Period Dramas

212

The best period dramas that recreate the atmosphere of the past. Lavish costumes, meticulously built sets and the manners and pressures of another age — these films take us travelling through time. But the finest do more than look beautiful; beneath the costumes of the past they tell of passions, class conflicts and forbidden loves that still live today. Timeless stories where elegance meets drama.

Standouts from This Collection

Michael (2026)
Michael (2026) is a music drama, directed by Antoine Fuqua.
Seven Samurai (1954)
Seven Samurai (1954) is a action drama, directed by Akira Kurosawa.
Django Unchained (2012)
Django Unchained (2012) is a western drama, directed by Quentin Tarantino.
Gladiator (2000)
Gladiator (2000) is a action drama, directed by Ridley Scott.
Samurai Rebellion (1967)
Samurai Rebellion (1967) is a history drama, directed by Masaki Kobayashi.
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Pride & Prejudice (2005) is a romance drama, directed by Joe Wright.

Routes Through This List

Shorter picks (≤100 min) The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) Loving Vincent (2017) Cries and Whispers (1972) Dance of the Forty One (2020) The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)

Based on true stories The Elephant Man (1980) 12 Years a Slave (2013) Dance of the Forty One (2020) Cabrini (2024) A Night to Remember (1958)

Classics (pre-1990) Seven Samurai (1954) Samurai Rebellion (1967) The Elephant Man (1980) Ran (1985) A Man Escaped (1956)

All Films

Michael

Michael

Seven Samurai

Seven Samurai

Django Unchained

Django Unchained

Gladiator

Gladiator

Samurai Rebellion

Samurai Rebellion

Pride & Prejudice

Pride & Prejudice

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Grand Budapest Hotel

1917

1917

The Elephant Man

The Elephant Man

Loving Vincent

Loving Vincent

Ran

Ran

12 Years a Slave

12 Years a Slave

Little Women

Little Women

The Count of Monte Cristo

The Count of Monte Cristo

Raise the Red Lantern

Raise the Red Lantern

A Man Escaped

A Man Escaped

Cries and Whispers

Cries and Whispers

The Miracle Worker

The Miracle Worker

The Hateful Eight

The Hateful Eight

Redeeming Love

Redeeming Love

The Twilight Samurai

The Twilight Samurai

The Heiress

The Heiress

Dance of the Forty One

Dance of the Forty One

Cabrini

Cabrini

The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum

The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum

All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front

The Count of Monte Cristo

The Count of Monte Cristo

RRR

RRR

The Ox-Bow Incident

The Ox-Bow Incident

A Night to Remember

A Night to Remember

The Sword of Doom

The Sword of Doom

Masquerade

Masquerade

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Woman King

The Woman King

Memoirs of a Geisha

Memoirs of a Geisha

Fitzcarraldo

Fitzcarraldo

Rurouni Kenshin Part II: Kyoto Inferno

Rurouni Kenshin Part II: Kyoto Inferno

War and Peace

War and Peace

The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse

The Call of the Wild

The Call of the Wild

From Up on Poppy Hill

From Up on Poppy Hill

Glory

Glory

My Darling Clementine

My Darling Clementine

Silver Skates

Silver Skates

The Earrings of Madame de...

The Earrings of Madame de...

The Peasants

The Peasants

Charulata

Charulata

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

Interview with the Vampire

Interview with the Vampire

Killers of the Flower Moon

Killers of the Flower Moon

Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility

The Muppet Christmas Carol

The Muppet Christmas Carol

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

A Royal Affair

A Royal Affair

Little Big Man

Little Big Man

Zulu

Zulu

Lost Illusions

Lost Illusions

Colours of Time

Colours of Time

Casque d'Or

Casque d'Or

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