The solution to any bad day, or week, for me is to plop down on a couch or curl up in bed and turn on my favorite period drama: “Pride and Prejudice” (the 2005 version).
Anyone who knows me knows that this is my ultimate comfort movie, and I probably watch it at least 10 times a year (if it’s been a particularly good one). Once, I watched it three times in the span of a week. However, everyone knows about “Pride and Prejudice”. It’s a classic masterpiece. So, I’ve decided to impart my wisdom as a period drama superfan of what you should watch if you get tired of watching “Pride and Prejudice” (you won’t though).
For starters, a period drama is basically any movie that is set in a different time period than the present. I love movies set in the Regency or Tudor Period, but there are some outliers. So, I’ll try and include something for everyone.
Lady J
“Lady J” is a French Netflix Original based off of a story by Denis Diderot published in 1796. The story follows a young widow on a quest for revenge against her former lover after he admitted to falling out of love for her. She concocts a plan to publicly embarrass him by setting him up with a disgraced noblewoman’s daughter disguised as an innocent young lady in need of a husband.
The pastels and scenery of this movie make it for me as well as the prospect of a woman out for revenge. However, you may find yourself rooting for the poor, young lady caught up in the widow’s scheme later on. As this movie is in French, I highly recommend watching with just subtitles, dubbing with English only makes the movie harder to follow.
Our Flag Means Death
This is more of a fun comedy than true drama, but I had to include it. “Our Flag Means Death” is a short, two season series, about a rag-tag team of pirates trying to make a name for themselves as a fearsome crew. The ship is led by a former nobleman named Stede Bonnet, who left his comfortable life behind to fulfill his dream of being a fearsome pirate after a mid-life crisis. However, things seem to always take a turn for the worst for Bonnet, despite his positive attitude. On top of his crew constantly debating mutiny, he seems to pick up enemies left and right as well, most notably the infamous pirate Blackbeard.
After I finished this series, I wanted to start it all over again. The characters are all so lovable, the soundtrack is killer, and the story is top tier. The only criticism I have of it is that it deserved at least one more season.
Lady Jane
This 1986 film follows the life and death of Lady Jane Grey, the young woman who had the misfortune of becoming queen after the death of her cousin Edward VI. It follows the history of the real Lady Jane, with some added romance between Jane and her husband Guilford Dudley to make their tragic end even more devastating. Helena Bonham Carter and Cary Elwes star as Jane and Guilford, respectively, and put on stellar performances.
Though this movie is not as fun as the recent “My Lady Jane” series that Amazon Prime released earlier this year, fans dealing with the sadness of that series getting cancelled should definitely give this movie a watch.
20th Century Girl
A more modern period drama, “20th Century Girl” is is a K-drama set in 1999 that follows teenager Na Bo-Ra as she is tasked with keeping tabs on a boy that her best friend has a crush on while she is away from school for a few months getting heart surgery. While Bo-Ra tries to get closer to her friend’s crush to figure out what he likes, she finds herself falling for his friend Poong Woon-Ho.
This movie is a pretty typical, wholesome, coming-of-age romance, but the bittersweet twist at the end is what makes it especially memorable. For anyone who is a sucker for teenage rom-coms, this is a must watch.
Catherine Called Birdy
Another more comedic period drama, “Catherine Called Birdy” follows a young Lady Catherine who is determined to put off every suitor her father attempts to marry her off to in order to prolong her childhood freedom. Based on the Karen Cushman novel of the same name, this movie is another coming-of-age movie set in the countryside of medieval England. It’s chalked full of many of Catherine’s pranks, funny quips, and resounding life lessons she learns as repercussions. The ending is also particularly wholesome, but that is all I can say without spoiling it.
The movie also boasts a star-studded cast, featuring Bella Ramsey, Andrew Scott, Joe Alwyn and Billie Lourd. This is definitely a feel-good movie, so if you’re in need of some laughs, give this movie a try.