Top Period Dramas From The Jane Austen Film Club
My 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!
[link]http://www.janeaustenfilmclub.blogspot.com[/link] for more fun!
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- StarsRomola GaraiMichael GambonJonny Lee MillerEmma 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 lifeThis 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)...
- DirectorAng LeeStarsEmma ThompsonKate WinsletJames FleetRich 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.Emma Thompson's masterpiece. Need I say more?
- StarsDaniela Denby-AsheRichard ArmitageTim Pigott-SmithNorth 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.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.
- StarsColin FirthJennifer EhleSusannah HarkerWhile the arrival of wealthy gentlemen sends her marriage-minded mother into a frenzy, willful and opinionated Elizabeth Bennet matches wits with haughty Mr. Darcy.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.
- DirectorDouglas McGrathStarsGwyneth PaltrowJames CosmoGreta ScacchiWhile matchmaking for friends and neighbours, a young 19th Century Englishwoman nearly misses her own chance at love."Marry me. Marry me my wonderful, darling friend." Could any woman resist Jeremy Northam? I think not.
- CreatorSue BirtwistleSusie ConklinStarsJudi DenchImelda StauntonJulia McKenzieIn 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.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.
- StarsFrancesca AnnisJustine WaddellBill PatersonThe 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.Little Molly Gibson will have your heart. But will she have Roger's?
- DirectorRoger MichellStarsAmanda RootCiarán HindsSusan FleetwoodTheatrical film of Persuasion with Ciaran Hinds & Amanda Root. Directed by Roger Michell.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.
- StarsDavid SuchetMatthew MacfadyenCillian MurphyAugustus 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.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?
- DirectorJohn MaddenStarsGwyneth PaltrowJoseph FiennesGeoffrey RushThe 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.Shakespeare was never this enjoyable in high school.
- DirectorBrian HelgelandStarsHeath LedgerMark AddyRufus SewellAfter his master dies, a peasant squire, fueled by his desire for food and glory, creates a new identity for himself as a knight.Anachronistic in the best possible way. And you get to see Paul Bettany's bottom! Can't live without this one.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsCary ElwesMandy PatinkinRobin WrightA 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.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. - DirectorJames LapineStarsJudy DavisHugh GrantMandy PatinkinIn 1830s France, pianist/composer Frédéric Chopin is pursued romantically by the determined, individualistic woman who uses the name George Sand.A film about Chopin. Probably not incredibly historically correct, but very entertaining and very hilarious. Really.
- StarsRuth WilsonToby StephensLorraine AshbourneA young governess falls in love with her brooding and complex master. However, his dark past may destroy their relationship forever.The best version of Jane Eyre. Lots of other good ones, but this one is the best!
- DirectorJon JonesStarsGeraldine JamesMichael JuddJulia DeardenA young woman's penchant for sensational Gothic novels leads to misunderstandings in the matters of the heart.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?
- StarsJohn SessionsBenjamin WhitrowRon CookA 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.An 18th century sex romp. Really. Brian Blessed is a howl. Literally.
- StarsAnna Maxwell MartinCarey MulliganDenis LawsonA suspenseful tale about the injustices of the 19th Century English legal system.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.
- DirectorRobert AltmanStarsMaggie SmithRyan PhillippeMichael GambonSet 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.The ensemble piece to end all ensemble pieces. Another treasure of talent and fun.
- StarsMegan FollowsColleen DewhurstRichard FarnsworthAn orphan girl, sent to an elderly brother and sister by mistake, charms her new home and community with her fiery spirit and imagination.Canada's gift to the world. I dare you not to fall in love with Anne.
- StarsCarla GuginoAlison ElliottMira SorvinoFour American girls go to England to find husbands.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!
- DirectorMilos FormanStarsF. Murray AbrahamTom HulceElizabeth BerridgeThe 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.This one lives inside me. Every time I watch it, I lose myself in the story and the music.
- DirectorDon McBreartyStarsDenholm ElliottMathonwy ReevesGlynis DaviesYoung 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.A Christmas story for period drama lovers in Dylan Thomas' own wonderful words.
- StarsJodhi MayEdward FoxAmanda RootSet 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.George Eliot's gripping and slightly disturbing novel with some of the best eye candy ever (dresses and men).
- DirectorOliver ParkerStarsRupert EverettColin FirthFrances O'ConnorIn 1890s London, two friends use the same pseudonym ("Ernest") for their on-the-sly activities. Hilarity ensues.Light, witty and gorgeous. Just like Oscar Wilde would have wanted it to be.
- DirectorOliver ParkerStarsRupert EverettJulianne MoorePeter VaughanLondon 1895: Cabinet minister, Sir Chiltern, and bachelor, Lord Goring, are victims of scheming women.Another Oscar Wilde classic. A bit darker than Earnest, but still lots of fun. And truth.
- DirectorChris NoonanStarsRenée ZellwegerEwan McGregorEmily WatsonThe 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.Just adorable. With bunnies.
- StarsVictoria HamiltonJonathan FirthJames CallisThe marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, a longtime royal love story.Victoria Hamilton is wonderful as her namesake. Colin Firth's brother Jonathan Firth is also brilliant as Prince Albert. Enjoy.
- DirectorJean-Marc ValléeStarsEmily BluntRupert FriendPaul BettanyA dramatization of the turbulent first years of Queen Victoria's rule, and her enduring romance with Prince Albert.A really good version of Victoria's story, especially if you don't have time for the 2001 miniseries.
- DirectorJames IvoryStarsMaggie SmithHelena Bonham CarterDenholm ElliottLucy 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?Travel to Italy in Edwardian times. Mmmmmmm.
- StarsMatthew MacfadyenClaire FoyTom CourtenayThe 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.Another classic Dickens done to perfection by Andrew Davies and the Beeb. Couldn't possibly have been done better.
- CreatorBill GallagherStarsOlivia HallinanSarah LancashireJulia SawalhaAn 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.As long as you can stand a dash of adorable in your life, you'll love this TV series.
- DirectorTom HooperStarsColin FirthGeoffrey RushHelena Bonham CarterThe 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.Love it. Helena Bonham Carter looking a bit less mad than usual and Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle onscreen together again. Love it.
- DirectorRichard CurtisStarsHugh GrantMartine McCutcheonLiam NeesonFollows 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.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).
- DirectorSaul DibbStarsKeira KnightleyRalph FiennesDominic CooperA chronicle of the life of 18th-century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was revered for her extravagant political and personal life.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.
- DirectorStephen DaldryStarsJamie BellJulie WaltersJean HeywoodA talented young boy becomes torn between his unexpected love of dance and the disintegration of his family.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.
- CreatorJulian FellowesStarsHugh BonnevillePhyllis LoganElizabeth McGovernA chronicle of the lives of the British aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the early twentieth century.Series one was gripping stuff. Can't wait for series two.
- DirectorTate TaylorStarsViola DavisEmma StoneOctavia SpencerAn 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.I just watched this one again last night. Definitely deserves to be on this list.
- DirectorTrevor NunnStarsHelena Bonham CarterCary ElwesJohn WoodThe story of Lady Jane Grey, who was Queen of England for only nine days.Helena Bonham Carter and Carey Elwes as babies. OK, teens? Another one that isn't perfectly historically correct but ever so fun to watch.
- StarsNatasha LittleFrances GreyPhilip GlenisterAn 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 backdrop of Regency England and continental Europe during the Napoleonic War.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.
- DirectorIan SharpStarsJustine WaddellJason FlemyngOliver MilburnA 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.Visually stunning and soooo sad.
- DirectorPatricia RozemaStarsFrances O'ConnorJonny Lee MillerAlessandro NivolaFanny, 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.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!
- DirectorJoe WrightStarsKeira KnightleyMatthew MacfadyenBrenda BlethynSparks 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?The younger generation's Pride and Prejudice. It's lovely. The muddy hems version!