Period Dramas Sorted by Historical Era

Looking for a period drama to watch?
Here are over 1100 films, sorted by era...

Ancient Period Dramas (4000 B.C - 500)
(such as: Jesus of Nazareth, Ben Hur, Troy,
The Ten Commandments, The Nativity Story and Cleopatra)

Medieval Period Dramas (500-1500)
(such as: Lord of the Rings, King Arthur, Tristan and Isolde,
The Princess Bride, A Knight's Tale and Robin Hood)

Renaissance Period Dramas (1400-1600)
(such as: Ever After, Shakespeare in Love, 1492, Elizabeth and The Other Boleyn Girl)


Baroque Period Dramas (1600-1750)
(such as: Pirates of the Caribbean, Le Roi Soleil, The Three Musketeers,
Vatel, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Lost in La Mancha)


Georgian Period Dramas (1714-1830)
(such as: The Aristocrats, Amazing Grace, Marie Antoinette,
John Adams, The Duchess and The Scarlet Pimpernel)
[Note: Jane Austen adaptations listed specifically in Regency era below]


Regency Period Dramas (1811-1820)
(such as: Pride and Prejudice, Bright Star, Persuasion,
Emma, and Sense and Sensibility)


Victorian Period Dramas (1837-1901)
(such as: The Young Victoria, Daniel Deronda, Little Women, Little House on the Prairie,
The Buccaneers, North and South, The Inheritance and Mrs. Brown)
[Considering that Queen Victoria's reign was so long,
this is the largest group of films sorted by era including almost 300 period dramas!]


Edwardian Period Dramas (1901-1914)

(such as: Downton Abbey, The Lost Prince, The Importance of Being Earnest,
Titanic, My Fair Lady, Anne of Green Gables)


Post-Edwardian Period Dramas (1915-1960s)
(such as: The Ladies in Lavender, The Remains of the Day, The Magic of Ordinary Days,
The Sound of Music, The Painted Veil, Foyle's War)

The above is solely a visual list of movies from each era.
The Film Index lists those period films which have been featured in greater detail.

Please keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list. I have included mainly those that I've seen myself and/or those that are suitable for most audiences. I know that plenty of you have favourite dramas that might be missing from this list (sorry!) but I've tried to include a good selection of the quantity of period films available out there!
(Many are available to watch online.)

Top Ten Renaissance Films

Poll Results: Here are the most popular period dramas set during the Renaissance after tallying up everyone's votes.
Thanks to all who took part! (3000 votes cast in all)

Six of the top 10 dramas are based on Shakespeare - 5 of them based on his works while one is a fictional account of a doomed love affair which inspired one of his plays. Three of the dramas are based on the Tudors - 2 of King Henry VIII and the other of his daughter Elizabeth I. And the final film, sitting on top as the most-watched film from this era is a retelling of Cinderella that has a special place in our hearts ♥

#1 Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998)
Drew Barrymore and Dougray Scott
(viewed by 92% of voters)


#2 Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes
(viewed by 90% of voters)


#3 Elizabeth (1998)
Cate Blanchett, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush
(viewed by 75% of voters)(tie)


#3 Romeo and Juliet (1996)
Leo DiCaprio & Claire Danes
(viewed by 75% of voters)(tie)


#5 The Other Boleyn Girl (2007)
Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johannson, Eric Bana
(viewed by 63% of voters)


#6 Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
Kenneth Branagh, Robert Sean Leonard, Emma Thompson,
Keanu Reeves, Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton, Kate Beckinsale
(viewed by 60% of voters)


#7 The Tudors (2007-10)
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Natalie Dormer,
Sam Neill, James Frain, Henry Cavill, Jeremy Northam...
(viewed by 58% of voters)


#8 Romeo and Juliet (1968)
Leonard Whiting & Olivia Hussey
(viewed by 53% of voters)


#9 A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999)
Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett,
Calista Flockhart, Christian Bale, Dominic West
(viewed by 51% of voters)


#10 Hamlet (1996)
Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Julie Christie,
Kate Winslet, Nicholas Farrell, Richard Briers
(viewed by 47% of voters)

See original post on Renaissance Dramas
See dramas from other eras

Renaissance / Elizabethan Era Films

Next in the series of period dramas sorted by era, we go back to the Renaissance (1400-1600). These films include the Tudors, especially the renowned reigns of Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth, the exploration by Christopher Columbus and of course, the works of Shakespeare! (Although, whether or not Shakespeare is in fact the legitimate author is up for debate in Anonymous, due out this fall.)

Which of these Renaissance dramas have you seen?

Top 10 Results / Poll still open here

See movies from other eras

Original source list found at
Eras of Elegance

1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
A Man for All Seasons (1966, 1988)
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Anne of a Thousand Days (1969)
Anonymous (2011)
As You Like It (2006)
Christopher Columbus (1985)
Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett)
Elizabeth I (Helen Mirren)
Elizabeth R (Glenda Jackson)
Elizabeth I the Virgin Queen (Anne-Marie Duff)
Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998)
Hamlet (Kenneth Branaugh, Mel Gibson, David Tennant)
Henry V (1989)
Henry VIII (2003- Ray Winstone)
Henry VIII and His Six Wives (Keith Mitchell)
King Lear
Lady Jane (1986)
Looking for Richard (1996)
Luther (2003)
Macbeth
Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)
Mary of Scotland (1936)
Mill and the Cross (2011)
Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
Nostradamus (1994)
Othello (1995)
Princes in the Tower (2005)
Princess de Montpensier (2010)
Richard III (Laurence Olivier, Ian McKellan)
Romeo and Juliet (Leonard Whiting & Olivia Hussey)
Romeo and Juliet (Leo Dicaprio & Claire Danes)
Romeo and Juliet (Jonathan Firth & Geraldine Sommerville)
Rosencrantz and Guildernstern are Dead (1990)
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)
The Fountain (2006)
The Golden Age (2007)
The Merchant of Venice
The New World (2005)
The Other Boleyn Girl (2003 -Natasha McElhone, Jodhi May)
The Other Boleyn Girl (2007 - Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johannson)
The Prince and the Pauper (2000)
The Sword and the Rose (1953)
The Taming of the Shrew (1967)
The Tudors (2007-2010)
Twelfth Night (1996)
Young Bess (1953)