Historical | Period

by eunicewells | created - 27 Nov 2018 | updated - 5 days ago | Public

All the mostly Western/Eurocentric historical and period films that I’ve seen, set at any time in the past from antiquity to the early 20th century.

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1. The Virgin Queen (2005–2006)

59 min | Biography, Drama, History

From teenage princess to accomplished queen, torn between duty and personal longing, the reign of Elizabeth I is exposed in this lavish drama filmed against a backdrop of some of Great Britain's most beautiful houses and landscapes.

Stars: Anne-Marie Duff, Sienna Guillory, Ian Hart, Tom Hardy

Votes: 3,278

2. Gunpowder, Treason & Plot (2004 TV Movie)

TV-MA | 205 min | Drama, History

Mini series depicting the turbulent and bloody reigns of Scottish monarchs Mary, Queen of Scots and her son King James VI of Scotland who became King James I of England and foiled the Gunpowder Plot.

Director: Gillies MacKinnon | Stars: Vulpe Adrian, Carmen Ungureanu, Clémence Poésy, Tadeusz Pasternak

Votes: 1,925

3. The Buccaneers (1995)

TV-14 | 48 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance

Four American girls go to England to find husbands.

Stars: Carla Gugino, Alison Elliott, Mira Sorvino, Rya Kihlstedt

Votes: 2,615

4. 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: 10,629

5. 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

6. 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: 7,328

7. 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: 18,050

8. Sense and Sensibility (1995)

PG | 136 min | Drama, Romance

84 Metascore

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: 125,783 | Gross: $43.18M

9. 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: 92,345

10. Lady Jane (1986)

PG-13 | 136 min | Biography, Drama, History

64 Metascore

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: 7,085 | Gross: $0.28M

11. Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)

PG-13 | 150 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

52 Metascore

The defiant leader Moses rises up against Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II, setting six hundred thousand slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.

Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley, Sigourney Weaver

Votes: 179,280 | Gross: $65.01M

12. Agora (2009)

R | 127 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama

55 Metascore

A historical drama set in Roman Egypt, concerning a slave who turns to the rising tide of Christianity in the hope of pursuing freedom while falling in love with his mistress, the philosophy and mathematics professor Hypatia of Alexandria.

Director: Alejandro Amenábar | Stars: Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella, Oscar Isaac, Ashraf Barhom

Votes: 73,071 | Gross: $0.62M

13. Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

R | 144 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

63 Metascore

Balian of Ibelin travels to Jerusalem during the Crusades of the 12th century, and there he finds himself as the defender of the city and its people.

Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Liam Neeson, Martin Hancock

Votes: 315,349 | Gross: $47.40M

14. The Hollow Crown (2012–2016)

TV-14 | 150 min | Drama, History, War

A mini-series of adaptations of Shakespeare's history plays: Richard II, Henry IV: Parts 1 and 2, and Henry V.

Stars: Anton Lesser, Simon Russell Beale, Tom Georgeson, John Mackay

Votes: 7,318

15. Love & Friendship (2016)

PG | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

87 Metascore

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: 26,434 | Gross: $14.01M

16. Gosford Park (2001)

R | 137 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery

90 Metascore

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: 94,046 | Gross: $41.31M

17. Alexander (2004)

R | 175 min | Action, Biography, Drama

40 Metascore

Alexander, the King of Macedonia and one of the greatest army leaders in the history of warfare, conquers much of the known world.

Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Colin Farrell, Anthony Hopkins, Rosario Dawson, Angelina Jolie

Votes: 176,702 | Gross: $34.30M

18. Ben-Hur (2016)

PG-13 | 123 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

38 Metascore

Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother, an officer in the Roman army, returns to his homeland after years at sea to seek revenge, but finds redemption.

Director: Timur Bekmambetov | Stars: Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, Rodrigo Santoro, Nazanin Boniadi

Votes: 46,864 | Gross: $26.41M

19. Ben-Hur (1959)

G | 212 min | Adventure, Drama

90 Metascore

After a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend in 1st-century Jerusalem, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge.

Director: William Wyler | Stars: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet

Votes: 253,738 | Gross: $74.70M

20. Pompeii (I) (2014)

PG-13 | 105 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

41 Metascore

A slave-turned-gladiator finds himself in a race against time to save his true love, who has been betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator. As Mount Vesuvius erupts, he must fight to save his beloved as Pompeii crumbles around him.

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson | Stars: Kit Harington, Emily Browning, Kiefer Sutherland, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Votes: 116,676 | Gross: $23.22M

21. Ironclad (2011)

R | 121 min | Action, Drama, History

42 Metascore

In thirteenth-century England, a Knights Templar and a few of the Barons men fight to defend Rochester Castle against the tyrannical King John.

Director: Jonathan English | Stars: Paul Giamatti, Jason Flemyng, Brian Cox, James Purefoy

Votes: 43,661

22. A Knight's Tale (2001)

PG-13 | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Romance

56 Metascore

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: 201,811 | Gross: $56.57M

23. Queen Margot (1994)

R | 161 min | Biography, Drama, History

Young Queen Margot finds herself trapped in an arranged marriage amidst a religious war between Catholics and Protestants. She hopes to escape with a new lover, but finds herself imprisoned by her powerful and ruthless family.

Director: Patrice Chéreau | Stars: Isabelle Adjani, Daniel Auteuil, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Vincent Perez

Votes: 18,999 | Gross: $2.02M

24. Britain's Bloody Crown (2016– )

Not Rated | Drama, History

Using a combination of documentary and drama, historian Dan Jones tells the story of the War of the Roses - the 30 year civil war between the House of York and House of Lancaster that saw the crown change hands seven times.

Stars: Dan Jones, James Oliver Wheatley, Steffan Boje, Tom Durant Pritchard

Votes: 368

25. King Arthur (2004)

PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

46 Metascore

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: 176,150 | Gross: $51.88M

26. The Name of the Rose (1986)

R | 130 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

54 Metascore

An intellectually nonconformist friar investigates a series of mysterious deaths in an isolated abbey.

Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud | Stars: Sean Connery, Christian Slater, Helmut Qualtinger, Elya Baskin

Votes: 117,301 | Gross: $7.15M

27. Macbeth (I) (2015)

R | 113 min | Drama, History, War

71 Metascore

Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.

Director: Justin Kurzel | Stars: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jack Madigan, Frank Madigan

Votes: 59,517 | Gross: $1.11M

28. Spartacus (1960)

PG-13 | 197 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama

87 Metascore

The slave Spartacus survives brutal training as a gladiator and leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic, as the ambitious Crassus seeks to gain power by crushing the uprising.

Directors: Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Mann | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton

Votes: 143,255 | Gross: $30.00M

29. Caesar (2002)

PG-13 | 89 min | Biography, Drama, History

Twenty-year-old Julius Caeser flees Rome for his life during the reign of Sulla, but through skill and ambition rises four decades later to become Rome's supreme dictator.

Stars: Jeremy Sisto, Richard Harris, Christopher Walken, Valeria Golino

Votes: 3,178

30. Da Vinci's Demons (2013–2015)

TV-MA | 60 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama

Follows Leonardo Da Vinci during his early days in Florence, as a young artist, inventor and dreamer, trying to change the future.

Stars: Tom Riley, Gregg Chilingirian, Eros Vlahos, Laura Haddock

Votes: 79,208

31. Medici (2016–2019)

TV-14 | 1,314 min | Biography, Drama, History

A political family drama set in Florence in the early fifteenth century. Cosimo de Medici finds himself at the helm of his banking dynasty when his father, Giovanni, dies suddenly.

Stars: Daniel Sharman, Alessandra Mastronardi, Synnove Karlsen, Sebastian De Souza

Votes: 22,315

32. The Lion in Winter (2003 TV Movie)

167 min | Drama, History, Romance

King Henry II meets with Eleanor of Aquitaine at Christmastide 1183 to choose one of his sons as his successor.

Director: Andrey Konchalovskiy | Stars: Glenn Close, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Andrew Howard

Votes: 2,392

33. Henry V (1989)

PG-13 | 137 min | Biography, Drama, History

83 Metascore

In the midst of the Hundred Years War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.

Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Simon Shepherd, James Larkin

Votes: 31,661 | Gross: $10.16M

34. Anonymous (I) (2011)

PG-13 | 130 min | Drama, Thriller

50 Metascore

The theory that it was in fact Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford, who penned Shakespeare's plays. Set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I and the Essex rebellion against her.

Director: Roland Emmerich | Stars: Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, David Thewlis, Sebastian Armesto

Votes: 42,135 | Gross: $4.46M

35. Taboo (2017)

TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Adventurer James Keziah Delaney returns to London during the War of 1812 to rebuild his late father's shipping empire. However, both the government and his biggest competitor want his inheritance at any cost--even murder.

Stars: Tom Hardy, David Hayman, Jonathan Pryce, Oona Chaplin

Votes: 149,105

36. Cinderella (1950)

G | 74 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy

85 Metascore

When Cinderella's cruel stepmother prevents her from attending the Royal Ball, she gets some unexpected help from the lovable mice Gus and Jaq and from her Fairy Godmother.

Directors: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske | Stars: Ilene Woods, James MacDonald, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton

Votes: 174,036 | Gross: $85.00M

37. War & Peace (2016)

TV-14 | 63 min | Drama, History, Romance

As the Russian conflict with Napoleon reaches its peak, five aristocratic families face the possibility of their lives being changed forever.

Stars: Paul Dano, James Norton, Lily James, Adrian Edmondson

Votes: 26,643

38. Black Death (2010)

R | 102 min | Action, Drama, History

71 Metascore

Set during the time of the first outbreak of bubonic plague in England, a young monk is given the task of learning the truth about reports of people being brought back to life in a small village.

Director: Christopher Smith | Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean, Carice van Houten, Kimberley Nixon

Votes: 51,254 | Gross: $0.02M

39. The Princess Bride (1987)

PG | 98 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family

78 Metascore

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: 451,077 | Gross: $30.86M

40. Attila (2001)

Unrated | 89 min | Action, Adventure, Biography

In 400 AD, the Roman Empire is the greatest power in the world. But to the east a fierce people arose: the Huns. They believe in a prophecy about a great king who will unite the tribes and challenge Rome for control of the world.

Stars: Pauline Lynch, Steven Berkoff, Andrew Pleavin, Tommy Flanagan

Votes: 11,109

41. The Last Legion (2007)

PG-13 | 101 min | Action, Adventure, History

37 Metascore

As the Roman empire crumbles, young Romulus Augustus flees the city and embarks on a perilous voyage to Britain to track down a legion of supporters.

Director: Doug Lefler | Stars: Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Peter Mullan

Votes: 37,107 | Gross: $5.93M

42. Versailles: The Dream of a King (2008 TV Movie)

180 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama

Docudrama about the life of Louis XIV nicknamed "the Sun King", the King of France who ran a glamorous court, expanded the borders of France, loved women and parties and built an incredible palace for himself - the Versailles.

Director: Thierry Binisti | Stars: Vinciane Millereau, Samuel Theis, Jérôme Pouly, Antoine Coesens

Votes: 369

43. Robin Hood (1991)

TV-14 | 104 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

The Swashbuckling legend of Robin Hood unfolds in the 12th century when the mighty Normans ruled England with an iron fist.

Director: John Irvin | Stars: Patrick Bergin, Uma Thurman, Jürgen Prochnow, Edward Fox

Votes: 5,870

44. Wolf Hall (2015)

TV-14 | 60 min | Biography, Drama, History

After the downfall of Cardinal Wolsey, his secretary, Thomas Cromwell, finds himself amongst the treachery and intrigue of King Henry VIII's court and soon becomes a close advisor to the King, a role fraught with danger.

Stars: Mark Rylance, Damian Lewis, Claire Foy, Thomas Brodie-Sangster

Votes: 13,097

45. 1066: The Battle for Middle Earth (2009)

150 min | Action, History, War

Despite earlier promises to pass his crown to one of his Flemish, Viking, or Norman relatives, English King Edward the Confessor dies in 1066, leaving his crown to Anglo-Saxon Harold Godwinson, causing a bloody succession war.

Stars: Ian Holm, Mike Bailey, Francis Magee, Tim Plester

Votes: 873

46. The Three Musketeers (1993)

PG | 105 min | Action, Adventure, Romance

43 Metascore

France, 1625: Young d'Artagnan heads to Paris to join the Musketeers but the evil cardinal has disbanded them - save 3. He meets the 3, Athos, Porthos and Aramis, and joins them on their quest to save the king and country.

Director: Stephen Herek | Stars: Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Chris O'Donnell, Oliver Platt

Votes: 59,392 | Gross: $53.90M

47. Braveheart (1995)

R | 178 min | Biography, Drama, War

68 Metascore

Scottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.

Director: Mel Gibson | Stars: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Angus Macfadyen

Votes: 1,091,712 | Gross: $75.60M

48. A Little Chaos (2014)

R | 117 min | Drama, Romance

51 Metascore

Two talented landscape artists become romantically entangled while building a garden in King Louis XIV's palace at Versailles.

Director: Alan Rickman | Stars: Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, Stanley Tucci, Matthias Schoenaerts

Votes: 25,400 | Gross: $0.55M

49. 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: 6,082

50. Jane Eyre (2011)

PG-13 | 120 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance

76 Metascore

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: 93,060 | Gross: $11.24M

51. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1996)

53 min | Drama

An adaptation of Anne Bronte's novel; a young widow takes her son and moves to Yorkshire.

Stars: Toby Stephens, Tara Fitzgerald, Rupert Graves, Sarah Badel

Votes: 3,011

52. The Illusionist (2006)

PG-13 | 110 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery

68 Metascore

In turn-of-the-century Vienna, a magician uses his abilities to secure the love of a woman far above his social standing.

Director: Neil Burger | Stars: Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, Paul Giamatti, Rufus Sewell

Votes: 389,722 | Gross: $39.87M

53. The Favourite (2018)

R | 119 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama

91 Metascore

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: 233,692 | Gross: $34.37M

54. 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: 11,397 | Gross: $5.46M

55. 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: 16,510

56. 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: 7,552

57. Farewell, My Queen (2012)

R | 100 min | Drama, History, Romance

67 Metascore

A look at the platonic relationship between Marie Antoinette and one of her female readers during the first days of the French Revolution.

Director: Benoît Jacquot | Stars: Léa Seydoux, Diane Kruger, Virginie Ledoyen, Noémie Lvovsky

Votes: 9,154 | Gross: $0.07M

58. 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: 5,517 | Gross: $4.08M

59. Arthur & George (2015)

45 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle recaptures his zest for life by pursuing and challenging a notorious miscarriage of justice.

Stars: Martin Clunes, Arsher Ali, Charles Edwards, Art Malik

Votes: 1,418

60. 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: 16,206

61. Under the Greenwood Tree (2005 TV Movie)

TV-PG | 93 min | Drama, Romance

In this lighthearted romance from Victorian novelist Thomas Hardy, the beautiful new village school teacher is pursued by three suitors: a working-class man, a landowner, and the vicar.

Director: Nicholas Laughland | Stars: Keeley Hawes, James Murray, Terry Mortimer, Richard Leaf

Votes: 2,989

62. Amadeus (1984)

R | 160 min | Biography, Drama, Music

87 Metascore

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: 428,234 | Gross: $51.97M

63. Barry Lyndon (1975)

PG | 185 min | Adventure, Drama, War

89 Metascore

An Irish rogue wins the heart of a rich widow and assumes her dead husband's aristocratic position in 18th-century England.

Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Hardy Krüger

Votes: 183,166

64. Brideshead Revisited (1981)

TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Romance

The life, friendships and romances of the protagonist Charles Ryder-including his friendship with the Flytes, a family of wealthy English Catholics who live in a palatial mansion called Brideshead Castle.

Stars: Jeremy Irons, Diana Quick, Roger Milner, Phoebe Nicholls

Votes: 8,044

65. Brideshead Revisited (2008)

PG-13 | 133 min | Drama, Romance

64 Metascore

A poignant story of forbidden love and the loss of innocence set in England prior to World War II.

Director: Julian Jarrold | Stars: Matthew Goode, Patrick Malahide, Hayley Atwell, Thomas Morrison

Votes: 13,670 | Gross: $6.41M

66. The Girl King (2015)

Not Rated | 106 min | Biography, Drama, History

37 Metascore

THE GIRL KING paints a portrait of the brilliant, extravagant Kristina of Sweden, queen from age six, who fights the conservative forces that are against her ideas to modernize Sweden and who have no tolerance for her awakening sexuality.

Director: Mika Kaurismäki | Stars: Malin Buska, Sarah Gadon, Michael Nyqvist, Lucas Bryant

Votes: 4,475

67. The Crucible (1996)

PG-13 | 124 min | Drama, History

75 Metascore

A Salem resident attempts to frame her ex-lover's wife for being a witch in the middle of the 1692 witchcraft trials.

Director: Nicholas Hytner | Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder, Paul Scofield, Joan Allen

Votes: 40,195 | Gross: $7.34M

68. Elizabeth (1998)

R | 124 min | Biography, Drama, History

75 Metascore

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: 105,149 | Gross: $30.08M

69. Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

PG-13 | 114 min | Biography, Drama, History

45 Metascore

A mature Queen Elizabeth endures multiple crises late in her reign including court intrigues, an assassination plot, the Spanish Armada, and romantic disappointments.

Director: Shekhar Kapur | Stars: Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Geoffrey Rush, Jordi Mollà

Votes: 75,078 | Gross: $16.29M

70. The Borgias (2011–2013)

TV-MA | 50 min | Crime, Drama, History

In the fifteenth century, Pope Alexander VI tries to control all power in Italy with the help of his several sons, through murder, intrigue, war, and marriage alliances.

Stars: Jeremy Irons, François Arnaud, Holliday Grainger, Peter Sullivan

Votes: 53,957

71. Stage Beauty (2004)

R | 106 min | Drama

64 Metascore

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: 10,743 | Gross: $0.78M

72. 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: 7,220

73. 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: 81,239

74. Bloody Queens: Elizabeth and Mary (2016 TV Movie)

59 min | Documentary

A dramatised documentary detailing the bitter feud between Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots. The two Queens never met, but communicated for many years via letter. Mary's turmoil is ... See full summary »

Director: Renny Bartlett | Stars: Nicholas Agnew, Helen Bradbury, Adam Burton, Beth Cooke

Votes: 69

75. The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)

PG-13 | 115 min | Biography, Drama, History

50 Metascore

Two sisters contend for the affection of King Henry VIII.

Director: Justin Chadwick | Stars: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Jim Sturgess

Votes: 119,992 | Gross: $26.81M

76. Le Versailles secret de Marie-Antoinette (2018 TV Movie)

Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Drama, History

The Queen's Hamlet is a palace disguised as a peasant's cottage hidden in the Versailles gardens. A romantic hideaway, Marie-Antoinette conceived it as a reminder of her carefree youth in ... See full summary »

Directors: Mark Daniels, Sylvie Faiveley | Stars: Alain Baraton, Roxanne Bennett, Jérémie Benoît, Hélène Delalex

Votes: 75

77. Elizabeth I (2005)

TV-MA | 112 min | Biography, Drama, History

Mini-series about the the public and private lives of the later years of Queen Elizabeth I.

Stars: Helen Mirren, Toby Jones, Hugh Dancy, Patrick Malahide

Votes: 7,033

78. Elizabeth R (1971)

520 min | Biography, Drama, History

When Elizabeth Tudor comes to the throne, her (male) advisers know she has to marry. Doesn't she? Thus starts a decades-long political/matrimonial game, during an age of high passions and high achievement.

Stars: Glenda Jackson, Ronald Hines, Robert Hardy, Stephen Murray

Votes: 1,940

79. The Affair of the Necklace (2001)

R | 118 min | Drama, History, Romance

42 Metascore

In pre-Revolutionary France, a young aristocratic woman left penniless by the political unrest in the country must avenge her family's fall from grace by scheming to steal a priceless necklace.

Director: Charles Shyer | Stars: Hilary Swank, Simon Baker, Jonathan Pryce, Adrien Brody

Votes: 5,595 | Gross: $0.43M

80. Marie Antoinette (2006)

PG-13 | 123 min | Biography, Drama, History

64 Metascore

The retelling of France's iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette. From her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI at 14 to her reign as queen at 19 and to the end of her reign as queen, and ultimately the fall of Versailles.

Director: Sofia Coppola | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, Rip Torn, Steve Coogan

Votes: 121,947 | Gross: $15.96M

81. 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: 18,719

82. Orlando (1992)

PG-13 | 94 min | Biography, Drama, Fantasy

75 Metascore

After Queen Elizabeth I commands him not to grow old, a young nobleman struggles with love and his place in the world.

Director: Sally Potter | Stars: Tilda Swinton, Billy Zane, Quentin Crisp, Jimmy Somerville

Votes: 18,726 | Gross: $5.29M

83. Harlots (2017–2019)

TV-MA | 45 min | Drama

Brothel owner Margaret Wells struggles to raise her daughters in London during the 18th century.

Stars: Lesley Manville, Kate Fleetwood, Holli Dempsey, Eloise Smyth

Votes: 10,542

84. The Princess of Montpensier (2010)

Not Rated | 139 min | Action, Drama, History

78 Metascore

Based on the classic didactic novel, the action centers on the noble lady who soon becomes exposed to the sexual and political intrigues of the French court of the religious wars era.

Director: Bertrand Tavernier | Stars: Mélanie Thierry, Lambert Wilson, Gaspard Ulliel, Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet

Votes: 4,285 | Gross: $0.34M

85. Belle (2013)

PG | 100 min | Biography, Drama, Romance

64 Metascore

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: 33,143 | Gross: $10.73M

86. Io, Don Giovanni (2009)

127 min | Drama, History, Music

A drama based on the life of 18th century Italian lyricist Lorenzo da Ponte, who collaborated with Mozart on his "Don Giovanni" opera.

Director: Carlos Saura | Stars: Tobias Moretti, Eulàlia Ramon, Sergi Roca, Anna Saura Ramón

Votes: 628

87. 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: 5,728

88. The Age of Innocence (1993)

PG | 139 min | Drama, Romance

90 Metascore

A tale of nineteenth-century New York high society in which a young lawyer falls in love with a woman separated from her husband, while he is engaged to the woman's cousin.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Winona Ryder, Linda Faye Farkas

Votes: 67,830 | Gross: $32.20M

89. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

R | 128 min | Fantasy, Horror, Romance

57 Metascore

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: 238,536 | Gross: $82.52M

90. Miss Austen Regrets (2007 TV Movie)

TV-G | 90 min | Biography, Drama, History

In the later years of her life, as she's approaching the age of forty, the novelist Jane Austen helps her niece find a husband.

Director: Jeremy Lovering | Stars: Samuel Roukin, Olivia Williams, Greta Scacchi, Imogen Poots

Votes: 3,610

91. Dangerous Liaisons (1988)

R | 119 min | Drama, Romance

74 Metascore

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: 75,166 | Gross: $34.70M

92. Valmont (1989)

R | 137 min | Drama, Romance

55 Metascore

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: 14,301 | Gross: $1.13M

93. Les Misérables (1998)

PG-13 | 134 min | Crime, Drama, Romance

65 Metascore

Valjean, a former criminal, has atoned for his past and now finds himself in the midst of the French Revolution, avoiding a law-obsessed policeman hell-bent on capturing him.

Director: Bille August | Stars: Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman, Christopher Adamson

Votes: 43,191 | Gross: $14.10M

94. Lancelot of the Lake (1974)

85 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance

74 Metascore

King Arthur learns that his wife, Queen Guinevere, has been having an affair with Lancelot, who at the same time remains loyal to the king, particularly after Arthur's traitorous nephew Mordred commits an attempt on his life.

Director: Robert Bresson | Stars: Luc Simon, Laura Duke Condominas, Humbert Balsan, Vladimir Antolek-Oresek

Votes: 4,248

95. First Knight (1995)

PG-13 | 134 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

57 Metascore

Lancelot falls in love with Guinevere, who is due to be married to King Arthur. Meanwhile, a violent warlord tries to seize power from Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.

Director: Jerry Zucker | Stars: Sean Connery, Richard Gere, Julia Ormond, Ben Cross

Votes: 78,722 | Gross: $37.60M

96. Camelot (2011)

TV-MA | 45 min | Drama, Fantasy

When King Uther dies and Britain faces chaos, Merlin presents an unknown named Arthur as the new king by birthright, as the late king's son, against the ambitious desires of his half-sister, Morgan.

Stars: Joseph Fiennes, Jamie Campbell Bower, Tamsin Egerton, Peter Mooney

Votes: 24,650

97. The Woman in Black (2012)

PG-13 | 95 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror

62 Metascore

A young solicitor travels to a remote village where he discovers that the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals.

Director: James Watkins | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Janet McTeer, Ciarán Hinds, Emma Shorey

Votes: 192,686 | Gross: $54.33M

98. From Hell (2001)

R | 122 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

54 Metascore

After five ritualistic murders are committed in 1888 London, Inspector Abberline's assignment is to investigate the "Jack the Ripper" murders. Along with a string of mutilated prostitutes, he uncovers a conspiracy involving the government.

Directors: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes | Stars: Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, Ian Holm, Robbie Coltrane

Votes: 164,249 | Gross: $31.60M

99. Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)

PG-13 | 119 min | Drama, Romance

71 Metascore

In Victorian England, the independent and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak, a sheep farmer; Frank Troy, a reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood, a prosperous and mature bachelor.

Director: Thomas Vinterberg | Stars: Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen, Tom Sturridge

Votes: 53,739 | Gross: $12.23M

100. Firelight (1997)

R | 103 min | Drama, Romance

A governess agrees to bear a child to help her father.

Director: William Nicholson | Stars: Sophie Marceau, Stephen Dillane, Dominique Belcourt, Kevin Anderson

Votes: 4,811 | Gross: $0.78M



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