The 10 best period films in film history

Cinema has the ability to transport to other worlds and historical times. In the case of period films, the setting and the costumes are essential tools to make a story credible.

Throughout cinematographic history, there are already many films of this type that have achieved great success at the box office. They have received the ovations of the critics by the well accomplished of the recreation, as well as the appreciation of the public. Here we show the 10 best period films in history.

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The 10 best period films in film history

Some period films have made whole generations cry, laugh and dream. Great actresses and actors have starred in the best period films in the history of cinema, with costumes, set design and setting being very important aspects.

The best period films in the history of cinema are right in all these respects. In some cases the stories are based on real events, and in other cases they are fictions set at some time. Of course, they allow us to know more about life in other times past.

1. The Age of Innocence

The Age of Innocence is a true classic of the genre. This film is based on the novel of the same name, and was brought to the big screen by director Martin Scorsese. It starred Winona Ryder, Michelle Pfeiffer and Daniel Day Lewis.

The film takes place in New York in 1870 in an environment of the upper classes of New York society. The costumes won an Òscar award because they managed to recreate with great accuracy the typical clothing of that time.

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2. Titanic

Titanic is a multi-award-winning film that recreates the era of the early twentieth century. Although on other occasions the most popular sinking in history had been recreated, the 1997 film is the best achieved.

James Cameron was the director of this film that starred Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. It tells the love story of two young people who travel on the ocean liner Titanic, which ends up sinking to the bottom of the sea.

3. Shakespeare in Love

Shakespeare in Love tells the love story between the famous writer and Viola de Lesseps. Although the characters are real, what is told is fictional. It is a film set in England in 1593, achieving a spectacular recreation.

The story centers on the infatuation of Shakespeare, who at that time was writing Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare in Love was nominated in 13 categories for the Oscar winning 7 awards.

4. The gladiator

The Gladiator is a period film set during the rise of the Roman Empire. A blockbuster that revived the success and taste for period films due to the majestic setting and recreation of Rome in 180 AD. C.

Although the story omits or modifies certain historical facts, the film is a masterpiece. The recreation of Rome and the setting make this film one of the most iconic period films of recent times.

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5. Noa's diary

Noa's diary (The Notebook) is called Diarios de una Pasión en Hispanoamérica. This film tells the romantic story of two young people deeply in love in the 1940s. Its recreation is very faithful, and it achieves a great historical setting.

Directed by Nick Cassavetes, Noa's Diary starred Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, achieving a very endearing story. The love story between the protagonists could well have been told in the current era, but undoubtedly developing in that year gives it added value.

6. Braveheart

Braveheart (Brave Heart in Latin America) is one of the best period films in the history of cinema. This film is based on the life of William Wallace, a Scottish hero who was at the fore during the English occupation in the First Scottish War of Independence.

The film recreates what happened in the year 1280 in Scotland, and it achieves it in an impressive way. It was produced by and starred Mel Gibson, and the mastery with which he took the film earned him 5 Oscars, including the Oscar for best picture.

7. Memories of a Geisha

The film Memoirs of a Geisha is an adaptation of the novel of the same name. This story takes place in Japan in the years between 1920 and 1930. Although the differences between the book and the film are several and remarkable, the film manages to captivate and was very multi-award-winning.

The biggest challenge to carry out this story was to recreate a country that today is totally transformed. Japan today is a very modernized and densely populated country, and complete sets had to be created to be able to shoot the film and set it according to what Japan was like in 1920.

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8. Interview with the vampire

Interview with the vampire (nterview with the vampire) is a special film that honors the films of the genre and is based on the book of the same name. Although it is an absolutely fictional story, the setting is very well done.

This film takes place in the year 1791 in the United States. Although the film received criticism for not being totally faithful to the novel, the result is one of the best films of the vampire and period genre.

9. gone With the Wind

Gone with the Wind is one of the most popular films in film history. Released in 1941, it is a classic film that does not go out of style. It takes place in 1861 during the Civil War in the United States.

The setting and costumes are excellent, especially considering the year in which it was produced and screened. An unusually long movie, but with spectacular performances that earned critical acclaim.

10. Passion of Christ

The Passion of the Christ is the most ambitious project in the recreation of the Passion of Jesus. The film was released in 2004 and caused a widespread impact due to the explicitness of the scenes. The actors also speak in Aramaic, Latin and Hebrew, thus achieving great realism.

Recreating Nazareth and the events that occurred there was not an easy task. However it was achieved with an amazing surprising result. Although there was criticism on the plot and the part of the story that was narrated, the film is undoubtedly one of the best period films in the history of cinema.

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Bibliographic references

• Schneider, S.J. (2017). 1001 movies you must see before you die. Barcelona: Grijalbo.