subsequent legal difficulties she had with her husband, who claimed credit for her works in the 1960s.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Danny Huston, Krysten Ritter
Votes: 99,136 | Gross: $14.48M
1958 Las Angeles California USA. Cool, campy, creepy and true. One woman and her obsession for painting huge eyed kids. This weird pop art chick infused the pop culture with arts version of muzak...but maybe it was a deeper story.
41. The Breakfast Club (1985)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama
Five high school students meet in Saturday detention and discover how they have a great deal more in common than they thought.
Director: John Hughes | Stars: Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy
Votes: 436,771 | Gross: $45.88M
1984 Chicago USA. This is actually a fabulous film! Incredible job by the teen actors who went on to make a bunch of silly romantic films.
42. Groundhog Day (1993)
PG | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A narcissistic, self-centered weatherman finds himself in a time loop on Groundhog Day.
Director: Harold Ramis | Stars: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky
Votes: 685,390 | Gross: $70.91M
1992 Punxsutawney Pennsylvania USA. Campy, Classic, starts mainstream...gets weirder..and weirder. Funny, romantic, weird. Had to put it in.
43. The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders (1996)
Unrated | 195 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Story of a woman who merely wished to be a loving wife, but always had to live the life of crime.
Stars: James Bowers, Alex Kingston, Daniel Craig, Trevyn McDowell
Votes: 1,417
1722 England. Super funny, interesting and sexy. Great sets, great costumes, great characters.
44. The Devil's Mistress (2008)
47 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
Drama charts the progress of the English Civil War through the story of a young woman, the fictional Angelica Fanshawe, and her three husbands.
Stars: Andrea Riseborough, Dominic West, Tom Goodman-Hill, John Simm
Votes: 2,732
1642 and 1660 English Civil War. The Devil's Mistress explores a country in crisis through the eyes of young Angelica Fanshawe, a young court lady who slowly realizes her class privilege and lack of power as a woman as she tries to make sense of love and death. Awesome drama mini-series! Delicious, romantic, adventurous, beautiful and sad.
45. The White Queen (2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, History, Romance
Three different, yet equally relentless women vie for the throne in 15th-century England.
Stars: Aneurin Barnard, Rebecca Ferguson, Amanda Hale, Faye Marsay
Votes: 31,418
1464 England. The love story between Henry the 7th and Elizabeth York, is central to this remarkable series. The nation has been at war for nine years fighting over who is the rightful king as two sides of the same family, the House of York vs House of Lancaster, also called the 'Wars of the Roses'. This war was from 1455-1487. This was right after the devastating '100 years war' 1337-1453 (See 'Cyrano')
Great TV series. Romantic, well written.
HISTORY:
The Wars of the Roses 1455 – 1487:
a series of bloody civil wars for the throne of England between two royal families: the House of York and the House of Lancaster. Henry VII defeated Richard the III after 30 years of horrific carnage. After his coronation, Henry VII married Elizabeth of York, merging the long-feuding Lancaster and York houses. This union ended the 'Wars of the Roses' and began the Tudor Dynasty. Henry VII was succeeded by his second son, Henry VIII (8th). See 'The Tudors'. Henry the 8th continued to cause great suffering.
Sequels: The White Princess (poor quality) and The Tudors (excellent quality) TV series for a sequel to The White Queen)
46. Versailles (2015–2018)
TV-MA | 60 min | Biography, Drama, History
In 1667, 28-year-old all-powerful king of France, Louis XIV, decides to build the greatest palace in the world - Versailles. But drained budget, affairs and political intrigues complicate things.
Stars: George Blagden, Alexander Vlahos, Tygh Runyan, Stuart Bowman
Votes: 18,721
1667 - 1670 Near Paris France. VIOLENT in parts but also wildly beautiful and quite funny. King Louis XIV (16th) of France tries to quash the plotting nobility by trapping them in with him at a new palace (Versailles) where he could control everything through rigid rules, rituals and spying. Same actor who played gorgeous young Athelstan in Vikings! This is a really sexy, gorgeous, wonderful show! (Except for the torture scenes, yuck).
47. The Last King (2003)
TV-14 | 188 min | Biography, Drama, History
The chronicle of Charles II's time on the throne, his ten-year exile from Oliver Cromwell's England, and his triumphant return.
Stars: Rufus Sewell, Rupert Graves, Charlie Creed-Miles, Christian Coulson
Votes: 1,814
1650-1685 England, Charles ll, A very cool king, who loved his mistresses...all of them. A man who brought a lot of joy after the Cromwell years. History: In 1650, Charles made a deal with the Scots and was proclaimed king but was defeated by Cromwell at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. He escaped into exile until 1660 when he was invited to England to reclaim his throne. Those who had signed Charles I's death warrant were punished. However, the new king pursued a policy of political tolerance and power-sharing. He made a number of attempts to formalize toleration of Catholics and Non-conformists but was forced to back down in the face of a hostile parliament. Charles loved and respected women, socializing with them, falling in love with them, and seeking political advice from them. He commissioned paintings of them which he proudly displayed in the palace. He had no children with his wife, Catherine of Braganza but had a number of illegitimate children with mistresses. He was generous in providing for all his children and was kind to his wife who had several miscarriages. He refused to divorce her even though his advisers begged him to do so for the sake of a legitimate heir. Rufus Sewell is so beautiful....sigh....
48. The Tudors (2007–2010)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, History, Romance
A dramatic series about the reign and marriages of King Henry VIII.
Stars: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Henry Cavill, Anthony Brophy, James Frain
Votes: 81,246
1457-1509 England, Henry VIII, a (VIOLENT) ruler and the friends and lovers who endured his rule. It is an amazing show. Gorgeous, sexy, intriguing and tragic. good acting and beautiful people. The torture scenes made me uncomfortable, but I loved it anyway. HISTORY: The Wars of the Roses 1455 – 1487: a series of bloody civil wars for the throne of England between two royal families: the House of York and the House of Lancaster. Henry VII defeated Richard the III after 30 years of horrific carnage. After his coronation, Henry VIII married Elizabeth of York, merging the long-feuding Lancaster and York houses. This union ended the 'Wars of the Roses' and began the Tudor Dynasty. Henry VII was succeeded by his second son, Henry VIII (8th). (See The White Queen TV series for a prequel to The Tudors)
49. The Magnificent Century (2011–2014)
90 min | Biography, Drama, History
From 1520, follows Suleiman the Magnificent and his relatives from his great conquests to the "Battle of Szigetvár".
Stars: Halit Ergenç, Nur Fettahoglu, Selim Bayraktar, Selen Öztürk
Votes: 19,147
1520-1566 Ottoman-Turkish empire. Sultan Suleiman and the woman who climbed to power becoming his wife. (((This was written with limited insight into women's interpersonal lives))). However, it's surprisingly intriguing. Visually stunning with great costuming. History: The name means "man of peace". He was a beloved and successful ruler. He was a distinguished poet and goldsmith; he also became a great patron of culture, overseeing the "Golden" age of the Ottoman Empire. Breaking with Ottoman tradition, Suleiman fell madly in love with, then married Hurrem Sultan, a slave woman from his harem who had been captured in Turkish raids on the coast of Russia. Harems were not a place for feminism but if you watch a history of them it seems some women gained tremendous power but ultimately were subject to the whims of men and custom. To find out more watch '(Suleiman the Magnificent Documentary) | Timeline' it is a historical documentary about Hurrem Haten and the harem link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEDWaBmKpfY
50. Ekaterina (2014–2023)
44 min | Biography, Drama, History
The life of Russian Empress Ekaterina II (Catherine the Great), a German-born princess who came to Russia as the wife of Peter III, chosen by her aunt Elizabeth, and who, once in power, transformed the Russian empire.
Stars: Marina Aleksandrova, Michael Gor, Vladimir Yaglych, Pavel Tabakov
Votes: 1,685
1762-1796 Russia, Catherine the great. This is an amazing series. Incredible sets, lavish costumes, and wonderful acting. All 3 seasons are available to watch with English subs on Amazon Prime.
51. Borgia (2011–2014)
TV-MA | 52 min | Biography, Drama, History
Story of the rise and the fall of the Renaissance dynasty.
Stars: Mark Ryder, Isolda Dychauk, Diarmuid Noyes, John Doman
Votes: 7,222
1431-1503, Rome Italy Pope Rodrigo Borgia. NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH US VERSION 'THE BORGIAS'. This show has some seriously powerful women. Lucrezia Borgia was acting pope for a while. It's a great story with phenomenal acting, good costumes, gorgeous scenery....and great sex scenes. Lots of beautiful people.
52. Rome (2005–2007)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Drama, Romance
A down-to-earth account of the lives of both illustrious and ordinary Romans set in the last days of the Roman Republic.
Stars: Kevin McKidd, Ray Stevenson, Polly Walker, Kerry Condon
Votes: 185,486
49 BC Rome (Violent) Adventurous, intriguing and beautiful. Lots of sex, betrayal, and struggles for power. Very good! History: Julius Caesar's civil war of 49 BC against the traditionalist conservative faction in the Roman Senate (the Optimates), his rise to dictatorship over Rome, and his fall, spanning the time from the end of his Gallic Wars (52 BC or 701 ab urbe condita) until his assassination on 15 March 44 BC (the infamous Ides of March). Against the backdrop of these cataclysmic events, we also see the early years of the young Octavian, who is destined to become Augustus, the first Emperor of Rome.
53. Game of Thrones (2011–2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.
Stars: Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey
Votes: 2,286,477
(Violent) Somewhere in history much like our own...except there's magic and dragons.. This is the most beautiful fantasy show ever!Gorgeous, romantic, horrific, surprising and satisfying. It's awesome in every way.
54. Desperate Romantics (2009)
Drama
Period drama set in London about the rise of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
Stars: Samuel Barnett, Sam Crane, Josie Farmiloe, Tom Hollander
Votes: 2,024
1850-1860's London England. Victorian Industrial era. The bohemian side of Victorian England. Utterly charming!!! Wonderfully romantic, funny & tragic. Great story, scenery and costumes. Preraphaelites; In 1848, as revolutions swept continental Europe and an uprising for social reform, known as Chartism, unsettled Britain, seven rebellious young artists (and their models) in London formed a secret society with the aim of creating a new British art.
55. Poldark (2015–2019)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Romance
Ross Poldark returns home after the American Revolutionary War and rebuilds his life with a new business venture, making new enemies and finding a new love where he least expects it.
Stars: Aidan Turner, Eleanor Tomlinson, Jack Farthing, Beatie Edney
Votes: 36,129
1781 and 1801 Cornwall England, a county on England’s rugged south West tip. It forms a peninsula of wild moorland with hundreds of sandy beaches.
Magical! Wonderfully romantic, great story, scenery and costumes.
HISTORY:
Much of the landscape of Cornwall was transformed in the 1700's and early 1800's due to the rapid growth of copper and tin mining. Cornwall’s tin and copper mines were some of the largest in Europe. By the mid-19th century however, much had changed. The rise of the mechanised cloth industry in England’s North and Midlands sent the south-western wool trade into serious decline. And while Cornwall’s mining industry survived well into the 20th century, it experienced repeated crises from the 1770s onwards. This was primarily due to newly discovered tin and copper mines elsewhere in the world.With the ending of the War with France, Great Britain entered a period of greater economic depression and political uncertainty, characterized by social discontent and unrest.
56. The Mill (2013–2014)
60 min | Drama
The hard labour of cotton mill workers and the abuse they endure.
Stars: Kerrie Hayes, Ciaran Griffiths, Barbara Marten, Matthew McNulty
Votes: 1,222
1830-1840 Victorian industrial era England Coming of age in the workhouses of the Victorian era. Historic fiction based on the lives of the girls of the cotton mill. Amazing acting, great story line. History: Industrial Revolution cotton mills: because of the major boom in production, there was a need for cheap labor. Due to rampant poverty, women and children were forced to enter the workforce, and they could be paid less than men. Women were paid a third of what men were paid, and children either made a tenth of what men were paid, or they worked only for room and board. New technology allowed farmers to work the land with less labor. This led to severe unemployment and rising poverty in rural areas. As a result, many people left the countryside to find work in towns and cities. Cotton mills were a huge industry. The work was dangerous. The machines could cause dismemberment and cotton particles caused fatal ‘cotton lung’. Children were exploited as cheap sources of labour which brought about years of child slavery.
57. North & South (2004)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, Romance
North and South is a four-part adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's love story of Margaret Hale, a middle-class southerner who is forced to move to the northern town of Milton.
Stars: Daniela Denby-Ashe, Richard Armitage, Tim Pigott-Smith, Sinéad Cusack
Votes: 34,983
1820-1840 Victorian Industrial era Egnland Great drama about women and children during the industrial revolution. Sweet, romantic, sad and beautiful.
58. The Forsyte Saga (2002–2003)
TV-PG | 276 min | Drama, History, Romance
Chronicles the lives of three generations of the upper-middle-class British family, the Forsytes, from the 1870s to 1920.
Stars: Damian Lewis, Rupert Graves, Gina McKee, Amanda Root
Votes: 6,550
1870'S-1920'S Victorian-Edwardian England. Historic, gorgeous and entertaining. The lives of women in the limiting setting of the Victorian era.
59. Maison close (2010–2013)
TV-MA | 52 min | Drama
In 1871 Paris, young Rose's quest for missing mother leads her into Paradise brothel. Forced into sex work, she befriends experienced prostitute Vera, aiming to pay debt through rich patron. Brothel madam shields girls from extortionist.
Stars: Anne Charrier, Jemima West, Valérie Karsenti, Catherine Hosmalin
Votes: 573
(Violent) 1870's Paris This is a harsh show but I believe a rather realistic look at what it might have been like to be a sanctioned prostitute in Paris in the 1870's.
60. Tipping the Velvet (2002)
59 min | Drama, Romance
The story of Nan Astley who falls in love with three different women on her journey to stardom and happiness in 1887 Victorian England.
Stars: Rachael Stirling, Keeley Hawes, Jodhi May, Alexei Sayle
Votes: 8,608
1910's England. Bohemian Era romance, adventure between two women. Super fun, glamorous and witty.
61. Downton Abbey (2010–2015)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, Romance
A chronicle of the lives of the British aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the early twentieth century.
Stars: Hugh Bonneville, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Brendan Coyle
Votes: 225,028
1912-1926 Poste Edwardian- rouring 20's England Really good, romantic, beautiful and well written.
62. Lark Rise to Candleford (2008–2011)
TV-PG | 53 min | Drama, Romance
An adaptation of Flora Thompson's autobiographical novel "Lark Rise To Candleford", set in 19 century Oxfordshire, in which a young girl moves to the local market town to begin an apprenticeship as a postmistress.
Stars: Olivia Hallinan, Sarah Lancashire, Julia Sawalha, Fergus Drysdale
Votes: 8,413
Coming of age. Country life in Victorian villages. Sweet, gorgeous and comforting.
63. Bomb Girls (2012–2014)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, War
A drama about World War II women at work in a munitions factory.
Stars: Meg Tilly, Jodi Balfour, Charlotte Hegele, Antonio Cupo
Votes: 4,580
Wonderful series about women's temporary role as bomb factory workers in the 1940's, and the challenge to the status quo. Sassy, romantic, emotional and glamorous. An interesting time in history.
64. Mad Men (2007–2015)
TV-MA | 45 min | Drama
A drama about one of New York's most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s, focusing on one of the firm's most mysterious but extremely talented ad executives, Donald Draper.
Stars: Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones
Votes: 260,707
1950's - 1970's New York. Dark, glamorous, sexy and thought provoking. Deep feminist undertones. Strong female narrative.
65. Queer as Folk (2000–2005)
TV-MA | 47 min | Drama, Romance
Brash humor and genuine emotion make up this series revolving around the lives, loves, ambitions, careers and friendships of a group of gay men and women living on Liberty Avenue in contemporary Pittsburgh, PA.
Stars: Gale Harold, Hal Sparks, Randy Harrison, Michelle Clunie
Votes: 22,461
2000 - 2005 Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. LGBTQ, Super sexual & romantic. Also, really important. Great social content & wonderfully developed characters. Love, justice, self expression, inclusion, LGBTQ, hate issues, discrimination, and the meaning of love. It may be explicit but it's extremely romantic as well.
66. The Guild (2007–2013)
TV-14 | 4 min | Short, Comedy
The lives inside and outside video games of the members of online guild the Knights of Good.
Stars: Felicia Day, Sandeep Parikh, Jeff Lewis, Robin Thorsen
Votes: 10,462
2007 Los Angeles. Super smart (hilarious) comedy about game culture, written by and starring a woman.
67. Daria (1997–2002)
TV-PG | 30 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
A smart and cynical girl goes through teenage life as a proud outsider in a world of mainly idiotic adolescents and condescending adults.
Stars: Tracy Grandstaff, Wendy Hoopes, Julian Rebolledo, John Lynn
Votes: 27,252
1990's suburban USA Coming of age and not fitting in. Some of the absurdities of high school. This is an amazing cartoon.
68. Ugly Betty (2006–2010)
TV-PG | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Smart but wholesome Betty embraces her unique appearance and independent attitude in the cutthroat world of New York fashion.
Stars: America Ferrera, Eric Mabius, Tony Plana, Ana Ortiz
Votes: 47,883
Campy, fun. This show is surprising because it's so good. It's very, very witty. It explores social consciousness through humor, family and fashion. It takes on; body image, superficiality vs intellect, discrimination, LGBTQ, plus more. Super glamorous & funny.
69. My So-Called Life (1994–1995)
TV-14 | 912 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A 15-year-old girl and her trials and tribulations of being a teenager and dealing with friends, guys, parents, and school.
Stars: Bess Armstrong, Wilson Cruz, Claire Danes, Devon Gummersall
Votes: 21,986
1990's Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Intimate 'coming of age' series. Raw and romantic. There was huge response when this show was cancelled. MTV ran the show immediately after the networks dropped it, for all the disappointed fans.
70. Skins (2007–2013)
TV-MA | 46 min | Drama
The story of a group of British teens who are trying to grow up and find love and happiness despite questionable parenting and teachers who would rather be friends (and lovers) than authority figures.
Stars: Kaya Scodelario, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Dempsie, Hannah Murray
Votes: 93,129
2007 Bristol England. ONLY THE FIRST 2 SEASONS ARE GOOD. THEN IT BECOMES AWFUL. British coming of age series, funny, interesting and sad.
71. My Mad Fat Diary (2013–2015)
TV-MA | 47 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Set in the mid-90s at the height of Cool Britannia, a drama based on real diaries takes an honest look at teenage life through the eyes of funny, music-mad Rae
Stars: Ciara Baxendale, Dan Cohen, Jodie Comer, Darren Evans
Votes: 18,890
1996 Lincolnshire, England. A painful but interesting coming of age. A troubled girl, with a binge eating disorder. She has severe depression and is trying to make sense of social life and sex.
72.
The Twilight Zone (1959–1964)
Episode:
Number 12 Looks Just Like You
(1964)
TV-PG | 25 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
In a future society, everyone must undergo an operation at age 19 to become beautiful and conform to society. One young woman desperately wants to hold onto her own identity.
Director: Abner Biberman | Stars: Collin Wilcox Paxton, Richard Long, Pamela Austin, Suzy Parker
Votes: 2,709
ONE EPISODE: SEASON 5, EPISODE 17 'NUMBER 12 LOOKS JUST LIKE YOU' This 1964 classic episode of 'the Twilight Zone', takes on the value of inner vs outer beauty, body shaming and conformity, with an (all too creepy) conclusion. Even though this was filmed before boob jobs and facial fillers it predicted the trajectory of a culture consumed with superficial beauty. Our plastic surgery society has made this glimpse into nightmare, a reality. Every woman should watch this episode of..."The Twilight Zone!".
73. This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)
Unrated | 98 min | Documentary
Kirby Dick's exposé about the American movie ratings board.
Director: Kirby Dick | Stars: Kirby Dick, Kimberly Peirce, Darren Aronofsky, Atom Egoyan
Votes: 28,628 | Gross: $0.30M
A surprising look at who rates movies and what content is cut. A woman's pleasure is often cut out of content while violence towards women is allowed.
74. Miss Representation (2011)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary
Explores the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America, and challenges the media's limited portrayal of what it means to be a powerful woman.
Director: Jennifer Siebel Newsom | Stars: Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Jean Kilbourne, Jim Steyer, Katie Couric
Votes: 3,866
Documentary about the portrayal of women in every day media and how gender roles shape culture. It takes a hard look at what the media tells women about themselves. It's interesting and important. Most TV & movies have no real women's content. Women are marginalized, sexualized & brutalized. This opens the door for thought on change.
75. Indie Sex: Censored (2007 TV Movie)
66 min | Documentary
The history of film censorship in the United States. The documentary covers the pre-code era, to the 1934 introduction of the Hays Code. This slowly broke down and the MPAA was introduced in 1968.
Director: Lesli Klainberg | Stars: Rosanna Arquette, Ruhxen Artie, Jamie Babbit, Fenton Bailey
Votes: 489
Sex in the cinema. A history of sex how film deals with sex. Fun to watch and really educational. WATCH ALL 4 IN THE SERIES.
76. Burlesque: Heart of the Glitter Tribe (2017)
76 min | Documentary
Today's hottest burlesque performers reveal the passion and personalities, the naked truth of an exotic world where artifice is a route to authenticity and pretending to be someone else is the ultimate journey to become yourself.
Director: Jon Manning | Stars: Jett Adore, Russell Bruner, Angelique Devil, Ray Gunn
Votes: 186
Deep, meaningful and joyful. An incredibly pleasurable look at an art form that is personal, intellectual and playful.
77. A Wink and a Smile (2008)
Not Rated | 91 min | Documentary
Ten ordinary women learn the art of the striptease when they dive into the glamorous world of burlesque in this musical documentary of diva proportions.
Director: Deirdre Allen Timmons | Stars: Miss Indigo Blue, Diane Bruch, Casey Ellison, Janie Hanson
Votes: 109 | Gross: $0.02M
Burlesque!!!
78. Passion & Power: The Technology of Orgasm (2007)
Not Rated | 74 min | Documentary
This is the story of one simple invention, the vibrator, and its relationship to one complex human behavior, the female orgasm. The history of the vibrator and its medical use had virtually... See full summary »
Directors: Emiko Omori, Wendy Blair Slick | Stars: Shirley Chisholm, Betty Dodson, Betty Friedan, Rachel P. Maines
Votes: 90
Documentary. The history of the vibrator. Witty, entertaining and stranger than fiction.
79. The Cockettes (2002)
R | 102 min | Documentary
Documentary about the gender-bending San Francisco performance group who became a pop culture phenomenon in the early 1970s.
Directors: Bill Weber, David Weissman | Stars: Larry Brinkin, Peggy Cass, The Cockettes, Pristine Condition
Votes: 625 | Gross: $0.22M
Documentary. LGBTQ & LSD culture in the 1960's. Fantastic documentary about San Francisco gay & psychedelic culture. Here lies the roots of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
80. The First Monday in May (2016)
PG-13 | 90 min | Documentary
Follows the creation of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's most attended fashion exhibition in history, "China: Through The Looking Glass," an exploration of Chinese-inspired Western fashions by Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton.
Director: Andrew Rossi | Stars: Anna Wintour, Andrew Bolton, John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld
Votes: 1,945 | Gross: $0.53M
Great documentary about the art of fashion. Also about Americans attitudes towards successful women & co-opted multiculturalism in the arts.
81. Suffragette (2015)
PG-13 | 106 min | Drama, History
In 1912 London, a young working mother is galvanized into radical political activism supporting the right for women to vote, and is willing to meet violence with violence to achieve this end.
Director: Sarah Gavron | Stars: Carey Mulligan, Anne-Marie Duff, Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep
Votes: 44,766 | Gross: $4.69M
82. Ridicule (1996)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, History
To get royal backing on a needed drainage project, a poor French lord must learn to play the delicate games of wit at court at Versailles.
Director: Patrice Leconte | Stars: Charles Berling, Jean Rochefort, Fanny Ardant, Judith Godrèche
Votes: 8,184 | Gross: $2.50M
83. The Favourite (2018)
R | 119 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
In early 18th-century England, the status quo at the court is upset when a new servant arrives and endears herself to a frail Queen Anne.
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos | Stars: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult
Votes: 233,733 | Gross: $34.37M
18th-century England. Dark drammedy. Freaky and fabulous. Possibly more realistic than glamorous.
84. The Great (2020–2023)
TV-MA | 1,594 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
A royal woman living in rural Russia during the 18th century is forced to choose between her own personal happiness and the future of Russia, when she marries an Emperor.
Stars: Elle Fanning, Phoebe Fox, Gwilym Lee, Adam Godley
Votes: 54,478
Dark comedy. Fabulous! Russia 1762-1797. This girl walks into a simple and violent court, believing in education and art. It's funny quirky mash up of historical whimsy and impossible odds.
85. The Way We Live Now (2001)
TV-14 | 75 min | Drama, Romance
Augustus Melmotte is a European-born city financier whose background is as mysterious as his business. Only weeks after his arrival in London, he announced a new venture and promises instant fortune.
Stars: David Suchet, Matthew Macfadyen, Cillian Murphy, Paloma Baeza
Votes: 3,321
86. Professor Marston & the Wonder Women (2017)
R | 108 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of psychologist William Moulton Marston, and his polyamorous relationship with his wife and their mistress who would inspire his creation of the superheroine, Wonder Woman.
Director: Angela Robinson | Stars: Luke Evans, Rebecca Hall, Bella Heathcote, Connie Britton
Votes: 28,658 | Gross: $1.59M
87. Mrs. America (2020)
TV-MA | 51 min | Biography, Drama, History
Conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly leads an unexpected fight against the Equal Rights Amendment movement during the 1970s.
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Elizabeth Banks, Uzo Aduba
Votes: 13,556
1973 Los Angeles, California. An ambitious woman is driven to make a name for herself by opposing the women's movement of the 1970's. Kate does a great job portraying this complex and power-hungry woman who started the anti-abortion mania in direct opposition to the women's movement.
88. Gas Food Lodging (1992)
R | 101 min | Drama, Romance
A waitress lives with her two teen daughters in a trailer park in New Mexico. They all want a boyfriend.
Director: Allison Anders | Stars: Brooke Adams, Ione Skye, Fairuza Balk, James Brolin
Votes: 4,407 | Gross: $1.35M
89. Bagdad Cafe (1987)
PG | 95 min | Comedy, Drama
A lonely German woman ends up in the most desolate motel on Earth and decides to make it brighter.
Director: Percy Adlon | Stars: Marianne Sägebrecht, CCH Pounder, Jack Palance, Christine Kaufmann
Votes: 15,200 | Gross: $3.59M
90. The Queen's Gambit (2020)
TV-MA | 57 min | Drama
Orphaned at the tender age of nine, prodigious introvert Beth Harmon discovers and masters the game of chess in 1960s USA. But child stardom comes at a price.
Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chloe Pirrie, Bill Camp, Marcin Dorocinski
Votes: 554,293
91. Belgravia (2020)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Romance
Follows events when the emerging nouveau riche, including the Trenchard family, rub shoulders with London's established upper classes and when secrets from the past threaten to emerge.
Stars: Philip Glenister, Tamsin Greig, Harriet Walter, Saskia Reeves
Votes: 8,871
92. Mary Shelley (2017)
PG-13 | 120 min | Biography, Drama, History
Life and facts of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, who at 16 met 21 year old poet Percy Shelley, resulting in the writing of Frankenstein.
Director: Haifaa Al-Mansour | Stars: Elle Fanning, Bel Powley, Owen Richards, Joanne Froggatt
Votes: 17,788 | Gross: $0.11M
1818 London England. So good!! Coming of age in the bohemian side of Victorian England. Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus is a novel written by Mary Shelley age 18. The impetus for the story were her own experiences of loss during her relationship with Percy Shelley. It's a really personal portrayal of this young woman.
93. Delirious (2006)
Not Rated | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An offbeat drama focused on a homeless youth, a pop music siren and a member of the paparazzi.
Director: Tom DiCillo | Stars: Steve Buscemi, Michael Pitt, Alison Lohman, Gina Gershon
Votes: 6,826 | Gross: $0.09M
1991 New York. Naive trust and beauty juxtaposed against misfortune and stinginess. An unlikely friendship, a love story and a damn good movie!!!
94. Bernard and Doris (2006)
TV-14 | 102 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
The story of the twilight years of tobacco billionairess Doris Duke who develops an unlikely friendship with her butler, Bernard Lafferty.
Director: Bob Balaban | Stars: Susan Sarandon, Ralph Fiennes, Peter Asher, Don Harvey
Votes: 4,480
95. Victoria (2016–2019)
TV-PG | 60 min | Biography, Drama, History
The early life of Queen Victoria, from her ascension to the throne at the tender age of 18 to her courtship and marriage to Prince Albert.
Stars: Jenna Coleman, Adrian Schiller, Tommy Knight, Jordan Waller
Votes: 30,905
Queen Victoria's rule, first part. England 1837-1901. Queen Victoria became queen of England at age 18. Independent and romantic, this bright willful lady was attracted to intelligent, interesting men. Her first love, Lord Melbourne was her prime minister (unattainable), in the end she chose Albert whom she fell head over heels for. She adored him till his death Dec 14th 1861. She mourned the loss terribly. Her need for a close relationship inspired two other, lengthy intimate friendships with unlikely but genuinely kind men; John Brown and then Karim Abdul.
96. Mrs. Brown (1997)
PG | 101 min | Biography, Drama, History
When Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert dies, she finds solace in her trusted servant, Mr. John Brown, but their relationship also brings scandal and turmoil.
Director: John Madden | Stars: Judi Dench, Billy Connolly, Geoffrey Palmer, Antony Sher
Votes: 15,597 | Gross: $9.22M
Queen Victoria's rule part 2. Judy Dench looks much like the actress in Victoria. Her close relationship with John Brown after she's retreated in mourning to Scotland following Albert's death. She became friends with John Brown. Their relationship lasted from 1864 till (3 years after Albert's death) to 1883 when John died of pneumonia. It is speculated that they married in secret.
97. Victoria & Abdul (2017)
PG-13 | 111 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Tim Pigott-Smith, Eddie Izzard
Votes: 38,254 | Gross: $22.25M
Queen Victoria's rule part 3. Judy Dench again (great continuity). England turn 1892 (9 years after John's death). A much older sadder queen who left the scottish highlands to resume her duty as queen after John's death. Abdul Karim was the Queen's last close friend, her "sweet son", her solace and her teacher (Munshi). This devoted friendship lasted from 1892 to 1901. Queen Victoria was prone to important friendships with a unconventional men. Her attachments defied court protocol.
98. Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005)
R | 103 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Laura Henderson (Dame Judi Dench) buys an old London theater and opens it up as the Windmill, a performance hall which goes down in history for, amongst other things, its all-nude revues.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins, Christopher Guest, Will Young
Votes: 16,454 | Gross: $11.03M
1930's London England during bombing by Germany, a widow creates a tasteful nude girls show in her theatre. In so doing, she creates jobs for women and boosts morale.
99. Radium Girls (2018)
Not Rated | 102 min | Drama, History
In the 1920s a group of factory workers advocate for safer work conditions after some of their colleagues become ill from radium exposure.
Directors: Lydia Dean Pilcher, Ginny Mohler | Stars: Joey King, Abby Quinn, Cara Seymour, Scott Shepherd
Votes: 2,307
1917 Orange NJ USA, with the onset of World War I, factories across the US produced watches and military dials painted with luminescent radium. Hundreds of young women were hired for well-paying dial painting jobs because their small hands were well suited for the detailed work. They came to be known as “ghost girls” because the radium made their clothes, hair, and skin glow. Radium is deadly and women had to fight the to have it taken seriously.
100. Ladies in Black (2018)
PG | 109 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The lives of a group of department store employees in 1959 Sydney.
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Julia Ormond, Angourie Rice, Rachael Taylor, Alison McGirr
Votes: 8,100
1959, Sydney Australia, A 'coming of age' story about friendship, women and fashion. European immigration and the rise of women's liberation is about to change Australia forever.
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