Good period dramas?

By **Duckeh**. 08/11/09, 12:48 pm

C:
Could anyone recommend some for me?
I do like them, but I hardly ever watch series' or movies on the TV as I fail at TV. They're so appealing visually and generally have very decent storylines and strong characters~ orz
So yeah, having some recommended to me would be very nice.

Please and thank you~

By sakura_petals. 08/11/09, 01:23 pm

The only one I can recommend is the original BBC Pride and Prejudice. That's the only period drama that doesn't make me cringe with the inaccuracies.

By **Duckeh**. 08/11/09, 01:27 pm

//Is happy to stay blissfully unaware of the inaccuracies.
>.<

Oh, thank you. I'm ashamed to say I've never read nor seen Pride & Prejudice! Good suggestion is good. <3

By Thornback. 08/11/09, 01:28 pm

The one where Colin Firth swims the lake?

I love period dramas, simply, as Duckeh said, because more often than not, they are GORGEOUS in appearance.

I just have to beat my inner history nerd into submission first.

By Olli. 08/11/09, 01:31 pm

Get the BBC version!!!
The remake is too short!!!

By sakura_petals. 08/11/09, 03:18 pm

The remake isn't as good. Plus you don't get to see one of the main actors act rather like a spaniel - the ginger curly haired guy (can't remember his name). I'll let you know other ones when I think of them. As for beating inner history geek into submission - I can only do that with periods I don't know much about.

By neimhaille. 09/11/09, 12:39 pm

BBCP&P2 all the way! (the 95 version, BBC also did one in the.. 80s or 70s). There are some modernisms that make purists wantt o cry but that is more to do with how accessories are used (or not) than bad cut etc. Espeically lovely that the girls really do wear the clothes as if they were clothes and they mix and match from a smallish selection. (I wore a copy of Lizzy's stripy dress at AuckGeddon this year).

Elizabeth R- Genda Jackson. So awesome! Jean Hunnisett did the costumes and though I wish for more gored skirts (they were more common than gathered/pleated tubes until the 1610s or so) they are amazing costumes.

BlackAdder! All of them. Some modernisms again and some non pc humour but I am a big fangirl and the costumes are pretty. Queenie though is mine ;)

Movies as well..

Age of Innocence. Amazing costuming very slow movie.

Dangerous Liasons. The opening sequence alone is costuming gold. Keanu, bless him. Glenn Close is incredible.

Shakespeare in love. Play spot the reference! Though the costuming is very theatrical it is perfect for the movie and I do recognise a lot of the sources for the costuming. Colours and fabrics changed but they were used.

Portrait of a Lady. Nicole Kidman version.

Just a few :)

By Le_Saboteur. 10/11/09, 02:12 am

Pride and Prejudice ftw. Also; Jennifer Ehle (Lizzy) has landed a starring role as Catelyn Tully in the Game of Thrones tv series which will hopefully show on HBO- if it gets picked up- next year Very Happy

All signs look promising at this point. It's a medieval inspired setting based on a series of books.

Also; Rome. Another HBO project and freaking amazing. They had to can it because it was costing a ridiculous amount of money, though; something like $100 million for the first season of twelve episodes.

Deadwood is pretty good if you like that era, too.

**Guest** Guest

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters.

Also, there have been rumours kicking around for ages about an alien invasion film set in Edwardian England - working title is "Pride and Predators". I can't wait for that one! (Although google thinks it might have been an April fools, boo sad

)

By CMKMStephens. 10/11/09, 02:24 am

I second the Rome recommendation.

By sakura_petals. 10/11/09, 08:40 am

Rome is quite realistic in it's portrayal of the city/culture (but I have to admit that I gave up watching it after a few eps).

By Thornback. 10/11/09, 09:00 am

As soon as my exams are over, I'm going on a period drama binge.

By **Duckeh**. 10/11/09, 09:23 am

Thornback wrote:: As soon as my exams are over, I'm going on a period drama binge.

fgsfds. D:
Come live at my house for it! I want a watching buddy.

Thank you so much for all the suggestions. <3
//is now going through the slow process of looking them all up and choosing which to watch first.

By Thornback. 10/11/09, 10:31 am

But...but...I don't wanna go back to auckland!

I wish...but the 300 odd miles between your house and mine will be something of an issue.

By Minato_mori. 10/11/09, 03:23 pm

I think we should all crash thornbacks house.

when you see half a plane sticking out of your roof
you will know we're there

By **Duckeh**. 10/11/09, 03:48 pm

Can we only drop a part of the plane prz? Then she'll be out doing a Donnie Darko and it'd be so amazing.

Waitnah,Itakethatback.
That'd distract from the awesome and sometimes terribly crappy, but none the less awesome, period dramas~ <3

**Guest** Guest

Yay! Period dramas + romances is my favorite genre of film/novels 8D

I actually prefer Sense and Sensibility to Pride and Prejudice. The 2008 TV series version of Sense and Sensibility is quite good but so is Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley in it. The 1995 version of Sense and Sensibility has Alan Rickman in it (when he used to be some-what hot) and that version is quite good too. Then again, it doesn't take much for me to engage into a movie OTL.

Vanity Fair, don't watch it. Extremely slow but stupidly gorgeous. Reese Witherspoon is just unsuitable for the role and she does some weird belly dancing performance.
I think American should stick to what they do best which is to be American, and let the British be British. Americans being British = Fail. Another example of America fail is in the film; Becoming Jane.

The Young Victoria is worth watching. Rupert Friend is just adorable. Guy who plays Melbourne is just a Richard. He makes you lose the game.

Silk, with Keira Knightley and Michael Pitt. It's about a guy who starts a silk company in France but has to travel to Japan to obtain silk worms. I thought it was a little draggy but it was decent.

Tudors, if you don't mind craploads of history mixed with abnormally long sex scenes to make it more 'interesting'. The sex dies down by the third season. So does the plot.

I love Tristan & Isolde. Cheesy Medieval romance myths, FTW. James Franco half naked = hot. Middle ages = not so hot.
I didn't mind James Franco portraying a British since the actress playing Isolde is Irish so they kinda played off each other? Showed contrast between the two countries?

Atonement, James McAvoy is hot. Keira Knightley is the same old, same old (but she's good at what she does). This film made me want to be a nurse during WWII. OTL.

I'm more into European period drama than anything else really : /. However, I've watched a large variety of Asian historical dramas too. Most of them Korean..

By sakura_petals. 10/11/09, 10:50 pm

Tristan and Isolde - love so much!!!

Has anyone seen The Duchess? Any good?

By Le_Saboteur. 11/11/09, 01:34 am

James Franco was the best part of Tristan and Isolde. But at least it was better than King Arthur.

**Guest** Guest

That was a really really bad film, if you mean the Keira Knightly one.

**Guest** Guest

The Duchess was like the dull and more political version of Marie Antoinette (Speaking of which, that movie is extremely crap) with the additional rape and ménage à trois and multiples of affairs. Looooootsa sex : /

The guy that Keira Knightley has an affair with in the film (Dominic Cooper, also in Mama Mia as Sky, Sophie's fiance) is not even that hot. Actually, neither is the girl her husband has an affair with..

By Thornback. 11/11/09, 08:23 am

@Syill. Wow. That wall earlier kinda juast...encompassed everything I ahd to say about period dramas.

Especially The Young Victoria. Rupert Friend is so adorable I dont even mind the small furry creatures attached to his face.

@cyren and Duckeh-I dont think my family would appreciate half a plane sticking out of the house.....but then it would give them an excuse to renovate.

By Retro Scifi. 13/11/09, 12:13 am

How about Middlemarch? Filmed in our former home town of Stamford in the UK. The BBC is your friend when it comes to period dramas.

By Thornback. 27/11/09, 01:03 am

Period drama binge has begun! I have...
...
-A whole host of BBc Jane austen adaptations
-Second season of Rome
-Random episodes of Hornblower (shutupioangruffardhasnicefacialstructure)
-The first season of the Tudors(because my mum had the boxset)

am considering Deadwood.

By neimhaille. 27/11/09, 04:31 am

Just having an urge to watch A Man for All Seasons again. Some aspects of it have stuck with me since studying the play in high school.

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