Listmania!
Favourite Historical & Period Films
By an Amazon.com customer
Picnic at Hanging Rock - Collectors Edition 2-Disc (PAL)Picnic at Hanging Rock - Collectors Edition 2-Disc (PAL)
Buy used from: $17.99
This iconic Australian film is a truly haunting artistic vision. The tranquil landscape is not as it seems, it is a place of unexplained mysticism. Set in the early 1900's based around the disappearence of a group of private school ladies.
North & SouthNorth & South
Buy new: $23.99 / Used from: $20.29
This is a magnificent, moving romance which also looks gorgeous. Brilliantly acted, Richard Armitage is captivating and handsome. Ultimately about two very different people gaining mutual understanding to better them selves & others. Absolutely romantic & iltelligent.
A Room with a View (Two-Disc Special Edition)A Room with a View (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Buy used from: $9.99
An all time great romantic film with one of the most breaktaking kisses on film! Light hearted & completely beautiful.
Our Mutual FriendOur Mutual Friend
Buy new: $13.49 / Used from: $8.50
This is one of Dicken's darkest stories exploring the fine line between life & death, love & madness. It brilliantly adapts the novel and its gritty depiction of the harsh realities of life, pain, love & the dark side of human nature with mystery & intrigue thrown into the plot. Weightly but rewarding with romance & resolution.
Bram Stoker's Dracula (Collector's Edition)Bram Stoker's Dracula (Collector's Edition)
Buy new: $15.99 / Used from: $5.96
I love this spellbinding Gothic romance. The costumes, sets and imagery are brilliant. Virtually no other film captures the true spirit of Gothic literature & imagery as well as this. However there are elements of horror so this may not be for everyone.
Bleak HouseBleak House
Buy new: $21.49 / Used from: $20.45
A deep and intricate story which is amazing and brilliantly portrayed. Heavy going and deep but excellent.
Pride and Prejudice - The Special Edition (A&E, 1996)Pride and Prejudice - The Special Edition (A&E, 1996)
Buy new: $19.49 / Used from: $15.99
An all time great romance which is light hearted & wonderful!! Totally gorgeous & enjoyable.
Madame Bovary [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Netherlands ]Madame Bovary [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Netherlands ]
Buy used from: $10.00
A French tale of a romantic young women who finds marriage unfulfilling. Her downward spiral in search of love & fulfilment ultimately leads to woe. This is a true tragedy, a passionate tear jerker portrayed with great sensitivity. No happy endings here one for adult audiences.
Jane Eyre (Masterpiece Theatre, 2006)Jane Eyre (Masterpiece Theatre, 2006)
Buy new: $20.49 / Used from: $18.29
Classic sweeping gothic romance at its best! This has everything; love, loss, a handsome brooding hero, madness, a mysterious secret, intrugue, a castle & secret towers! Just as Gothic romance should be. Breathtaking.
The Tenant of Wildfell HallThe Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $9.93
I was captured by the modern nature of Anne Bronte's story which is feminist & was not well recieved at the time of publication. The moving story of a woman who rises above the abuse of men to become her own independent women despite the odds and judments of others.
Great Expectations (1946) (Criterion Collection Spine #31)Great Expectations (1946) (Criterion Collection Spine #31)
Buy new: $30.49 / Used from: $17.83
I love this B&W version it truly captutes the dramatic Gothic elements & imagery of this story. From obsession to romance, unrequited love & madness. All time classic.
Lorna DooneLorna Doone
Buy new: $20.99 / Used from: $7.49
A beautiful story of forbidden romance with excitement, chivalry & action!
William Shakespeare's Hamlet (Two-Disc Special Edition)William Shakespeare's Hamlet (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Buy new: $8.66 / Used from: $15.95
The most moving, breathtaking version of Hamlet on film. Sets and imagery are stunning! From the pomp of the palace to the dark gothic world of spirits, madness, murder & intrugue. True to the original play script so will appeal to fans of traditional Shakespeare yet enjoyable to a modern audeince because of the production's beauty.
Tristan and Isolde (Widescreen Edition)Tristan and Isolde (Widescreen Edition)
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $1.90
A beautiful, sensative portrayal of forbidden love and a truly romantic medieval love story. Sophia Myles is so so beautiful in this. A real tear jerker.
Elizabeth [HD DVD]Elizabeth [HD DVD]
Buy used from: $5.98
An epic and magnificent portrayal of Elizabeth's youth, romances and difficult journey to becomming a great Queen. Wonderful sets, magnificent palaces, architecture & stunning costumes!
Elizabeth - The Golden Age (Widescreen Edition)Elizabeth - The Golden Age (Widescreen Edition)
Buy new: $13.49 / Used from: $1.72
Epic and visually stunning sequal about Elizabeth's trials of being Queen, being at war and being in love. I love how these films show a truly great, strong & independent woman of history. Costumes are brilliant!!
The Age of InnocenceThe Age of Innocence
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $6.47
One of the most lavish and stunning period peices I have ever seen. The detailed depiction of the ultra wealthy high society of New York in the late 1800's is breathtaking. Costumes, sets, houses & ballrooms are brimming with pomp. About the suffocating confines of society, marriage & morals. A romantic tear jerker.
Sir Walter Scott's IvanhoeSir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $6.75
A gorgeous medieval romance with action & chivalry!! If you love the medieval period this is a classic tale by Sir Walter Scott & a must see.
Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves (Two-Disc Special Extended Edition)Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves (Two-Disc Special Extended Edition)
Buy new: $25.49 / Used from: $6.22
The Hollywood version of this classic, filled with action & great romantic scenes! Great sets & thrills. A wondeful medieval adventure Hollywood style. Alan Rickman is truly diabolical as the evil Sherriff of Nottingham!
Mary Shelley's FrankensteinMary Shelley's Frankenstein
Buy new: $10.49 / Used from: $1.23
A brilliantly dark & Gothic adaptation of Mary Shelly's chilling noval. It captures the true tragedy of this story about the dark side of humanity and man playing God. Brilliant costumes & sets. Mild Horror scenes so not for everyone.
Far and AwayFar and Away
Buy new: $6.49 / Used from: $1.99
An uplifting and totally enjoyable film about love against all odds with excitement & adventure. Lively, likeable characters and a vivid depiction of New York in the 1890's. Nicole Kidman is wonderful as the fiesty & rebellious Irish heiress.
Vanity Fair (Widescreen)Vanity Fair (Widescreen)
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $2.00
Reese Witherspoon is plays a coy, cheeky and likeable Becky Sharp as she climbs the social ladder with charm & wit. This is a gorgeous adaptation combining the vivid colourful imagry & spectacular exoticism of Imperial India with 19th century Britan. Visually lovely with great costumes.
Little Women (Collector's Series)Little Women (Collector's Series)
Buy new: $8.49 / Used from: $4.96
The inspiring classic story of sisters, each with their own unique personalities & talents, each with their own joys & sorrows. Absolutely gorgeous for girls of all ages with lots of teary moments. This story celebrates the power & intelligence of women. A wonderful cast & characters very sensitively portrayed.
Marie AntoinetteMarie Antoinette
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $2.98
This movie is divine & lush.. you want to eat everything up. A visually stunning look into the decadent pomp & glamour of Marie Antoinette. Portraying Marie as a modern women which any lady with a love of shoes will surely relate too. A modern new romantic soundtrack works suprisingly well to make this a period film with a modern spin. A joy to watch again and again.
Lady JaneLady Jane
Buy new: $13.49 / Used from: $7.35
The sad and touching story of Ill Fated Queen Jane. This is just a gorgeous film with the most beautiful innocent romance. It will end in lots of tears!!!
The Other Boleyn GirlThe Other Boleyn Girl
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $2.28
A fantastic story about the intriguing & sad life of Ann Boleyn. Natalie Portman is feisty & beguiling as Ann should be. Mainly enjoyable for the plot & relationship between the sisters not to mention their attire & good looks. Eric Bana's performance as Henry VIII is a bit disappointing.
Sleepy HollowSleepy Hollow
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $1.98
An amazing Gothic adaptation with amazing costumes, sets & imagery. Dark and spellbinding save this one for Halloween!! Horror elements.
Henry Fielding's Tom JonesHenry Fielding's Tom Jones
Buy new: $13.49 / Used from: $2.74
A raucous & bawdy comedy with lots of feist & raunch. This is a totally enjoyable abd lewd mess of love, sex & debauchery but everything ends as it should. Brian Blessed is hysterical and wonderful as the overly protective and wine fueled father. Lively!! Adult.
Somewhere in Time (Collector's Edition)Somewhere in Time (Collector's Edition)
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $5.49
Not stricly a period film but one of the great all time romances set partly in the early 1900s. This will steal your heart with its great romantic ideals that love can transcend time. Soft & sensative for all ages. Jane Seymour is so so gorgeous.
The Incredible Journey of Mary BryantThe Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant
Buy new: $7.98 / Used from: $2.76
This is an amazing true Australian story about a woman sentenced to life in Australia's first penal colony. It is harsh, gritty and realistic with disturbing scenes. However for those not faint of heart is is a brilliant & inspiring story of a woman who defies all odds to make a better life for her children.
Robin HoodRobin Hood
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $4.07
A UK version of this legendary tale. Realistic & romantic for lovers of medieval times. This is beautifully done & very endearing.
The DuchessThe Duchess
Buy new: $11.49 / Used from: $1.40
The true story of The Dutchess of York. An ancestor to Princess Diana she ironicly struggles with similar themes of fame, politics and stifling society. Ultimately a sad story with great empathy for the Dutchess. Stunning costumes!! She was a lady of high fashion just as Lady Diana was.
Romeo & JulietRomeo & Juliet
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $4.38
Despite the dodginess of very dated, overly colourful Thespian costumes this version most beautifully captures the true essence of the play, its soft bloom of youth & innocent first love. Juliet is a vision of beauty.