Top Period Dramas From The Jane Austen Film Club
by jennyallworthy | created - 24 Nov 2011 | updated - 26 Nov 2011 | PublicMy absolute must have, can't do without Period Dramas. Just the keepers here! Please let me know which of your faves I have forgotten and I'll add them!
[link]http://www.janeaustenfilmclub.blogspot.com[/link] for more fun!
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1. Emma (2009)
TV-PG | 246 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: 17,970
This one is at least as good as the Gwyneth Paltrow version. And it's a miniseries, so you get to enjoy it much longer. Romola Garai is so much fun to watch and Jonny Lee Miller is...is...(sigh)...
2. 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: 124,961 | Gross: $43.18M
Emma Thompson's masterpiece. Need I say more?
3. 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: 34,782
Watch this to see one of the sexiest men ever to don a cravat and it will become one of your all time faves because of the wonderful story and acting. Shot in gorgeous, bleak Edinburgh. North and South of England, by the way...NOT the civil war story.
4. Pride and Prejudice (1995)
TV-PG | 327 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: 91,822
I warped my DVDs playing this one (after I wore out my VHS tapes). The wet shirt scene is legendary in Britain and was even included in the Bridget Jones books.
5. 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: 41,430 | Gross: $22.20M
"Marry me. Marry me my wonderful, darling friend." Could any woman resist Jeremy Northam? I think not.
6. 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: 10,565
Warm, fuzzy and a feast for the senses. For when you have had enough of the new millenium. A who's who of English acting royalty.
7. Wives and Daughters (1999)
TV-PG | 301 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: 7,297
Little Molly Gibson will have your heart. But will she have Roger's?
8.
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: 11,394 | Gross: $5.46M
With a rollicking nautical score and one of the best kisses ever (it's on the cover for goodness sake) you cannot spend a better 2 hours.
9. The Way We Live Now (2001)
TV-14 | 300 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: 3,293
For Matthew McFadyen's bad boy Felix and Cillian Murphy's angelic face alone this one would be worth a watch. But there is soooooo much more. Might make you think of Bernie Madoff?
10. Shakespeare in Love (1998)
R | 123 min | Comedy, Drama, History
The world's greatest ever playwright, William Shakespeare, is young, out of ideas and short of cash, but meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays.
Director: John Madden | Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Tom Wilkinson
Votes: 233,713 | Gross: $100.32M
Shakespeare was never this enjoyable in high school.
11. 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: 200,765 | Gross: $56.57M
Anachronistic in the best possible way. And you get to see Paul Bettany's bottom! Can't live without this one.
12. The Princess Bride (1987)
PG | 98 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon
Votes: 449,265 | Gross: $30.86M
My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
Inconceivable.
No more rhymes now, I mean it.
Anybody want a peanut?
As you wish.
13. 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: 5,488 | Gross: $4.08M
A film about Chopin. Probably not incredibly historically correct, but very entertaining and very hilarious. Really.
14. Jane Eyre (2006)
TV-PG | 230 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: 22,278
The best version of Jane Eyre. Lots of other good ones, but this one is the best!
15. 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: 16,125
Jane Austen's lightest novel done in a lovely light style. The leads couldn't get any cuter. Who cares if it was filmed in Ireland instead of Bath?
16. The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (1997)
314 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
A ribald and rowdy romp through the mansions and taverns of Georgian England. Henry Fielding's fallen hero bed-hops his way out of a good home and almost into a hangman's noose, via a series of misadventures and misunderstandings.
Stars: John Sessions, Benjamin Whitrow, Ron Cook, Christopher Fulford
Votes: 880
An 18th century sex romp. Really. Brian Blessed is a howl. Literally.
17. Bleak House (2005)
TV-PG | 510 min | Crime, Drama
A suspenseful tale about the injustices of the 19th Century English legal system.
Stars: Anna Maxwell Martin, Carey Mulligan, Denis Lawson, Gillian Anderson
Votes: 10,567
A Masterpiece. Very dark and very addictive. You must see this, but make sure you are not distracted. One bathroom break without pausing and you'll miss a critical detail.
18. 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: 93,668 | Gross: $41.31M
The ensemble piece to end all ensemble pieces. Another treasure of talent and fun.
19. Anne of Green Gables (1985)
TV-G | 199 min | Drama, Family
An orphan girl, sent to an elderly brother and sister by mistake, charms her new home and community with her fiery spirit and imagination.
Stars: Megan Follows, Colleen Dewhurst, Richard Farnsworth, Patricia Hamilton
Votes: 22,552
Canada's gift to the world. I dare you not to fall in love with Anne.
20. The Buccaneers (1995)
TV-14 | 212 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
Four American girls go to England to find husbands.
Stars: Carla Gugino, Alison Elliott, Mira Sorvino, Rya Kihlstedt
Votes: 2,603
How many hoop skirts can you fit into one production? Lots, apparently. American girls invade the English aristocracy in the Victorian period. What a story! Love it!
21. 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: 425,679 | Gross: $51.97M
This one lives inside me. Every time I watch it, I lose myself in the story and the music.
22. A Child's Christmas in Wales (1987 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 55 min | Drama, Family
Young Thomas is disappointed because it?s raining on Christmas Eve. But his spirits are soon lifted by his grandfather, who gives him a snow globe and recounts his own childhood Christmas memories.
Director: Don McBrearty | Stars: Denholm Elliott, Mathonwy Reeves, Glynis Davies, Michael Fawkes
Votes: 656
A Christmas story for period drama lovers in Dylan Thomas' own wonderful words.
23. Daniel Deronda (2002)
210 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: 5,173
George Eliot's gripping and slightly disturbing novel with some of the best eye candy ever (dresses and men).
24. 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: 24,662 | Gross: $8.38M
Light, witty and gorgeous. Just like Oscar Wilde would have wanted it to be.
25. 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: 16,690 | Gross: $18.54M
Another Oscar Wilde classic. A bit darker than Earnest, but still lots of fun. And truth.
26. Miss Potter (2006)
PG | 88 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The story of Beatrix Potter, the author of the beloved and best-selling children's book, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", and her struggle for love, happiness, and success.
Director: Chris Noonan | Stars: Renée Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, Emily Watson, Barbara Flynn
Votes: 31,820 | Gross: $2.98M
Just adorable. With bunnies.
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
Victoria Hamilton is wonderful as her namesake. Colin Firth's brother Jonathan Firth is also brilliant as Prince Albert. Enjoy.
28. 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: 66,184 | Gross: $11.00M
A really good version of Victoria's story, especially if you don't have time for the 2001 miniseries.
29. 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: 47,595 | Gross: $20.97M
Travel to Italy in Edwardian times. Mmmmmmm.
30. Little Dorrit (2008)
TV-PG | 480 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: 10,428
Another classic Dickens done to perfection by Andrew Davies and the Beeb. Couldn't possibly have been done better.
31. 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: 8,342
As long as you can stand a dash of adorable in your life, you'll love this TV series.
32. The King's Speech (2010)
R | 118 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of King George VI, his unexpected ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer.
Director: Tom Hooper | Stars: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Derek Jacobi
Votes: 706,074 | Gross: $138.80M
Love it. Helena Bonham Carter looking a bit less mad than usual and Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle onscreen together again. Love it.
33. Love Actually (2003)
R | 135 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.
Director: Richard Curtis | Stars: Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney
Votes: 529,938 | Gross: $59.70M
I know this is not a period drama, but I love this film so there it is. Must watch every year about a month before Christmas. American Thanksgiving would be just about right (I'm Canadian).
34. 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 reviled for her extravagant political and personal life.
Director: Saul Dibb | Stars: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Dominic Cooper, Charlotte Rampling
Votes: 87,058 | Gross: $13.82M
More heartbreaking because it is true. Princess Diana's great great great great aunt had a very similar story and it is told beautifully in this film.
35. Billy Elliot (2000)
R | 110 min | Drama, Music
A talented young boy becomes torn between his unexpected love of dance and the disintegration of his family.
Director: Stephen Daldry | Stars: Jamie Bell, Julie Walters, Jean Heywood, Jamie Draven
Votes: 142,123 | Gross: $22.00M
Can the 1980s be considered period drama now? If so, this one is on this list legitimately. If not, who cares, it's my list. Will make your heart soar.
36. Downton Abbey (2010–2015)
TV-PG | 3,110 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: 223,535
Series one was gripping stuff. Can't wait for series two.
37. The Help (2011)
PG-13 | 146 min | Drama
An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African American maids' point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis.
Director: Tate Taylor | Stars: Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard
Votes: 490,423 | Gross: $169.71M
I just watched this one again last night. Definitely deserves to be on this list.
38. Lady Jane (1986)
PG-13 | 136 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of Lady Jane Grey, who was Queen of England for only nine days.
Director: Trevor Nunn | Stars: Helena Bonham Carter, Cary Elwes, John Wood, Michael Hordern
Votes: 7,064 | Gross: $0.28M
Helena Bonham Carter and Carey Elwes as babies. OK, teens? Another one that isn't perfectly historically correct but ever so fun to watch.
39. Vanity Fair (1998)
Not Rated | 50 min | Drama, Romance
An adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's classic story of parvenue Becky Sharp's rise from obscure and humble origins to her subsequent ignominious fall from Society; set against the ... See full summary »
Stars: Natasha Little, Frances Grey, Philip Glenister, David Ross
Votes: 1,720
I apologize ahead of time for the musical score, but otherwise, Natasha Little is the perfect Becky Sharpe, the center of Thackeray's "novel without a hero". She is the woman we all love to hate.
40. Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1998 TV Movie)
180 min | Drama, Romance
A free-spirited yet naive country girl is caught between her wealthy, manipulative "cousin" Alec and the handsome, educated farmer Angel Clare in this Victorian tragedy from novelist Thomas Hardy.
Director: Ian Sharp | Stars: Justine Waddell, Jason Flemyng, Oliver Milburn, John McEnery
Votes: 2,085
Visually stunning and soooo sad.
41. 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: 25,719 | Gross: $4.76M
I know it is not faithful to the book, but it is truly wonderful. OK, Sir Thomas is a little creepy, as is Fanny's father, but otherwise it's great!
42. 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: 328,301 | Gross: $38.41M
The younger generation's Pride and Prejudice. It's lovely. The muddy hems version!
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