Dimsy's Top Period Dramas

C.S. Forester: Hornblower

2011-03-11T01:17:00.001+01:00

Hornblower 1998
with Ioan Gruffudd and Robert Lindsay

Here is the full series about young Horatio Hornblower, a (fictional) Royal Naval officer during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. Honour wit and bravery! I wish you all many hours of entertainment.

Thank you Janice for this addition to the collection, and for your lovely email! :)
// Dimsy

Stephen Poliakoff: Capturing Mary

2011-02-06T15:50:00.000+01:00

Capturing Mary 2007
with Maggie Smith and David Williams

Barbara Cartland: A Ghost in Monte Carlo

2011-02-02T13:34:00.000+01:00

A Ghost in Monte Carlo 1990
with Sarah Miles and Oliver Reed

Boris Pasternak: Doctor Zhivago

2011-02-02T13:28:00.000+01:00

Doctor Zhivago 2002
with Keira Knightley and Sam Neill

Nevil Shute: A Town Like Alice

2011-02-02T13:23:00.000+01:00

A Town Like Alice 1981
with Helen Morse and Bryan Brown

George Tabori: The Journey

2011-02-02T13:17:00.000+01:00

The Journey 1959
with Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner

John Webster: The Duccess Of Malfi

2011-02-02T13:13:00.000+01:00

The Duccess Of Malfi 1972
with Eileen Atkins and Michael Bryant

Lajos Biró: A Royal Scandal

2011-02-02T13:10:00.000+01:00

A Royal Scandal 1945
with Tallulah Bankhead and Charles Coburn

Kazuo Ishiguro: The Remains Of The Day

2011-02-02T13:05:00.000+01:00

The Remains Of The Day 1993
with Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson

Zdenek Mahler: Strauss Dynasty

2011-02-02T12:58:00.000+01:00

Strauss Dynasty 1991
with Anthony Higgins and Stephen McGann

Aleksandr Pushkin: Onegin

2011-02-02T12:46:00.001+01:00

Onegin 1999
with Ralph Fiennes and Liv Tyler

Maggie Greenwald: Songcatcher

2011-02-02T12:43:00.000+01:00

Songcatcher 2000
with Janet McTeer and Aidan Quinn

Choderlos de Laclos: Valmont (Les Liaisons Dangereuses)

2011-02-02T12:37:00.000+01:00

Valmont 1989
with Colin Firth and Annete Bening

Sofia Coppola: Marie Antoinette

2011-02-02T12:32:00.000+01:00

Marie Antoinette 2006
with Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman

Alessandro Baricco: Silk

2011-02-02T12:27:00.001+01:00

Silk 2007
with Michael Pitt and Keira Knightley

Janet McTeer: The Intended

2011-02-02T12:22:00.002+01:00

The Intended 2002
with Janet McTeer and Olympia Dukakis

Heidi Thomas: Lilies

2011-02-02T12:14:00.000+01:00

Lilies 2007
with Catherine Tyldesley and Kerrie Hayes

Alexandra Ripley: Scarlett

2011-02-02T11:59:00.000+01:00

Scarlett 1994
with Timothy Dalton and Joanne Whalley

Edith Warton: The Buccaneers

2011-02-02T11:54:00.001+01:00

The Buccaneers 1995
with Carla Gugino and Alison Elliott

Anton Chekhov: The Three Sisters

2011-02-02T11:42:00.000+01:00

The Three Sisters 1970
with Laurence Olivier and Jeanne Watts

Jean Rhys: Quartet

2011-02-02T11:26:00.000+01:00

Quartet 1981
with Alan Bates and Maggie Smith

Richard Doddridge Blackmore: Lorna Doone

2011-02-02T11:17:00.000+01:00

Lorna Doone 2000
with Richard Coyle and Amelia Warner

Dodie Smith: I Capture The Castle

2011-02-02T11:05:00.000+01:00

I Capture The Castle 2003
with Ramola Garai and Rose Byrne

James Lloyd Carr: A Month In The Country

2010-11-21T23:11:00.002+01:00

A Month In The Country 1987
with Colin Firth and Vanessa Redgrave

If you want to know more about the story behind the film,
read a great article on it afterwards (as it does kind of tell the story) here.

Ian McEwan: Atonement

2010-10-11T13:34:00.003+02:00

Atonement 2007
with James McAvoy and Keira Knightley

Jeremy Brock: Her Majesty, Mrs Brown

2010-08-24T17:58:00.001+02:00

Her Majesty, Mrs Brown 1997
with Judi Dench and Billy Connolly

Thanks to Carmel for recommending it!
/Dimsy

Sarah Williams: Wallis and Edward

2010-08-24T17:40:00.001+02:00

Wallis and Edward 2005
with Joely Richardson and Steven Campbell Moore

"This is a very sympathetic depiction of Wallis Sympson"

Thank you to Carmel - for recommending it!
/Dimsy

Evelyn Vaughan: Brideshead Revisited

2010-08-24T17:32:00.001+02:00

Brideshead Revisited 2005
with Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews

"Two young men meet at Oxford. Charles Ryder, though of no family or money, becomes friends with Sebastian Flyte when Sebastian throws up in his college room through an open window. He then invites Charles to dinner after his teddy bear Aloysius 'refuses to talk to him' unless he is forgiven. Charles becomes involved with Sebastian's family, Catholic peers of the realm in Protestant England. The story is told in flashback as Charles, now an officer in the British Army, is moved with his company to an English country house that he discovers to be Brideshead, Sebastian's family home where Charles has a series of memories of his youth and young manhood, his loves, life, and a journey of faith and anguish."

Thank you again to Carmel - for recommending it!
/Dimsy

William Nicholson: Shadowlands

2010-08-01T23:28:00.000+02:00

Shadowlands 1993
with Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger

Thank you to Carmel - for recommending it!
/Dimsy

Marcel Pagnol: Manon de Sources

2010-08-01T23:18:00.002+02:00

This is a sequel to "Jean de Florette",
best viewed after it's predecessor!
Enjoy! - Dimsy

Manon de Sources 1987
with Emmanuelle Béart and Yves Montand

Thank you to Carmel - for recommending it!
/Dimsy

Marcel Pagnol: Jean De Florette

2010-08-01T23:14:00.002+02:00

Jean De Florette 1986
with Gerard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil, Elizbeth Depardieu

Thank you to Carmel - for recommending it!
/Dimsy

Karen Blixen: Babette's Feast

2010-08-01T23:06:00.001+02:00

Babette's Feast 1987
with Stéphane Audran and Bodil Kjer

"A Danish film.... an epicurian delight...."

Thank you to Carmel for recommending it!
/Dimsy

Sébastien Japrisot: A Very Long Engagement

2010-08-01T23:00:00.001+02:00

A Very Long Engagement 2004
with Audrey Tatou and Jean-Pierre Jeunet

"A Very Long Engagement" tells the story of a young woman's relentless search for her fiancée, who has disappeared from the trenches of the Somme during World War One." (imdb.com)
A French Romantic War film

Thank you to Carmel - for recommending it!
/Dimsy

Noël Coward: Brief Encounter (originally Still Life)

2010-08-01T22:54:00.000+02:00

Brief Encounter 1945
with Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard

The film is based on Noël Coward's one-act play Still Life (1936), one of ten short plays in the cycle Tonight at 8:30, designed for Gertrude Lawrence and Coward himself to be performed in various combinations as triple bills

Thank you to Carmel - for recommending it!
/Dimsy

P.G. Wodehouse: Jeeves and Wooster

2010-08-01T22:44:00.001+02:00

Jeeves and Wooster 1990-1993
with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie

Flora Jane Thompson: Lark Rise to Candleford

2010-08-01T22:32:00.002+02:00

Lark Rise to Candleford 2008-2010
with Olivia Hallinan and Julia Sawalha

"Hi there,

Just in case you've missed them and have run out of period dramas to watch, two of my favourites are "Lark Rise to Candleford" and "Jeeves and Wooster". Also, love the site :)

Kind regards,
Ashling"

J Hawkesworth and J Whitney: Upstairs Downstairs

2010-07-28T12:16:00.003+02:00

Upstairs Downstairs 1971
with Jean Marsh and Emma Thompson

"Hi Dimsy,

Yes, I have the passion for quality period drama and your offerings are a gift. Thanks so much.

Are you familiar with Upstairs Downstairs? A most delightful and long series from the BBC, made in the 1970's, set 1903-1930. I have read that the authors intend a continuation which is to commence in 2011. The series was based on ideas of the actress who plays the housemaid Rose (Jean Marsh) and her friend, actress Dame Eileen Atkins, whose parents had been in service in the 'big houses.'

Upstairs Downstairs first episode and some of the others are in black and white owing to a dispute at the BBC over technicians demands for payment for usage of colour technology, but it only serves to make the colour episodes all the more precious.

Enjoy.... I love the opening music score itself - so uplifting! (Dimsy: It's by Alexander Faris)

- Carmel"

American Girl: Kit

2010-07-24T10:59:00.000+02:00

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl 2008
with Abigail Breslin and Chris O'Donnell

American Girl: Chrissa

2010-07-24T10:53:00.000+02:00

An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong 2009
with Sammi Hanratty and Austin Thomas

American Girl: Samantha

2010-07-24T10:34:00.000+02:00

Samantha: An American Girl Holiday 2004
with AnnaSophia Robb and Olivia Ballantyne

American Girl: Molly

2010-07-24T10:28:00.001+02:00

Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front 2006
with Maya Ritter and Tory Green

American Girl: Felicity

2010-07-24T10:21:00.001+02:00

Felicity: An American Girl Adventure 2005
with Shailene Woodley and John Schneider

Catherine Cookson: A Dinner Of Herbs

2010-07-19T00:42:00.000+02:00

A Dinner Of Herbs 2000
with Jonathan Kerrigan and Melanie Clark Pullen

Catherine Cookson: Tilly Trotter

2010-07-19T00:38:00.001+02:00

Tilly Trotter 1998
with Carli Norris and Simon Shepherd

Catherine Cookson: The Round Tower

2010-07-19T00:34:00.000+02:00

The Round Tower 1997
with Emilia Fox, Ben Miles and Denis Lawson

Catherine Cookson: Colour Blind

2010-07-19T00:28:00.001+02:00

Colour Blind 1998
with Niamh Cusack and Tony Armatrading

Catherine Cookson: The Wingless Bird

2010-07-19T00:22:00.001+02:00

The Wingless Bird 1997
with Claire Skinner, Anne Reid and Julian Wadham

Catherine Cookson: The Rag Nymph

2010-07-19T00:14:00.000+02:00

The Rag Nymph 1997
with Honeysuckle Weeks, Alec Newman and Val McLane

Catherine Cookson: The Moth

2010-07-19T00:09:00.000+02:00

The Moth 1997
with Jack Davenport, Juliet Aubrey and Justine Waddell

Catherine Cookson: The Girl

2010-07-19T00:00:00.000+02:00

The Girl 1996
with Jonathan Cake and Siobhan Flynn

Catherine Cookson: The Glass Virgin

2010-07-18T23:55:00.000+02:00

The Glass Virgin 1995
with Nigel Havers, Emily Mortimer and Brendan Coyle

Catherine Cookson: The Man Who Cried

2010-07-18T23:52:00.000+02:00

The Man Who Cried 1993
with Ciarán Hinds and Amanda Root

Catherine Cookson: The Black Candle

2010-07-18T23:46:00.000+02:00

The Black Candle 1991
with Nathaniel Parker and Samantha Bond

Catherine Cookson: The Mallen Girls

2010-07-18T23:08:00.000+02:00

The Mallen Girls 1979-1980
with John Hallam and Juliet Stevenson

Catherine Cookson: The Gambling Man

2010-07-18T22:58:00.000+02:00

The Gambling Man 1995
with Robson Green and Sylvestra Le Touzel

Catherine Cookson: The Tide Of Life

2010-07-18T22:51:00.001+02:00

The Tide Of Life 1996
with Gillian Kearney and James Purefoy

Catherine Cookson: The Dwelling Place

2010-07-18T22:49:00.000+02:00

The Dwelling Place 1994
with Tracy Whitwell and Ray Stevenson

Catherine Cookson: The Cinder Path

2010-07-18T22:44:00.000+02:00

The Cinder Path 1994
with Catherine Zeta Jones and Lloyd Owen

Catherine Cookson: The Black Velvet Gown

2010-07-18T22:28:00.000+02:00

The Black Velvet Gown 1991
with Janet McTeer, Bob Peck, Geraldine Somerville

Catherine Cookson: The Fifteen Streets

2010-07-18T22:25:00.000+02:00

The Fifteen Streets 1989
with Sean Bean and Jane Horrocks

Catherine Cookson: The Secret

2010-07-18T22:21:00.000+02:00

The Secret 1999
with Colin Buchanan and Hannah Yelland

Oscar Wilde: The Canterville Ghost

2010-07-13T23:22:00.001+02:00

The Canterville Ghost 1985
with Sarah Jane Potts and Ian Richardson

The Canterville Ghost 1987
with Alyssa Milano and John Gielgud

Johann David Wyss: The Swiss Family Robinson

2010-07-02T20:37:00.000+02:00

The Swiss Family Robinson 1960
with John Mills and Dorothy McGuire

Erich Kastner: The Parent Trap

2010-07-02T20:17:00.002+02:00

The Parent Trap 1961
with Hayley Mills and Brian Keith

The Parent Trap 1998
with Lindsey Lohan and Dennis Quaid

Eleonor H. Porter: Pollyanna

2010-07-02T20:06:00.004+02:00

Pollyanna 1960
with Hayley Mills and Richard Egan

Pollyanna 2003 (poor sound unfortunately)
with Georgina Terry and Amanda Burton

Alfred Hitchcock: The Man Who Knew Too Much

2010-06-30T00:05:00.000+02:00

The Man Who Knew Too Much 1934
with Leslie Banks and Edna Best

Alfred Hitchcock: Notorious

2010-06-29T23:56:00.000+02:00

Notorious 1946
with Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant

Alfred Hitchcock: Blackmail

2010-06-29T23:50:00.000+02:00

Blackmail 1929
with Anny Ondra and Charles Paton

Marie Belloc Lowndes: Letty Linton

2010-06-29T23:47:00.000+02:00

Letty Lindon 1932
with Joan Crawford and Robert Montgomery

Edward Sheldon & Margaret Ayer Barnes: Dishonored Lady

2010-06-29T23:41:00.001+02:00

Dishonored Lady 1947
with Hedy Lamarr and Dennis O'Keefe

Johanna Spyri: Heidi

2010-06-29T23:21:00.004+02:00

Heidi 1968
with Jennifer Edwards and Jean Simmons

Heidi 1993
with Noley Thornton and Jane Seymour

Isabel Allende: House Of The Spirits

2010-06-20T22:04:00.001+02:00

House Of The Spirits 1993
with Jeremy Irons and Meryl Streep

Henry James: The Portrait Of A Lady

2010-06-20T20:33:00.000+02:00

The Portrait Of A Lady 1996
with Nicole Kidman and John Malkovich

William Styron: Sophie's Choice

2010-06-20T18:03:00.001+02:00

Sophie's Choice 1982
with Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline

Frances Hodgson Burnett: The Secret Garden

2010-06-18T02:34:00.006+02:00

The Secret Garden 1975
with Sarah Hollis Andrews and David Patterson

The Secret Garden 1993
with Kate Maberly and Haydon Prowse

Frances Hodgson Burnett: Little Lord Fauntleroy

2010-06-18T02:30:00.001+02:00

Little Lord Fauntleroy 1980
with Ricky Schroder and Sir Alec Guinness

Frances Hodgson Burnett: The Little Princess

2010-06-18T02:28:00.002+02:00

The Little Princess 1995
with Shirley Temple and Richard Greene

William Nicholson: Firelight

2010-06-18T02:00:00.000+02:00

Firelight 1997
with Sophie Marceau and Stephen Dillane

Edith Wharton: Ethan Frome

2010-06-18T01:47:00.000+02:00

Ethan Frome 1993
with Liam Neeson and Patricia Arquette

Edith Wharton: The Age Of Innocence

2010-06-18T01:43:00.000+02:00

The Age Of Innocence 1993
with Michelle Pfeiffer and Daniel Day-Lewis

Edith Wharton: House Of Mirth

2010-06-18T01:38:00.003+02:00

House Of Mirth 2000
with Gillian Anderson and Dan Aykroyd

Henry James: The Wings Of The Dove

2010-06-18T01:22:00.000+02:00

The Wings Of The Dove 1997
with Helena Bonham-Carter and Linus Roache

Henry James: The Turn Of The Screw

2010-06-18T01:13:00.001+02:00

The Turn Of The Screw 1999
with Colin Firth and Jodhi May

Henry James: The Bostonians

2010-06-18T01:06:00.000+02:00

The Bostonians 1984
with Christopher Reeve and Vanessa Redgrave

Henry James: The Europeans

2010-06-18T01:02:00.001+02:00

The Europeans 1979
with Lee Remick and Robin Ellis

Edward Morgan Forster: Howards End

2010-06-18T00:52:00.000+02:00

Howards End 1992
with Helena Bonham-Carter and Emma Thompson

Edward Morgan Forster: Where Angels Fear To Tread

2010-06-18T00:45:00.000+02:00

Where Angels Fear To Tread 1991
with Helena Bonham-Carter and Rupert Graves

Edward Morgan Forster: A Passage To India

2010-06-17T13:17:00.000+02:00

A Passage to India 1984
with Judy Davis and Victor Banerjee

Edward Morgan Forster: Maurice

2010-06-17T13:14:00.000+02:00

Maurice 1987
with Hugh Grant and James Hilby

Edward Morgan Forster: A Room With A View

2010-06-17T13:11:00.000+02:00

A Room With A View 1985
with Helena Bonham-Carter and Denholm Elliot

Anthony Trollope: The Barchester Chronicles

2010-06-17T12:56:00.000+02:00

The Barchester Chronicles 1982
with Geraldine McEwan and Alan Rickman

Oscar Wilde: Dorian Gray

2010-06-17T12:49:00.002+02:00

The Picture Of Dorian Gray 1976
with Peter Firth and Jeremy Brett

Anthony Trollope: He Knew He Was Right

2010-06-17T12:36:00.000+02:00

He Knew He Was Right 2004
with Oliver Dimsdale and Laura Fraser

Charles Dickens: Our Mutual Friend

2010-03-20T23:35:00.001+01:00

Our Mutual Friend 1998
with Steven Mackintosh and Anna Friel

Charles Dickens: Great Expectations

2010-03-20T23:22:00.002+01:00

Great Expectations 1999
with Ioan Gruffudd and Justine Waddel

Charles Dickens: A Tale Of Two Cities

2010-03-20T22:59:00.001+01:00

A Tale Of Two Cities 1935
with Ronald Colman and Elizabeth Allan

Charles Dickens: Bleak House

2010-03-20T22:53:00.000+01:00

Bleak House 2005
with Gillian Anderson and Charles Dance

Charles Dickens: David Copperfield

2010-03-20T22:41:00.000+01:00

David Copperfield 1999
with Daniel Radcliffe and Ciaran McMenamin

Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol

2010-03-17T18:51:00.001+01:00

A Christmas Carol 1938
with Reginald Owen and Gene Lockhart

Scrooge 1951
with Alistair Sim and Mervys Johns

Scrooge 1970
with Albert Finney and Alec Guinnes

Charles Dickens: The Old Curiosity Shop

2010-03-17T18:35:00.002+01:00

The Old Curiosity Shop 2007
with Sophie Vavasseur and Derek Jacobi