Period Dramas
by chiaratugnizza | created - 12 Dec 2020 | updated - 01 Aug 2022 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. 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: 125,573 | Gross: $43.18M
2. Avonlea (1990–1996)
TV-G | 60 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
A young girl is sent to live with her late mother's relatives in Prince Edward Island. Set in the early 1900's, the series follows her adventures, as well as that of her family and the town's people as she grows up in Avonlea.
Stars: Zachary Bennett, Lally Cadeau, Mag Ruffman, Cedric Smith
Votes: 4,844
3. 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: 330,191 | Gross: $38.41M
4. 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: 92,182
5. A Village Affair (1995 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 101 min | Drama, Romance
Alice has married the rich but boring Martin. When they move to a small village Martin starts flirting with Clodagh, but she is more interested in his wife Alice.
Director: Moira Armstrong | Stars: Sophie Ward, Kerry Fox, Nathaniel Parker, Jeremy Northam
Votes: 596
6. Oliver Twist (1999)
386 min | Crime, Drama
An orphan named Oliver Twist (Sam Smith) meets a pickpocket on the streets of London. From there, he joins a household of boys who are trained to steal for their master.
Stars: Sam Smith, David Ross, Julie Walters, Annette Crosbie
Votes: 840
7. Sense and Sensibility: Deleted Scenes (2002 Video)
PG | 3 min | Short, Romance
Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant star in this captivating romantic comedy that swept the Ten Best Lists and was named the Best Picture of the Year by the Golden ... See full summary »
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Hugh Grant, Gemma Jones, Emma Thompson
Votes: 4,161
8. Impromptu (1991)
PG-13 | 107 min | Biography, Comedy, Music
In 1830s France, pianist/composer Frédéric Chopin is pursued romantically by the determined, individualistic woman who uses the name George Sand.
Director: James Lapine | Stars: Judy Davis, Hugh Grant, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters
Votes: 5,506 | Gross: $4.08M
9. Lord Elgin and Some Stones of No Value (1986 TV Movie)
52 min | Drama
By using Lord Elgin's actual letters written when he was Ambassador in Constantinople in 1802 the film analyses how and why he took the majority of the sculptures from the Parthenon Temple in Athens and shipped them back to England.
Director: Christopher Miles | Stars: Nigel Havers, Clare Byam-Shaw, Julian Fellowes, Hugh Grant
Votes: 26
10. 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: 18,021
11. Jane Eyre (2006)
TV-PG | 58 min | Drama, Romance
A young governess falls in love with her brooding and complex master. However, his dark past may destroy their relationship forever.
Stars: Ruth Wilson, Toby Stephens, Lorraine Ashbourne, Aidan McArdle
Votes: 22,352
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: 16,483
13. 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: 7,546
14. 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: 25,813 | Gross: $4.76M
15. 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: 34,912
16. 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: 16,174
17. 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: 7,315
18. Emma (1996 TV Movie)
TV-G | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Faithful, enchanting adaptation of Jane Austen's nineteenth-century tale of Emma Woodhouse--a clever young woman whose mischievous matchmaking schemes nearly end up jeopardizing her own shot at romance.
Director: Diarmuid Lawrence | Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Bernard Hepton, Mark Strong, Samantha Bond
Votes: 6,078
19. 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: 87,231 | Gross: $13.82M
20. Pride & Prejudice: Alternate US Ending (2006 Video)
2 min | Short, Romance
An alternate ending to Pride and Prejudice featuring Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy having a conversation at Pemberley after they have married.
Director: Joe Wright | Stars: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen
Votes: 7,336
21. Life in Squares (2015)
171 min | Drama
An intimate and emotional drama for BBC Two about the revolutionary Bloomsbury group.
Stars: James Norton, Eve Best, Rupert Penry-Jones, Phoebe Fox
Votes: 846
22. An Ideal Husband (I) (1999)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy, Romance
London 1895: Cabinet minister, Sir Chiltern, and bachelor, Lord Goring, are victims of scheming women.
Director: Oliver Parker | Stars: Rupert Everett, Julianne Moore, Peter Vaughan, Minnie Driver
Votes: 16,716 | Gross: $18.54M
23. Henry VIII (2003 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 193 min | Biography, Drama, History
Two part mini-series documenting the stormy thirty-eight-year reign of King Henry VIII.
Director: Pete Travis | Stars: Ray Winstone, Joss Ackland, Sid Mitchell, Charles Dance
Votes: 2,485
24. 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: 12,964
25. The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)
PG | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In 1890s London, two friends use the same pseudonym ("Ernest") for their on-the-sly activities. Hilarity ensues.
Director: Oliver Parker | Stars: Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Frances O'Connor, Reese Witherspoon
Votes: 24,724 | Gross: $8.38M
26. Far from the Madding Crowd (1998 TV Movie)
54 min | Drama, Romance
A vain, pretty girl has recently taken over her uncle's farm. Her independent, naïve personality leaves her torn between the three men who wish to marry her.
Director: Nicholas Renton | Stars: Paloma Baeza, Jonathan Firth, Nigel Terry, Gwynn Beech
Votes: 962
27. Victoria & Albert (2001)
200 min | Biography, Drama, History
The marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, a longtime royal love story.
Stars: Victoria Hamilton, Jonathan Firth, James Callis, Diana Rigg
Votes: 1,037
28. Mary Queen of Scots (2018)
R | 124 min | Biography, Drama, History
Mary Stuart's (Saoirse Ronan's) attempt to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie), Queen of England, finds her condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution.
Director: Josie Rourke | Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden, Joe Alwyn
Votes: 55,258 | Gross: $16.47M
29. The Happy Prince (2018)
R | 105 min | Biography, Drama
The untold story of the last days in the tragic times of Oscar Wilde, a person who observes his own failure with ironic distance and regards the difficulties that beset his life with detachment and humor.
Director: Rupert Everett | Stars: Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Emily Watson, Colin Morgan
Votes: 5,873 | Gross: $0.47M
30. 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: 92,970 | Gross: $11.24M
31. Downton Abbey (2019)
PG | 122 min | Drama, Romance
1927. The Crawleys prepare to host King George V and Queen Mary at Downton Abbey.
Director: Michael Engler | Stars: Stephen Campbell Moore, Michael Fox, Lesley Nicol, Sophie McShera
Votes: 63,274 | Gross: $96.85M
32. A Royal Night Out (2015)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
On V.E. Day in 1945, as peace extends across Europe, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret are allowed out to join the celebrations. It is a night full of excitement, danger and the first flutters of romance.
Director: Julian Jarrold | Stars: Sarah Gadon, Bel Powley, Emily Watson, Rupert Everett
Votes: 11,073 | Gross: $0.20M
33. Quacks (2017–2018)
30 min | Comedy
In Victorian London four pioneers, friends, and rivals fighting to make a mark on the world and save lives.
Stars: Rory Kinnear, Tom Basden, Mathew Baynton, Lydia Leonard
Votes: 1,437
34. Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
R | 119 min | Drama, Romance
A scheming widow and her manipulative ex-lover make a bet regarding the corruption of a recently married woman.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Swoosie Kurtz
Votes: 75,075 | Gross: $34.70M
35. 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: Nicholas Ralph, Anna Madeley, Samuel West, Rachel Shenton
Votes: 16,796
36. 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: 23,531 | Gross: $3.13M
37. Sherlock Holmes (2009)
PG-13 | 128 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery
Detective Sherlock Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England.
Director: Guy Ritchie | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong
Votes: 670,428 | Gross: $209.03M
38. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
R | 128 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
The centuries old vampire Count Dracula comes to England to seduce his barrister Jonathan Harker's fiancée Mina Murray and inflict havoc in the foreign land.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves
Votes: 238,164 | Gross: $82.52M
39. 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: 224,607
40. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
TV-14 | 124 min | Drama, Romance, War
In the aftermath of World War II, a writer forms an unexpected bond with the residents of Guernsey Island when she decides to write a book about their experiences during the war.
Director: Mike Newell | Stars: Jessica Brown Findlay, Tom Courtenay, Michiel Huisman, Katherine Parkinson
Votes: 52,570
41. Poldark (2015–2019)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Romance
Ross Poldark returns home after 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: 36,048
42. To Walk Invisible: The Brontë Sisters (2016 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 120 min | Biography, Drama, History
A chronicle of the Brontë sisters' battle to overcome obstacles and publish their novels, which would become some of the greatest in the English language.
Director: Sally Wainwright | Stars: Finn Atkins, Charlie Murphy, Chloe Pirrie, Adam Nagaitis
Votes: 3,092
43. Daniel Deronda (2002)
53 min | Drama, Romance
Set in Victorian London, Gwendolen Harleth is drawn to Daniel Deronda, a selfless and intelligent gentleman of unknown parentage, but her own desperate need for financial security may destroy her chance at happiness.
Stars: Jodhi May, Edward Fox, Amanda Root, David Bamber
Votes: 5,196
44. 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: 2,023
45. 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, Jonathan Bailey, Luke Newton, Julie Andrews
Votes: 167,732
46. Middlemarch (1994)
375 min | Drama, Romance
Middlemarch is a story of provincial life on the brink of momentous change and a deeply moving saga about a group of people striving to give meaning and value to their lives during the Industrial Revolution.
Stars: Douglas Hodge, Juliet Aubrey, Trevyn McDowell, Jonathan Firth
Votes: 2,751
47. 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: 5,714
48. A Room with a View (1985)
Not Rated | 117 min | Drama, Romance
Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter) shares a brief romance with George Emerson in Florence. Yet as she tries to move on with her life and look for marriage elsewhere, can she truly forget the events of that summer?
Director: James Ivory | Stars: Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter, Denholm Elliott, Julian Sands
Votes: 47,799 | Gross: $20.97M
49. Valmont (1989)
R | 137 min | Drama, Romance
France before 1789: When a widow hears that her lover is to marry her cousin's daughter, she asks the playboy Valmont to take the girl's virginity. But first she bets him, with her body as prize, to seduce a virtuous, young, married woman.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Colin Firth, Annette Bening, Meg Tilly, Fairuza Balk
Votes: 14,286 | Gross: $1.13M
50. Grantchester (2014–2025)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A Cambridgeshire clergyman finds himself investigating a series of mysterious wrongdoings in his small village of Grantchester.
Stars: Robson Green, Tessa Peake-Jones, Al Weaver, Kacey Ainsworth
Votes: 17,154
51.
Screen Two (1985–1998)
Episode:
Persuasion
(1995)
PG | 103 min | Drama
Theatrical film of Persuasion with Ciaran Hinds & Amanda Root. Directed by Roger Michell.
Director: Roger Michell | Stars: Amanda Root, Ciarán Hinds, Susan Fleetwood, Corin Redgrave
Votes: 11,396 | Gross: $5.46M
52. The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
PG-13 | 115 min | Biography, Drama, History
Two sisters contend for the affection of King Henry VIII.
Director: Justin Chadwick | Stars: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Jim Sturgess
Votes: 119,901 | Gross: $26.81M
53. 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: 28,682 | Gross: $4.44M
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