2004 filming of a 19th-century film scene set in London
A historical period drama (also historical drama, 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 period 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. A religious work can qualify as period drama but not as historical one.
Historical accuracy[]
While historical drama is fiction, works may include references to real-life people or events from the relevant time period and/or contain factually accurate representations of the time period. Works may also include mostly-fictionalized narratives based on actual people or events, such as Schindler's List, Braveheart, and Les Misérables.[1]
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 Cinderella Man and Lincoln).
Examples[]
Film and television examples of period pieces include Marie Antoinette (1938), The Leopard (1963), Barry Lyndon (1975), Amadeus (1984), The Age of Innocence (1993), Last Man Standing (1996), Shakespeare in Love (1998), Bathory (2008), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), The Young Victoria (2009), Darkest Hour (2017), and The Favourite (2018).
Examples of television series include Robin Hood (1953), Middlemarch (1994), Pride and Prejudice (1995), The Tudors, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, Call the Midwife, Downton Abbey, Deadwood, Halt and Catch Fire, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Father Brown, Medici, Stranger Things, The Americans, Little House on the Prairie, That '70s Show, The Get Down, Another Period, Peaky Blinders, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, , Velvet and Chernobyl (2019).
See also[]
- List of films about the American Revolution
- List of films and television shows about the American Civil War
- Historical fiction
- Sword-and-sandal
- List of films set in ancient Rome
- Western films
- Asian historical period drama films
- Jidaigeki
- Wuxia
- Sageuk
- Phim lịch sử
- Middle Ages in film
- War film
References[]
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 |