2004 filming of a 19th-century film scene set in London
A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swashbucklers. A period piece may be set in a vague or general era such as the Middle Ages or a specific period such as the Roaring Twenties.
Scholarship[]
Since the beginning of film movies set in historical times have been some of the most popular works. D. W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation and Buster Keaton's The General are examples of popular early American works set during the U.S. Civil War. In different eras different subgenres have risen to popularity such as the westerns and sword and sandal films that dominated North American cinema in the 1950s.
The costume drama is often separated as a genre of historical dramas. Early critics defined them as films focusing on romance and relationships in sumptuous surroundings. Defining them against other historical dramas believed to have more serious themes. Other critics have defended costume dramas, and argued that they are disparaged because they are a genre directed towards women.[1] Historical dramas have also been described as a conservative genre. Glorifying an imagined past that never existed.[2]
Historical accuracy[]
While historical drama is fiction, works may include references to real-life people or events from the relevant time period or contain factually accurate representations of the time period. Works may also include mostly-fictionalized narratives based on actual people or events, such as Braveheart, Les Misérables, and Titanic.[3]
Works that focus on accurately portraying specific historical events or persons are instead known as docudrama (such as The Report). Where a person's life is central to the story, such a work is known as biographical drama (examples being Frida, Cinderella Man and Lincoln).
Lists[]
- Historical fiction
- List of films about the American Revolution
- List of films and television shows about the American Civil War
- List of films set in ancient Rome
- List of historical drama films and series set in Near Eastern and Western civilization
- Historical drama films set in Asia
- List of Vietnamese historical drama films
- Middle Ages in film
- War film
References[]
- ↑ Annette Kuhn; Guy Westwell (21 June 2012). A Dictionary of Film Studies. OUP Oxford. pp. 98–. ISBN 978-0-19-103465-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=g5oyAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA98.
- ↑ Robé, Chris. “Taking Hollywood Back: The Historical Costume Drama, the Biopic, and Popular Front U.S. Film Criticism.” Cinema Journal, vol. 48, no. 2, 2009, pp. 70–87. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20484449. Accessed 29 July 2020.
- ↑ Niemi, Robert (2013-10-17) (in en). Inspired by True Events: An Illustrated Guide to More Than 500 History-Based Films, 2nd Edition: An Illustrated Guide to More Than 500 History-Based Films. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781610691987. https://books.google.com/books?id=ZcGNAQAAQBAJ.
External links[]
Template:Historical fiction
| Film genres | |
|---|---|
| By style | Action (Arthouse • Heroic bloodshed • Hong Kong action) • Adventure (Survival) •
Art • Biographical • Christian • Comedy (Black • Commedia all'italiana • Commedia sexy all'italiana • Bromantic • Dramedy • Gross out • Horror • Parody • Mo lei tau • Thriller • Remarriage • Romantic • Sex • Screwball • Silent • Slapstick) • Documentary (Animated • Docudrama • Mockumentary • Mondo • Pseudo • Semi • Travel) • Drama (Dramedy • Historical • Legal • Melodrama (Korean) • Erotic (Commedia sexy all'italiana • Pink • Sexploitation • Thriller) • Educational • Social guidance • Epic (Sword-and-sandal) • Experimental • Exploitation (see Exploitation film template) • Fantasy (Comic • Contemporary • Dark • Fairy tale • Fantastique • High • Historical • Magic realism • Science) • Film noir (Bad girl • Neo-noir • Occult detective • Pulp noir • Tech noir) • Gothic (Romance • Southern • Space • Suburban • Urban) • Horror (Body • Cannibal • Comedy • Eco • Fantastique • Found footage • German underground • Ghost • Giallo • Japanese • Korean • Mumblegore • Natural • New French Extremity • Occult detective • Psycho-biddy • Psychological • Religious • Science Fiction • Slasher • Splatter • Satanic) • Mumblecore (Mumblegore) • Musical (Backstage • Jukebox • Musicarello • Operetta • Sceneggiata) • Mystery (Giallo • Occult detective) • Pornographic (Hardcore pornography • Softcore pornography) • Propaganda • Reality • Romantic (Comedy (Bromantic)) • Gothic • Paranormal • Thriller) • Science fiction (Comic • Cyberpunk • Fantastique • Fantasy • Gothic • Horror • Military • Mundane • New Wave • Parallel universe • Planetary romance • Space opera • Steampunk • Western) • Thriller (Comedy • Conspiracy • Erotic • Financial • Giallo • Legal • New French Extremity • Political • Psychological • Romantic • Techno) • Transgressive (Cinema of Transgression • New French Extremity) • Trick |
| By theme | Animals • Beach party • Blaxploitation • Body swap • Bourekas • Buddy (Buddy cop • Female) • Cannibal • Chicano • Colonial • Coming-of-age • Concert • Crime (Gentleman thief • Gong'an • Heist • Hood • Gangster • Mafia • Mafia comedy • Poliziotteschi • Yakuza • Gokudō) • Dance • Disaster (Apocalyptic) • Drug (Psychedelic • Stoner) • Dystopian • Economic • Ethnographic • Extraterrestrial • Food and drink • Funny animal • Gendai-geki • Ghost • Goona-goona epic • Gothic (Romance • Southern • Space • Suburban • Urban) • Ecchi • Girls with guns • Harem • Hentai (Tentacle erotica) • Lolicon • Kaitō • Magical girl • Mecha • Shotacon • Yaoi • Yuri • Homeland • Jidaigeki • LGBT • Luchador • Martial arts (Bruceploitation • Chopsocky • Girls with guns • Gun fu • Kung fu • Wuxia) • Mecha • Mexploitation • Monster (Giant monster • Jiangshi • Kaiju • Vampire • Werewolf • Zombie) • Mountain • Mouth of Garbage • Muslim social • Nature (Environmental issues) • Opera • Outlaw biker • Ozploitation • Partisan film • Pirate • Prison (Women) • Race • Rape and revenge • Road • Rubble • Rumberas • Samurai • Sexploitation (Bavarian porn • Commedia sexy all'italiana • Mexican sex comedy • Nazi exploitation • Pornochanchada • Nunsploitation • Sex report) • Shomin-geki • Slavery • Slice of life • Snuff (Crush) • South Seas • Sports • Spy (Eurospy) • Superhero • Surfing • Swashbuckler • Sword-and-sandal • Sword and sorcery • Travel • Trial • Vigilante • War (Anti-war • Euro War • Submarine) • Western (Acid • Florida • Meat pie • Northern • Ostern • revisionist • Space • Spaghetti • Weird) • Zombie (Zombie comedy) |
| By movement or period |
Absolute • Australian New Wave • Auteur films • Berlin School • Bourekas • Brighton School • British New Wave (Kitchen sink realism) • Budapest school • Cannibal boom • Cinéma du look • Cinema Novo • Cinema of Transgression • Cinéma pur • Commedia all'italiana • Documentary Film Movement • Dogme 95 • Erra Cinema • European art cinema • Film gris • Free Cinema • French New Wave • German Expressionist • German underground horror • Nigerian Golden Age • Grupo Cine Liberación • Heimatfilm • Hollywood on the Tiber • Hong Kong New Wave • Iranian New Wave • Italian futurist • Italian neorealist • Japanese New Wave • Kammerspielfilm • L.A. Rebellion • Lettrist • Mumblecore • Neorealist • New French Extremity • New German • New Generation • New Hollywood • New Nigerian • New Queer • No wave • Nuevo Cine Mexicano • Parallel Cinema • Persian Film • Poetic realist • Polish Film School • Poliziotteschi • Praška filmska škola • Prussian film • Pure Film Movement • Remodernist • Romanian New Wave • Spaghetti Western • Socialist realist • Social realist (Kitchen sink realism) • Soviet Parallel • Structural • Surrealist • Sword-and-sandal • Telefoni Bianchi • Third Cinema • Yugoslav Black Wave |
| By audience | Chick flick • Children's • Cult (midnight movie) • Guy-cry • Teen • Woman's |
| By format, technique, approach, or production |
3D • Actuality • Animation (anime • cartoon • computer • stop-motion • traditional) • Anthology • Art • B movie • Black-and-white • Blockbuster • Bollywood • Cinéma vérité • Classical Hollywood cinema • Collage • Color • Compilation • Composite • Database cinema • Docufiction • Ethnofiction • Experimental (Abstract) • Feature • Featurette • Film à clef • Film noir • Film-poem • Found footage • Grindhouse • Hyperlink cinema • Independent (Guerrilla filmmaking) • Interstitial art • Live action (animation) • Low-budget • Major studio • Making-of • Masala • Message picture • Meta-film • Mockbuster • Musical short • Mythopoeia • Neorealist • No budget • Paracinema • Participatory • Poetry • Postmodernist • Sceneggiata • Semidocumentary • Serial • Shinpa • Short • Silent • Socialist realist • Sound • Underground |