period dramas
by groza_teodora | created - 09 Feb 2015 | updated - 25 Aug 2022 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Pride and Prejudice (1940)
Approved | 118 min | Drama, Romance
The arrival of wealthy bachelors in town causes an uproar when families with single daughters aggressively seek engagements, including the Bennet family, with five eligible daughters.
Director: Robert Z. Leonard | Stars: Greer Garson, Laurence Olivier, Mary Boland, Edna May Oliver
Votes: 9,221
2. North & South (2004)
TV-PG | 235 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: 34,950
3. Pride and Prejudice (1995)
TV-PG | 55 min | Drama, Romance
While the arrival of wealthy gentlemen sends her marriage-minded mother into a frenzy, willful and opinionated Elizabeth Bennet matches wits with haughty Mr. Darcy.
Stars: Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle, Susannah Harker, Julia Sawalha
Votes: 92,268
4. Emma (1996)
PG | 120 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
While matchmaking for friends and neighbours, a young 19th Century Englishwoman nearly misses her own chance at love.
Director: Douglas McGrath | Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, James Cosmo, Greta Scacchi, Alan Cumming
Votes: 41,608 | Gross: $22.20M
5. Pride & Prejudice (2005)
PG | 129 min | Drama, Romance
Sparks fly when spirited Elizabeth Bennet meets single, rich, and proud Mr. Darcy. But Mr. Darcy reluctantly finds himself falling in love with a woman beneath his class. Can each overcome their own pride and prejudice?
Director: Joe Wright | Stars: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland
Votes: 330,580 | Gross: $38.41M
6. Emma (2009)
TV-PG | 62 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Emma Woodhouse, a wealthy young woman living in the early 19th century, whose misplaced confidence in her matchmaking abilities occasions several romantic misadventures, which leads her into deeper meanings of love and life
Stars: Romola Garai, Michael Gambon, Jonny Lee Miller, Jodhi May
Votes: 18,037
7. Pride and Prejudice (1980)
TV-PG | 265 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
While the arrival of wealthy gentlemen sends her marriage-minded mother into a frenzy, willful and opinionated Elizabeth Bennet matches wits with haughty Mr. Darcy.
Stars: Elizabeth Garvie, David Rintoul, Moray Watson, Priscilla Morgan
Votes: 2,490
8. 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: 125,687 | Gross: $43.18M
9. Sense & Sensibility (2008)
TV-14 | 58 min | Drama, Romance
The sisters Eleanor and Marianne Dashwood try to find love and security in the 1800's. These two sisters coudn't be more different. Where Eleanor is calm and always acts proper Marianne is passionate and usally forgets herself.
Stars: Dominic Cooper, Charity Wakefield, Hattie Morahan, Janet McTeer
Votes: 12,985
10. Mansfield Park (1999)
PG-13 | 112 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Fanny, born into a poor family, is sent away to live with wealthy uncle Sir Thomas, his wife and their four children, where she'll be brought up for a proper introduction to society.
Director: Patricia Rozema | Stars: Frances O'Connor, Jonny Lee Miller, Alessandro Nivola, Hannah Taylor Gordon
Votes: 25,839 | Gross: $4.76M
11. Mansfield Park (2007 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 88 min | Drama, Romance
The classic tale by Jane Austen of family scandal, social graces, and the unrequited love between cousins.
Director: Iain B. MacDonald | Stars: Julia Joyce, Douglas Hodge, Maggie O'Neill, Tara Berwin
Votes: 7,551
12. Persuasion (2007 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 93 min | Action, Drama, Family
Anne was in love with Frederick, who was rejected by her snobby parents 8 years ago. They've now hit hard times and rent out their mansion to his brother-in-law. He returns a Royal Navy captain. Will he remember Anne?
Director: Adrian Shergold | Stars: Sally Hawkins, Alice Krige, Anthony Head, Julia Davis
Votes: 16,501
13. Wives and Daughters (1999)
TV-PG | 75 min | Drama
The daughter of a country doctor copes with an unwanted stepmother, an impetuous stepsister, burdensome secrets, the town gossips, and the tug on her own heartstrings for a man who thinks of her only as a friend.
Stars: Francesca Annis, Justine Waddell, Bill Paterson, Keeley Hawes
Votes: 7,322
14. Our Mutual Friend (1998)
88 min | Drama
Intertwining tales of love, greed, and secret identities in Charles Dickens's 1860s London.
Stars: Paul McGann, Keeley Hawes, Dominic Mafham, David Bradley
Votes: 2,691
15. Little Dorrit (2008)
TV-PG | 34 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
The Dorrits are a family whose life revolves around the Marshalsea, a debtor's prison. Amy Dorrit's kind nature brings the family into contact with a wide swath of English society, from the poorest to the richest, and back again.
Stars: Matthew Macfadyen, Claire Foy, Tom Courtenay, Judy Parfitt
Votes: 10,482
16. Aristocrats (1999)
TV-14 | 300 min | Drama, History
18th-century England and Ireland viewed through the eyes of four beautiful high-born sisters - Caroline, Emily, Louisa, and Sarah Lennox, great-granddaughters of a king, daughters of a cabinet minister, and wives of politicians and peers.
Stars: Siân Phillips, Alun Armstrong, Ben Daniels, Serena Gordon
Votes: 1,767
17. Cranford (2007–2009)
TV-PG | 469 min | Drama
In the 1840s, Cranford is ruled by the ladies. They adore good gossip, and romance and change is in the air, as the unwelcome grasp of the Industrial Revolution rapidly approaches their beloved rural market-town.
Stars: Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Julia McKenzie, Deborah Findlay
Votes: 10,620
18. The Thorn Birds (1983)
Unrated | 122 min | Drama, Romance
In the arid 1920s Australian Outback, a Catholic priest and the beautiful niece of a vast sheep station owner stand powerless before God's will, tormented by desire. How far are they willing to go in the name of love?
Stars: Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Christopher Plummer, Bryan Brown
Votes: 10,184
19. The Young Victoria (2009)
PG | 105 min | Biography, Drama, History
A dramatization of the turbulent first years of Queen Victoria's rule, and her enduring romance with Prince Albert.
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée | Stars: Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson
Votes: 66,375 | Gross: $11.00M
20. The Duchess (2008)
PG-13 | 110 min | Biography, Drama, History
A chronicle of the life of 18th-century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was revered for her extravagant political and personal life.
Director: Saul Dibb | Stars: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Dominic Cooper, Charlotte Rampling
Votes: 87,266 | Gross: $13.82M
21. Love & Friendship (2016)
PG | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Lady Susan Vernon takes up temporary residence at her in-laws' estate and, while there, is determined to be a matchmaker for her daughter Frederica--and herself too, naturally.
Director: Whit Stillman | Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Chloë Sevigny, Xavier Samuel, Emma Greenwell
Votes: 26,422 | Gross: $14.01M
22. 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: 30,868
23. Sanditon (2019–2023)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Romance
About Charlotte Heywood, a spirited and impulsive woman, who moves from her rural home to Sanditon, a fishing village attempting to reinvent itself as a seaside resort.
Stars: Rose Williams, Crystal Clarke, Kris Marshall, Kate Ashfield
Votes: 18,211
24. Jane Eyre (2011)
PG-13 | 120 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A mousy governess who softens the heart of her employer soon discovers that he's hiding a terrible secret.
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga | Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell, Su Elliot
Votes: 93,003 | Gross: $11.24M
25. Emma. (2020)
PG | 124 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In 1800s England, a well meaning but selfish young woman meddles in the love lives of her friends.
Director: Autumn de Wilde | Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Mia Goth, Josh O'Connor
Votes: 62,674
26. Parade's End (2012)
TV-MA | 57 min | Action, Drama, Romance
Revolves around a love triangle between a conservative English aristocrat, his mean socialite wife and a young suffragette.
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rebecca Hall, Roger Allam, Adelaide Clemens
Votes: 10,736
27. Becoming Jane (2007)
PG | 120 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
A biographical portrait of a pre-fame Jane Austen and her romance with a young Irishman.
Director: Julian Jarrold | Stars: Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters, James Cromwell
Votes: 65,078 | Gross: $18.67M
28. Doctor Thorne (2016)
TV-G | 48 min | Drama
Penniless Mary Thorne grows up with her uncle, Doctor Thorne, and develops a friendship with the family at the nearby Greshamsbury Park estate.
Stars: Harry Richardson, Tom Hollander, Stefanie Martini, Rebecca Front
Votes: 5,234
29. The Gilded Age (2022– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama
The series follows the conflicts surrounding the new money Russell family and their old money neighbors, the van Rhijn family, in 1880s New York City high society.
Stars: Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton
Votes: 38,147
30. Belle (2013)
PG | 100 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The biracial daughter, Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), of Royal Navy Captain Sir John Lindsay (Matthew Goode) is raised by aristocratic Great-uncle Lord William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) in 18th century England.
Director: Amma Asante | Stars: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Matthew Goode, Emily Watson, Miranda Richardson
Votes: 33,131 | Gross: $10.73M
31. Anna Karenina (I) (2012)
R | 129 min | Drama, Romance
In late-19th-century Russian high society, St. Petersburg aristocrat Anna Karenina enters into a life-changing affair with the dashing Count Alexei Vronsky.
Director: Joe Wright | Stars: Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Matthew Macfadyen
Votes: 106,506 | Gross: $12.82M
32. Atonement (2007)
R | 123 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
Thirteen-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.
Director: Joe Wright | Stars: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Brenda Blethyn, Saoirse Ronan
Votes: 299,755 | Gross: $50.93M
33. Vanity Fair (2004)
PG-13 | 141 min | Drama
Growing up poor in London, Becky Sharp defies her poverty-stricken background and ascends the social ladder alongside her best friend, Amelia Sedley.
Director: Mira Nair | Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Romola Garai, James Purefoy, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Votes: 23,502 | Gross: $16.14M
34. Gosford Park (2001)
R | 137 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
Set in the 1930s, a group of pretentious rich and famous get together for a weekend of relaxation at a hunting resort. But when a murder occurs, each one of these interesting characters becomes a suspect.
Director: Robert Altman | Stars: Maggie Smith, Ryan Phillippe, Michael Gambon, Kristin Scott Thomas
Votes: 93,996 | Gross: $41.31M
35. Death Comes to Pemberley (2013)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
Elizabeth and Darcy, now six years married, are preparing for their annual ball when festivities are brought to an abrupt halt. An adaptation of PD James's homage to Pride and Prejudice.
Stars: Matthew Rhys, Anna Maxwell Martin, Matthew Goode, Trevor Eve
Votes: 8,450
36. Restoration (1995)
R | 117 min | Biography, Drama, History
The exiled royal doctor to King Charles II devotes himself to helping Londoners suffering from the plague, and in the process falls in love with an equally poor woman.
Director: Michael Hoffman | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Sam Neill, David Thewlis, Polly Walker
Votes: 9,924 | Gross: $4.10M
37. Stage Beauty (2004)
R | 106 min | Drama
A female theatre dresser creates a stir and sparks a revolution in seventeenth century London theatre by playing Desdemona in Othello. But what will become of the male actor she once worked for and eventually replaced?
Director: Richard Eyre | Stars: Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Rupert Everett, Derek Hutchinson
Votes: 10,742 | Gross: $0.78M
38. Bright Star (2009)
PG | 119 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The three-year romance between 19th-century poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne near the end of his life.
Director: Jane Campion | Stars: Abbie Cornish, Ben Whishaw, Paul Schneider, Kerry Fox
Votes: 28,691 | Gross: $4.44M
39. All Creatures Great and Small (2020– )
TV-PG | Comedy, Drama
The numerous adventures of a countryside veterinarian practice in 1930s to 1940s Yorkshire, England.
Stars: Anna Madeley, Samuel West, Nicholas Ralph, Rachel Shenton
Votes: 16,839
40. Northanger Abbey (2007 TV Movie)
PG | 84 min | Drama, Romance
A young woman's penchant for sensational Gothic novels leads to misunderstandings in the matters of the heart.
Director: Jon Jones | Stars: Geraldine James, Michael Judd, Julia Dearden, Gerry O'Brien
Votes: 16,192
41. Bridgerton (2020– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Romance
The eight close-knit siblings of the Bridgerton family look for love and happiness in London high society.
Stars: Nicola Coughlan, Luke Newton, Julie Andrews, Jessica Madsen
Votes: 168,313
42. Vanity Fair (2018)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama
An adaptation of the 1848 novel by William Makepeace Thackeray.
Stars: Michael Palin, Olivia Cooke, Tom Bateman, Johnny Flynn
Votes: 5,721
43. The Essex Serpent (2022)
TV-14 | 48 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Follows London widow Cora Seaborne who moves to Essex to investigate reports of a mythical serpent. She forms a bond of science and skepticism with the pastor, but when tragedy strikes, locals accuse her of attracting the creature.
Stars: Claire Danes, Tom Hiddleston, Frank Dillane, Clémence Poésy
Votes: 7,413
44. Persuasion (I) (2022)
PG | 108 min | Drama, Romance
Eight years after Anne Elliot was persuaded not to marry a dashing man of humble origins, they meet again. Will she seize her second chance at true love?
Director: Carrie Cracknell | Stars: Richard E. Grant, Henry Golding, Ben Bailey Smith, Yolanda Kettle
Votes: 35,415
45. Mr. Malcolm's List (2022)
PG | 117 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A young woman courts a mysterious wealthy suitor in 19th century England.
Director: Emma Holly Jones | Stars: Freida Pinto, Sope Dirisu, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Ashley Park
Votes: 4,373
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