Best Period Dramas: Victorian Era

In 19th century Belgium, a boy named Nello becomes an orphan at the age of two when his mother dies in the Ardennes. His grandfather Jehann Daas, who lives in a small village near the city of Antwerp, takes him in. One day, Nello and Jehann Daas find a dog who was almost beaten to death, and name him Patrasche. Due to the good care of Jehann Daas, the dog recovers, and from then on, Nello and Patrasche are inseparable. Thanks to the support of a loving dog that he helps nurse back to health, an aspiring young artist never gives up hope, despite the hardships.

Starring Jack Warden, Jeremy James Kissner, Jesse James, Jon Voight, Cheryl Ladd.

I would recommend this film to anyone who is looking for a traditional good family film. It is beautifully set, sentimental to a point, and an endearing memory to hold. - Viewer

Parents need to know that this video shows many deeply affecting scenes involving a beaten dog, and the death of a grandfather. It also depicts the death of a dog-abuser by a windmill blade, which some younger children may not understand. - Common Sense Media

There is also a A Dog of Flanders (1959) starring Monique Ahrens, Theodore Bikel, Max Croiset, Katherine Holland, John Soer. Both films have a revised happier ending than that of the original book.

Torvald and Nora Helmer have been married for eight years and, on the surface at least, their marriage seems exceptionally happy; they have three children, a comfortable home and a healthy income. When Kristine Linde, an old school friend of Nora's, a widow, penniless but independent-minded, arrives in town and calls on Nora, she gradually discovers that all is not as tranquil and well-ordered as it seems.

Set in a small city in Norway over a Christmas weekend in the Victorian era.

Based on the 1879 play by Henrik Ibsen.

A woman's struggle to have her voice heard in a man's world is "startlingly moving" (The Wall Street Journal) in this cinematic adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's famous play. "Superior performances" (The New York Times) by Claire Bloom and Oscar®winner Anthony Hopkins set the stage for an engrossing and remarkable drama. Nora (Bloom) will do anything to please her authoritarian husband Torvald (Hopkins). Per Torvald's instructions, Nora focuses on such womanly disciplines as dancing and taking care of babies whilehe sees to all the affairs of money. But when a past financial mistake comes back to haunt Nora, and Torvald finds out, the result is an explosion of fury and a shocking revelation that changes the course of the entire family forever.

"As classic an interpretation as is possible within the limits of film... not only a first-rate production but also theater of amazing ferocity... this production sticks to the original time and text with fidelity" - New York Times

Starring Claire Bloom, Anthony Hopkins, Ralph Richardson, Denholm Elliott, Anna Massey.

Rated G

Classic tales of love and loss based on the fiction of Henry James. This collection of romantic dramas includes seven stand-alone episodes made for British television, based on stories and novels by Henry James, including "Washington Square" and "The Wings of the Dove." The pieces each explore James's signature theme of the frequently ill-fated social comingling of British aristocracy and free-spirited Americans. These romantic dramas were filmed for British television in the 1970s and aired in the States in the early 1980s.

All the dramas and desires of late Victorian high society are on display in these vintage adaptations of the writings of Henry James. Romantic tales of love and loss unfold from the country houses of England to the drawing rooms of New York, from the palazzos of Venice to the art studios of London. Scoundrels and schemers collide with ingénues and admirers in the terribly intricate affairs of the heart.

This enchanting anthology features a treasure trove of British actors, including Diana Rigg (The Avengers), Margaret Tyzack (Cousin Bette), Pamela Brown (Becket), Patricia Routledge (Hetty Wainthropp Investigates), Ian Ogilvy (I, Claudius), Anton Rodgers (Scrooge), and Jeremy Brett (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes). The hour-long dramas plumb the exquisite tensions of Henry James’s best-loved stories, including Washington Square, The Aspern Papers, and The Wings of the Dove, with a subtlety and nuance unmatched by more recent adaptations.

Addictive episodes. -- Blogcritics Magazine

Enchantingly good... Sumptuous and not to be missed. -- MemorableTV.com

Starring Diana Rigg, Margaret Tyzack, Pamela Brown.

Set in and around the women's prison at Millbank in Victorian London, Margaret Prior (Anna Madeley - Mr Selfridge, Utopia) has decided to pursue some 'good work' with the lady criminals of one of London's most notorious jails. Of all her friendships with prisoners, she is most fascinated by Selina - a medium. Set in the 1870s.

Sarah Waters' 1999 novel of the same name serves as the inspiration for director Tim Fywell and screenwriter Andrew Davies' gothic period drama detailing the relationship between an upper class Victorian girl still mourning the death of her father and a once-successful medium imprisoned for assaulting a young girl. Margaret (Anna Madeley) may have all the wealth a woman cold want, but without her father around she just can't seem to enjoy it. In desperate need of a diversion and eager to experience life outside of her small protective bubble, Margaret makes arrangements to go to Millbank Prison as a "Lady Visitor." Once inside the stone and steel fortress, it doesn't take long for Margaret to forget about her responsibilities to the prisoners and form a strange fixation on an attractive young named convict Selina (Zoe Tapper). Before Selina was imprisoned, she had enjoyed celebrity status as a medium. That all changed once Selina was accused of assault, yet the closer Margaret gets to the charismatic inmate the more convinced she becomes that her story isn't as simple as the judge made it out to be. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Tim Fywell directs from a script by Andrew Davies (adapted from a novel by Sarah Waters), and, for all practical intents, everyone does about as well as can be suspected. At its core, AFFINITY is a tale of forbidden romance. Yes, there are elements of spirit-mediums worked into this romantic drama, but, otherwise, there isn’t even the tiniest bit of spookiness in here. However, if you’re willing to suspend some disbelief and enjoy what tale is here, then you’re likely to be rewarded; performances are solid, though some may be mildly put off by the piece’s avant garde sexual themes. - Amazon reviewer Edward L Zimmerman

Starring Zoë Tapper, Anna Madeley, Domini Blythe.

Not suitable for children.

A subversive and haunting retelling of the classic children's story featuring legendary actors Sir Michael Redgrave, Sir John Gielgud, Leo McKern, and satirists Peter Sellers, Peter Cook, and Alan Bennett. This surreal masterpiece was filmed for the BBC by stage and screen director Jonathan Miller. Miller's Victorian Gothic version of "Alice in Wonderland" captures the menacing undertones of Lewis Carroll's story while poking fun at middle-class England.

Fans of Lewis Carroll's classic novel for children will be fascinated by this startling 1966 interpretation by Jonathan Miller, a noted British theater director. Influenced by surrealism and Victorian architecture, Miller's black-and-white version of Wonderland is a dour and creepy place, not the frenetic and charming bustle usually depicted. A brunette Alice (Anne-Marie Mallik) wanders like a sleepwalker, rarely looking anyone in the eye, and has fractured conversations with the likes of the Mad Hatter (Peter Cook, Bedazzled), the Caterpillar (Sir Michael Redgrave, The Lady Vanishes), the Duchess (Leo McKern, Rumpole of the Bailey), and the Mock Turtle (Sir John Gielgud, Brideshead Revisited, Arthur). The result is probably an accurate picture of the adult world seen through a child's eyes--an unsettling and intriguing vision. Also featuring Peter Sellers as the King of Hearts and music by Ravi Shankar. --Bret Fetzer

This 72-minute BBC B&W production is done with all live actors, no animation, yet is faithful to the book. Quoting from the enclosed folder, "...there was no script; Miller (the director) simply typed out the dialogue from Carroll's book each day and presented it to the cast on the set, and after a few rehearsals, they would do a take." Principal characters are portrayed in human form in Victorian period costume, making full utilization of the Tenniel illustrations where possible. For example, the white rabbit (Wilfred Brambell in an outstanding portrayal) is a fussily dressed, brisk-gaited English gentleman with pocket watch, top hat, braided uniform with tails, bow-tie, white gloves, and a white fan. Alice's dress and hair style is perfectly realized.

In black and white.

Starring Peter Sellers, John Gielgud, Michael Redgrave, Wilfrid Brambell, Peter Cook.

Note: This version was not made for children. The DVD includes Director's commentary, Cecil Hepworth's 1903 silent film version of Alice in Wonderland, Dennis Potter's 1965 biopic, Alice, about the real-life Alice Liddell, the inspiration for Carroll's creation, Ravi Shankar Plays for Alice, Behind-the-scenes photo gallery by renowned photographer Terence Spencer

BBC brings its whimsical 1986 adaptation of Alice in Wonderland to DVD! One of the most well-known stories begins one golden summer afternoon. Alice is sitting on a riverbank with her sister when a fully-dressed, talking rabbit runs past her. She follows the rabbit down the hole and enters a nonsensical world where it seems the normal rules of logic do not apply. In Wonderland, Alice participates in a winnerless race, alternates between being tiny and giant, hears riddles at a "mad" tea party, plays croquet with live flamencos, and attends a trial where the Knave of Hearts is accused of stealing the Queen's tarts. Join Alice as she encounters the Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, and others as she makes her way through Wonderland!

Extremely faithful to Carroll’s work, and nearly all of the dialogue (including a number of songs) seems to have been lifted directly from the original text, and it covers most of the book. Having suffered through the plastic Tim Burton movie, Carroll scholars will surely find this a worthy adaptation based on the dialogue alone. What sold me on this Alice was the dawning realization that Letts and Dicks are seemingly paying homage of sorts to the 1939 film version of The Wizard of Oz. The styles used to achieve the two productions are similar, even though they’re separated by decades and tools. Today, the painted backgrounds used to frequently bring Oz to life would be unthinkable, as would these flat CSO backgrounds – but the end results aren’t terribly different if you analyze them sans prejudice. We (hopefully) make allowances for Oz when we watch it today because it’s an understood classic, and forgive that it’s a product of its time, just as this Alice is of its time, and just as importantly, its place: BBC TV. - Ross Ruediger

Starring Kate Dorning, Mark Bassenger, Jonathan Cecil, Ysanne Churchman, Claire Davenport.

Note: You may also be interested in Alice Through the Looking Glass (1973) BBC: "While both programs present frequently disturbing visions that no doubt haunted the children of their respective days, it seems unlikely that kids weaned on the production values and dramatic pacing of today would find much to appreciate here. No, from today’s vantage point, this is fare for adults who can appreciate the conditions under which these shows were created, or people who just want to soak up as many screen versions of Carroll’s literature as possible." - Ross Ruediger

The special effects for both films were produced using what would now be considered primitive green-screen work.

Also see Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the 1972 British film version all-star musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic tale starring Fiona Fullerton, Peter Sellers, Michael Crawford and Dudley Moore, and the timeless black and white Alice in Wonderland (1933) starring Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, W.C. Fields, Richard Arlen, Leon Errol.

Tumble down the rabbit hole with Alice for a fantastical new adventure from Walt Disney Pictures and Tim Burton. Inviting and magical, Alice In Wonderland is an imaginative new twist on one of the most beloved stories of all time. Alice (Mia Wasikowska), now 19 years old, returns to the whimsical world she first entered as a child and embarks on a journey to discover her true destiny. This Wonderland is a world beyond your imagination and unlike anything you ve seen before. The extraordinary characters you ve loved come to life richer and more colorful than ever. There s the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), the White Queen (Anne Hathaway), the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen) and more. A triumphant cinematic experience Alice In Wonderland is an incredible feast for your eyes, ears and heart that will captivate audiences of all sizes.

Tim Burton was born to bring Alice in Wonderland to the big screen. Ironically, his version of the Victorian text plays more like The Wizard of Oz than a Lewis Carroll adaptation. On the day of her engagement party, the 19-year-old Alice (a nicely understated Mia Wasikowska) is lead by a white-gloved rabbit to an alternate reality that looks strangely familiar--she's been dreaming about it since she was 6 years old. Stranded in a hall of doors, she sips from a potion that makes her shrink and nibbles on a cake that makes her grow. Once she gets the balance right, she walks through the door that leads her to Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Matt Lucas), the Dormouse (Barbara Windsor), the Blue Caterpillar (Alan Rickman), and the Cheshire Cat (a delightful Stephen Fry), who inform her that only she can free them from the wrath of the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter channeling Bette Davis) by slaying the Jabberwocky. To pull off the feat, she teams up with the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp in glam-rock garb), rebel bloodhound Bayard (Timothy Spall), and Red's sweet sister, the White Queen (Anne Hathaway in goth-rock makeup). While Red welcomes Alice with open arms, she plans an execution for the hat-maker when he displeases her ("Off with his head!"). Drawing from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, Burton creates a candy-colored action-adventure tale with a feminist twist. If it drags towards the end, his 3-D extravaganza still offers a trippy good time with a poignant aftertaste. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Produced by Walt Disney Pictures.

Starring Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter.

Note: Parents need to know that Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland might be rated PG, but it's pretty intense and scary at times for younger kids, especially because it's in 3-D. This trippy adaptation -- in which Alice is a young adult -- includes some fantasy violence with scary monsters that attack people, a cruel Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) who frequently sentences people to death, and a climactic battle scene between sword-brandishing humans, animals, and beasts. Some parents might want to know that a caterpillar (played by Alan Rickman) smokes a hookah, but this is as Lewis Carroll depicted the character. The language includes taunting insults like "stupid," "imbecile," "idiot," "bloody," and the like, and the sexuality is limited to one kiss between a married man and another woman and some aggressive flirting. - Common Sense Media

Alone in a new country, wealthy Sara Crewe tries to settle in and make friends at boarding school. But when she learns that she'll never see her beloved father gain, her life is turned upside down. Transformed from princess to pauper, she must swap dancing lessons and luxury for hard work and a room in the attic. Will she find that kindness and genorosity are all the riches she truly needs? Pivotal scenes take place at Christmastime and emphasize the importance of generosity.

The family-friendly mini-series is based upon the novel, A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Produced by London Weekend television and shown on PBS / Wonderworks.

Starring Maureen Lipman, Amelia Shankley, Miriam Margolyes, Annette Badland, Natalie Abbott.

Note: The 1986 version is accepted as the most faithful adaptation of the book, partly because A Little Princess (1995) shifts the place to New York and the time period to 1914 just before the outbreak of World War I and makes a more fairytale ending. There is also a The Little Princess (1939) starring Shirley Temple, which also shifts the ending though it is set in Victorian England.

Based on the novel by Nancy Cato, All the Rivers Run tells the story of a beautiful, orphaned shipwrecked English girl who becomes the first woman paddle steamer captain on Australia's River Murray.

Her life is changed forever when she meets paddle steamer captain Brenton Edwards. She is torn between the harsh beauty of life on the river with its adventures, and the society life in Melbourne with her blossoming career as a painter. It is an adventure and a love story: between her, the men in her life, and the river.

Set beginning in 1890 in the Victorian era.

Starring John Waters, Carol Burns, Frank Gallacher, Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, Sigrid Thornton.

Not rated.

In 1839, the slave ship Amistad set sail from Cuba to America. During the long trip, Cinque (Djimon Hounsou) leads the slaves in an unprecedented uprising. They are then held prisoner in Connecticut, and their release becomes the subject of heated debate. Freed slave Theodore Joadson (Morgan Freeman) wants Cinque and the others exonerated and recruits property lawyer Roger Baldwin (Matthew McConaughey) to help his case. Eventually, John Quincy Adams (Anthony Hopkins) also becomes an ally.

Starring Djimon Hounsou, Matthew McConaughey, Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman, Nigel Hawthorne.

Note: This film has been criticized for being a "simplistic, sanitized history lesson" - for those who want something else, try the Stuart era Adanggaman (2000): "Set in the late 17th century, on the Western coast of Africa, "Adangganan" is a provocative retelling of the African slave experience, based on facts. A rebellious young man, who refuses to marry his parents' choice of a bride, flees his village one evening, only to return to find his father and girlfriend slain, his village destroyed and his mother captured by a tribe of Amazon warriors. His efforts to free his mother lead to the kingdom of Adanggaman, where captives are held before sale." Adanggaman is an "unblinking look at a rarely acknowledged underside of African history: the active role of black Africans in supplying human cargo for the European slave trade."

In her small frontier town, Abbie finds herself being courted by two different men, Will and Ed. After promising Ed her hand, her true love, Will comes back from the war asking the same. Abbie choses Will and the pair leave town for land out West. With only the pearls her mother gave her as a wedding gift and her love of singing, Abbie discovers that life on the prairie is tough on her marriage and her dream.

A Civil War veteran (Adrian Pasdar) and his wife (Nancy McKeon) face hardships as pioneers settling farmland in 1800s Nebraska. based on the 1928 novel A Lantern In Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich.

Starring Nancy McKeon, Adrian Pasdar, Adam Storke, Lucy Deakins, Jeremy London.

This unusual adult drama puts the class structures of Victorian England under a microscope with an almost literary use of metaphors and incidental details. Entomologist William Adamson (Mark Rylance) loses everything, including his precious insect collection, in a shipwreck, and is taken in by the wealthy Reverend Alabaster (Jeremy Kemp), himself a would-be researcher in the insect world. William soon begins his research anew, aided by Alabaster relative Matty Crompton (Kristin Scott Thomas), while wooing and eventually winning the hand of Alabaster's strange daughter, Eugenia (Patsy Kensit). William ultimately finds himself entangled in family scandals involving the death of Eugenia's previous fiancé, all the while probing deeper into the social structure of insect society. Angels And Insects's deliberate approach may not appease all tastes, but it is nevertheless a sophisticated, multi-layered tale. Based on a short novel named Morpho Eugenia by A. S. Byatt.

The story works like the trap of some exotic insect, which decorates the entrances with sweet nectars and soft fragrances, and then prepares an acid bath inside. Notice the countless touches that show the harsh pecking order in mid-19th century Britain: the servants who turn to face the wall when a master or mistress passes; the cocky arrogance of Edgar, who feels birth has given him the right to insult his social inferiors; the repressed anger of old Sir Harald, whose insect collection replaces a great many other things he would love to pin wriggling to a cork board. - Roger Ebert

Starring Mark Rylance, Kristin Scott Thomas, Patsy Kensit.

Sexy leading man Rupert Everett heads an acclaimed all-star cast in this wonderfully witty story of decadence, romance, and scandal! Sir Robert is a highly respected politician whose spotless reputation is the pride of his beautiful wife (Cate Blanchett ) and adoring sister (Minnie Driver). But when an old acquaintance (Julianne Moore) threatens to reveal a dark secret from Robert's past, only his womanizing party-loving best friend Goring (Everett) is scheming and dishonest enough to come to his aid.

Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband" works because it takes place in a society bound by inflexible rules and social inhibitions. Here is a story in which a marriage, a romance, a fortune and government policy all rest on such foundations as a man's obligation to act like a gentleman. (Of course he doesn't need to be a gentleman--that's where the story comes in.) - Roger Ebert

Starring Rupert Everett, Julianne Moore, Minnie Driver, Cate Blanchett and Peter Vaughan.

Academy Award winner Jodie Foster and international action star Chow Yun-Fat bring to life the epic true story of a woman who challenged the heart of a king and inspired the destiny of a nation. English school teacher Anna Leonowens has traveled to Siam to educate the fifty-eight children of King Mongkut. If she has preconceived notions about the East, the King has similar notions about the West. But amid the danger of growing political unrest, their respect for each other slowly turns into something more.

Foster moves gracefully in period costumes and commands the screen charismatically; her stab at a Victorian accent is respectable if not perfect. Caleb Deschanel’s widescreen lensing in Malaysia (standing in for Thailand) is eye-popping and probably a reflection of helmer’s conception. Luciana Arrighi’s lavish design, Jenny Beavan’s sumptuous costumes and George Fenton’s melodic score contribute to an extremely sentimental but undeniably gratifying diversion.- Variety

This "magnificent spectacle" with "matchless pageantry" and "frequent moments of high comedy," (Hollywood Reporter) stars Rex Harrison as the King of Siam and Irene Dunne as Anna, the charming, strong-willed English widow who teaches him how to live in a modern world. Accompanied by her son, Anna Owens arrives in Siam to educate the king's harem and his sixty-seven children. She soon discovers there are many obstacles to overcome and it is only through her ingenuity, wit and dedication that she is able to continue her work. Slowly, she sees the effect of her influence on the court, but it is not until the stubborn king realizes he need's Ana's wisdom and guidance that her difficult mission is a success.

The story of British teacher Anna Leonowens and her sojourn to the court of 19th century Siam has proved irresistible to many generations--as book, movie, or Broadway show. Arguably the most beloved version of the story is the 1946 Fox film Anna and the King of Siam, an elegant and bittersweet drama. Irene Dunne plays the widow Anna, who arrives in Siam in 1862 with her young son in tow. Her ostensible job, to teach the many children of the polygamous King (Rex Harrison, in his first Hollywood picture), soon broadens into an unofficial court advisor. The most amusing sequences in the first half of the picture are the battles of manners between feisty Anna and the intellectually curious but tradition-bound king--a battle that engenders great mutual respect. John Farrow directed, with his customary sympathy for the female heroine and eye for handsome spaces (the film won Oscars for art direction and Arthur Miller's cinematography). The main Asian characters are played by white actors, with Lee J. Cobb especially startling as the prime minister. The affecting story leaves no doubt to why Rodgers and Hammerstein saw the future musical The King and I in the material, and indeed you may find yourself humming "Getting to Know You" or "Something Wonderful" beneath certain scenes. It was remade in 1999 with Jodie Foster as Anna and the King, with more cultural correctness but less charm. --Robert Horton

While making a trip to visit family, Anna Karenina (Vivien Leigh) meets Countess Vronsky on the train. When they arrive in Moscow, Anna meets the son of the countess, Count Vronsky (Kieron Moore), and they instantly fall in love.

However, Anna is already married with a young child.

After returning to her husband, Alexei (Ralph Richardson), in St. Petersburg, she starts having an affair with Count Vronsky. Once news of this begins to spread, Anna must face the consequences.

Leo Tolstoy’s masterpiece has been adapted many times for film and television, but never with such care and attention to detail. Made by the BBC, this lavish, definitive version first aired on Masterpiece Theatre in 1977 and has been a fan favorite ever since.

Set in Imperial Russia in the 1870s, this is an epic tale of passion, betrayal, society, and the search for happiness. Nicola Pagett (Upstairs, Downstairs,) stars as Anna—young, beautiful, and trapped in a loveless marriage to the high-minded, much older Karenin (Eric Porter, The Forsyte Saga). When she meets debonair cavalry officer Count Vronsky (Stuart Wilson, The Age of Innocence) on a Moscow train platform, she can’t resist looking back and sealing her fate.

Unspooling over 10 luxurious episodes, this Emmy® nominee for Outstanding Limited Series covers all the story lines and characters with the depth and richness that Tolstoy’s flawless tome deserves.

Shown on PBS Masterpiece Theatre.

Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. This famous line commences a refreshingly modern interpretation of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina-—an epic tale of love, duty, marriage and infidelity. This richly detailed film charts the tragic romantic triangle formed when the dashing Count Vronsky defies social conventions and falls into forbidden love with Anna, the ignored wife of an aristocrat. Soon, Anna’s children—a son by Alexei and illegitimate daughter by Vronsky—become pawns in Alexei’s game to see that Anna pays a terrible price for her indiscretion. With its gripping narrative and unbridled romance, Anna Karenina reveals the uncontrollable passion, emotional betrayal and courage of a woman who violates moral strictures and risks everything to follow her heart. Helen McCrory stars as Anna, along with Kevin McKidd (Trainspotting) as Count Vronsky, the handsome object of her desires; and Tony Award-winner Stephen Dillane (The Real Thing) as Alexei Karenin, Anna’s callously principled husband.

Shown on PBS Masterpiece Theatre.

Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley, Academy Award nominee Jude Law and Aaron Taylor-Johnson dazzle in this stunning new vision of Leo Tolstoy’s epic love story. At the twilight of an empire, Anna Karenina (Knightley), the beautiful high-ranking wife of one of imperial Russia’s most esteemed men (Law), has it all. But when she meets the dashing cavalry officer Vronsky (Taylor-Johnson), there is a mutual spark of instant attraction that cannot be ignored. She’s immediately swept up in a passionate affair that will shock a nation and change the lives of everyone around her. From acclaimed director Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice) and Academy Award-winning writer Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love) comes this visually enchanting masterpiece hailed by critics as “ecstatic” (Time), “rapturous” (MSN Movies) and “a spectacle that has to be seen to be believed!” (The Huffington Post)

Inspired by a short story, Isabella Caldwell is a high-society woman in late-1800's New York. When Isabella's estranged daughter Mary becomes ill and is too proud to ask her mother for assistance, Mary's daughter, Tilly, takes it upon herself to contact her grandmother and plead for help. Isabella's arrival causes an upheaval in many lives, but may also lead to reconciliation within the family.

Based on the short story by Louisa Mae Alcott, author of Little Women.

Starring Jacqueline Bisset, Helene Joy, Tatiana Maslany.

Victorian-era Englishman Phileas Fogg (David Niven) proclaims before his fellow members of a London gentleman's club that he can circumnavigate the globe in a mere 80 days, further boasting that he will bet the princely sum of 20,000 pounds on the success of his endeavor. With his stalwart manservant Passepartout (Cantinflas) alongside, he goes forth on his adventure, pursued by a dogged Police Inspector (Robert Newton) who suspects Fogg of chicanery.

This mammoth and mad pictorial rendering of the famous old novel of Jules Verne, which was publicly unveiled last evening at the Rivoli, is a sprawling conglomeration of refined English comedy, giant-screen travel panoramics and slam-bang Keystone burlesque. It makes like a wild adventure picture and, with some forty famous actors in "bit" roles, it also takes on the characteristic of a running recognition game. It is noisy with sound effects and music. It is overwhelmingly large in the process known as Todd-AO. It runs for two hours fifty-five minutes (not counting an intermission). And it is, undeniably, quite a show. Is the whole thing too exhausting? It's a question of how much you can take. We not only took it but found it most amusing. - NYT

Starring David Niven, Cantinflas, Robert Newton.

In Belle Epoque Paris, 19-year-old kitchen maid Augustine suffers an inexplicable seizure that leaves her partially paralyzed and is shipped off to an all-female psychiatric hospital specializing in the then-fashionable ailment of 'hysteria'. Augustine captures the attention of renowned neurologist Dr. Charcot (Vincent Lindon) after she has another attack that appears to give her intense physical pleasure. Intrigued, he begins using her as his principal subject, hypnotizing her in front of his fellow doctors. As Augustine displays her spectacular fits in lecture halls, the lines between doctor and patient become blurred, radically impacting the course of both of their lives. Set in 1885.

An eloquently atmospheric, distinctly cinematographic and brilliantly romantic mystery and a whole-heartedly executed directorial debut. - Sindre Kaspersen

Alice Winocour's "Augustine" has a lot of surface appeal, especially in its terrific lead performances and handsome visual manner. Ultimately, while this character-based drama proves consistently engrossing, it leaves various pertinent and fascinating issues frustratingly unexplored. - Godfrey Cheshire

Starring Vincent Lindon, Soko, Chiara Mastroianni, Olivier Rabourdin, Roxane Duran, Lise Lamétrie, Ange Ruzé, Stéphan Wojtowicz.

In French with English subtitles.

Note: Contains adult themes. The film premiered in the International Critics' Week Special Screenings section at the 65th Cannes International Film Festival in 2012, was screened in the Discovery section at the 37th Toronto International Film Festival in 2012, was shot on location in France and is a French production which was produced by producers Emilie Tisne and Isabelle Madeleine.

Based on a Victorian novel by Wilkie Collins, Basil is a British-made costume drama that ended up on cable and home video. Jared Leto plays Basil, a well-to-do young aristocrat with an uptight Victorian father (Derek Jacobi). He befriends the mysterious gentleman John Mannion (Christian Slater) and falls in love with the lower-class girl Julia Sherwin (Claire Forlani). His father is upset about his questionable choices and threatens to disown him, thereby renouncing his birthright to inherit Windemere Manor.

Starring Christian Slater, Jared Leto, Claire Forlani.

Note: Most did not like this film, if the reviews are indications of popular sentiment. However, Wilkie Collins fans would do well to read this article from which the following is excerpted, and to view the film. "Key characters and aspects of the plot remain, but Bharadwaj has determinedly made a much less “sensational,” excessive Basil. One of the glories of Collins’s novel for fans, no doubt, is the way it conducts its various over-the-top frenzies among resolutely domestic settings (calling out perhaps towards directors like Roger Corman or Ken Russell); yet this film’s atmosphere is brooding, clean, and calm. Although we must know that Collins’s labyrinthine plots are not signs of incompetence, but basic to his created world, the film reins in the more “unbelievable” and “ridiculous” aspects of plot and character.

The film version, implicitly and resourcefully, argues that the improbable, labyrinthine twists in Collins’s plot ultimately mask over, or reduce to, repetition and doubling. At first glance, it may appear that the whole budget has gone to pay off Christian Slater, since the interior of Basil’s family mansion consists, for the purposes of filming, almost entirely of the main staircase. The sets remind us that the plot is not progressing, but rather spiralling or repeating. While Collins enacts a turbulent and confusing confrontation with modernity, by contrast, the film version of Basil exudes an airy confidence in its re-enactment of the Victorian. The contemporary Victorian film is and is not a nostalgia film...the final result is that the movie has it both ways: nostalgia and anti-nostalgia at once, cute and sexual, sentimental and political. The film Basil, too, wants us to sympathize with its “rebellions” against Victorian oppression, at the same time that it gives us the serene pleasures and pastoral scenery of masterpiece theater (this Ralph lives out in a country farm, where, after all his mistakes, he finds “the possibility of happiness”). Eternally young and passionate, we are in control of our pasts and presents; we love our enlightened modernity and the way we can make history over into ourselves. Collins’s Basil offers us neither alternative, neither a confident present nor a trouble-free past, and it is on this absence of choice and control that our more knowing, free gaze, in its various overly assured and flexible historicisms, refuses to look." -Steven Dillon

When the superintendent of the Canadian insane asylum, Dr. Maurice Bucke, meets poet Walt Whitman, his life and that of his wife and patients is radically changed.

Set in 1880, BEAUTIFUL DREAMERS is a true story of emotional rediscovery and sexual awakening. Walt Whitman, played by Rip Torn, is the notorious, free-thinking American poet who became the catalyst for change in the lives of Dr Maurice Bucke and his wife Jessie Bucke. Dr Bucke, a contemporary man trapped in Victorian society, is the superintendent of a repressive mental asylum in a small town in Canada. Thwarted at every attempt to bring about change Bucke is transformed after meeting Walt Whitman by his direct and compassionate means of communication. A lasting friendship is formed. Turning their backs on convention, it seems that only a miracle and a cricket match, will shake the very foundations of Victorian tradition.

Starring Colm Feore, Rip Torn, Wendel Meldrum, Sheila McCarthy, Colin Fox.

Rated PG-13

The ever present specter in ''Beloved'' is that of slavery, which Ms. Morrison conjured with such inspired obliqueness in a story set just after the Civil War. (NYT) Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover play the unforgettable lead roles in a powerful, widely acclaimed cinematic triumph from Jonathan Demme. On a difficult journey to find freedom, Sethe (Winfrey) is constantly confronted by the secrets that have haunted her for years. Then, an old friend from out of her past (Glover) unexpectedly reenters her life. With his help, Sethe may finally be able to rediscover who she is and regain her lost sense of hope. Also featuring outstanding performances from Thandie Newton and Lisa Gay Hamilton -- you'll agree with critics everywhere who've hailed this landmark adaptation of Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel as one of the year's finest films. Based on a true story.

Set in 1873, with frequent flashbacks to the early 1850s.

“Beloved,” film and novel, is not a genre ghost story but a work that uses the supernatural to touch on deep feelings. Like The Turn of the Screw, it has no final explanation. Spirit manifestations come from madness and need not follow logical agendas. It is a remarkable and brave achievement for Demme and his producer and star, Winfrey, to face this difficult material head-on and not try to dumb it down into a more accessible, less evocative form. - Roger Ebert

Starring Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, Dorothy Love Coates, Thandie Newton, Jude Ciccolella.

Note: ''Beloved'' is rated R. It includes graphic nudity, sexual situations and discreetly brief flashes of terrible brutality.

Rowan Atkinson is deliciously twisted as the comic villain, Edmund Blackadder, in the enormously popular comedy series. Follow Blackadder in hysterical send-ups of the Middle Ages, the Elizabethan age, the Regency period, and World War I.

One of the best comedy series ever to emerge from England, Black Adder traces the deeply cynical and self-serving lineage of various Edmund Blackadders from the muck of the Middle Ages to the frontline of World War I. In his pre-Bean triumph, British comic actor Rowan Atkinson played all five versions of Edmund, beginning with the villainous and cowardly Duke of Edinburgh, whose scheming mind and awful haircut seem to stand him in good stead to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury--a deadly occupation if ever there was one. Among tales of royal dethronings, Black Death, witch smellers (who root out spell makers with their noses), and ghosts, Edmund is a perennial survivor who never quite gets ahead in multiple episodes. Jump to the Elizabethan era and Atkinson picks up the saga as Lord Edmund, who is perpetually courting favor from mad Queen Bess (Miranda Richardson) and is always walking a tightrope from which he can either gain the world or lose his head. Subjected to bizarre services for her majesty (at one point, Edmund is asked to do for potatoes what Sir Walter Raleigh did for tobacco), Edmund--as with his ancestor--can never quite fulfill his larger ambitions. The next incarnation we encounter is in late-18th-century Regency England. This time, Blackadder is a mere butler to the idiotic Prince Regent (Hugh Laurie in a brilliantly buffoonish performance) and is caught in various misadventures with Samuel Johnson, Shakespearean actors, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and William Pitt the younger. With a brief stop in Victorian London for a Christmas special, the series concludes with several episodes set during the Great War. The new Edmund is a career Army officer, but a scoundrel all the same. Shirking his duties whenever possible and taking advantage of any opportunity for undeserved reward, this final, deeply sour, and very funny Blackadder negotiates survival among a cadre of fools and dimwits. No small mention can be made of Atkinson's supporting cast, easily among the finest comic performers of their generation: besides Laurie and Richardson, Stephen Fry, Tony Robinson, and Tim McInnerny. --Tom Keogh

Starring Rowan Atkinson, Brian Blessed, Elspet Gray, Tim McInnerny, Patrick Allen.

Dickens' classic tale of the infamous Jarndyce case which has been dragging through the courts for years, ruining lives and leaving entire families devastated. A notable plot omission in this version is the story of Caddy Jellyby and the Turveydrop family.

This 1985 television production faithfully adapts Charles Dickens' Bleak House, an indictment of Victorian England's corrupt legal and class systems that prey on the weak and the innocent. Esther Summerson (Suzanne Burden), a kind and level-headed young woman introduced as an orphan, is the link who knits several storylines together as a witness to injustice. - Mike Cummings, Rovi

Shown on PBS Masterpiece Theatre.

Starring Diana Rigg, Denholm Elliott and Suzanne Burden.

Acclaimed writer Andrew Davies turns his talents to one of Charles Dickens' most brilliant novels, arguably the greatest ever depiction of Victorian London -- from its splendid heights to its most wretched depths.

Honored with a Peabody award and ten Emmy nominations, Bleak House features some of the most famous plot twists in literary history, including a case of human spontaneous combustion and an infamous inheritance dispute that is tied up for generations in the dysfunctional English courts.

An epic feast of characters and storylines, Bleak House is Dickens' passionate indictment of the convoluted legal system that is as searingly relevant today as it was in the mid-19th century. The court of Chancery becomes the center of a tangle of relationships at all levels of society and a metaphor for the decay and corruption at the heart of Victorian England.

Shown on PBS Masterpiece Theatre.

Starring Gillian Anderson, Charles Dance, Alun Armstrong, Ian Richardson, Nathaniel Parker, Richard Griffiths, Phil Davis, Joanna David and Carey Mulligan.

Note: Bleak House was filmed on location in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Kent. The exterior of the Dedlock's country house Chesney Wold, was represented by Cobham Hall in Kent, as was the exterior of Mr Tulkinghorn's Office. Cobham Hall was also used for some interiors of Chesney Wold such as the hallway and the staircase. The exterior of Bleak House was represented by Ingatestone Hall in Essex. Other houses used for interior shots and garden locations include Balls Park in Hertfordshire, Bromham Hall in Bromham, Bedfordshire, and Luton Hoo in Bedfordshire.

The vampire comes to Victorian England to seduce a visitor's fiancée and inflict havoc in the foreign land.

Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder and Anthony Hopkins star in director Francis Ford Coppola's visually stunning, passionately seductive version of the classic Dracula legend. In BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA, Coppola returns to the original source of the Dracula myth, and from that gothic romance, he creates a modern masterpiece. Gary Oldman's metamorphosis as Dracula who grows from old to young, from man to beast is nothing short of amazing. Winona Ryder brings equal intensity to the role of a young beauty who becomes the object of Dracula's devastating desire. Anthony Hopkins co-stars as the famed doctor who dares to believe in Dracula, and then dares to confront him. Opulent, dazzling and utterly irresistible, this is Dracula as you've never seen him.

Based on Bram Stoker's classic 1897 novel, the major departure from Stoker is one of motivation as Count Dracula (Gary Oldman) is motivated more by romance than by bloodlust. He punctures the necks as a means of avenging the death of his wife in the 15th century, and when he comes to London, it is specifically to meet heroine Mina Harker (Winona Ryder), the living image of his late wife (Ryder plays a dual role, as do several of her costars). Anthony Hopkins is obsessed vampire hunter Van Helsing, while Keanu Reeves takes on the role of Jonathan Harker, and Tom Waits plays bug-eating Renfield. Bram Stoker's Dracula was the winner of three Academy Awards.

Set in 1462 and in 1897.

Starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, Tom Waits.

Rated R

Bramwell follows the fortunes of Dr. Eleanor Bramwell (Jemma Redgrave) in her pursuit of public health and private amours in Victorian-era London. Feisty and unconventional, her sights are set on becoming a leading surgeon, an ambition unheard of for women in Victorian society. Eleanor's father Robert (David Calder) would like his daughter to join him in his respectable private practice, but his daughter has plans of her own which take her from the drawing rooms of the elite to the shocking deprivation of the slums of London's East End.

This lavish period drama begins with Eleanor assisting at the East London Hospital of eminent surgeon Sir Herbert Hamilton. From the very beginning Eleanor's strongly held opinions and desire to take the medical profession out of the dark ages draw her into conflict with Sir Hamilton's old fashioned and often barbaric practices. But Eleanor's energy and compassion also win her friends, including Lady Cora Peters who recognizes Eleanor's talents and sets her up in a small charitable infirmary in the slums of the East End where she will encounter the difficulties and dangers of attending to the needs of both London's poor and criminal underworld.

With extraordinary depth and vitality, Jemma Redgrave plays Dr. Eleanor Bramwell, an ambitious doctor intent on becoming a surgeon who struggles to make her mark in the medical world while mocked by her male counterparts. In the season opener, Eleanor works at East London hospital under the patronizing tutelage of Sir Herbert Hamilton until she no longer can tolerate his barbaric medical practices—especially toward women.

This well-written and skillfully acted period drama provides a provocative glimpse at turn-of-the-century women’s rights as well as social commentary on the culture of Victorian England. Redgrave gives an intelligent performance, developing her character at many levels, as a deeply compassionate, headstrong, flawed individual who remains true to her convictions. Not suitable for young children due to mature themes. --Lynn Gibson

Shown on PBS Masterpiece Theatre.

Note: Four seasons were produced. Willow and Thatch just loved this series - except for the last season, which only contained two episodes and was uncharacteristic of the show and perhaps, better left unwatched.

The rediscovered Classic now fully re-mastered and available for the first time ever. Three of France s most enduring actresses star in this moody and atmospheric look at the reclusive lives of the Brontë sisters. In a dreary presbytery in Yorkshire, living under the watchful eyes of their aunt and father, a strict Anglican pastor, the sisters write their first works that quickly become literary sensations. Their brother, Branwell, a gifted painter, becomes entangled in a complicated May-December romance that tragically effects everyone in the family.

In French with English subtitles.

Starring Isabelle Adjani, Marie-France Pisier and Isabelle Huppert.

Director Yves Simoneau explores the plight of the American Indian in the later half of the 19th century in this docudrama exploring the effects of westward expansion and based on the book by Dee Brown.

In the 1880s, after the U. S. Army’s defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the government continues to push Sioux Indians off their land. In Washington, D.C., Senator Henry Dawes (Aidan Quinn) introduces legislation to protect Native Americans rights. In South Dakota, schoolteacher Elaine Goodale (Anna Paquin) joins Sioux native and Western-educated Dr. Charles Eastman in working with tribe members. Meanwhile, Lakota Chief Sitting Bull refuses to give into mounting government pressures.

Set in the Victorian era.

Starring Anna Paquin, Chevez Ezaneh, August Schellenberg, Duane Howard, Aidan Quinn, Colm Feore, Fred Dalton Thompson, Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, Wayne Charles Baker, Brian Stollery, Shaun Johnston, Gordon Tootoosis, Billy Merasty, Morris Birdyellowhead, Eddie Spears, Holly Bird, Sean Wei Mah, Star Birdyellowhead, Eric Schweig, Jayson Therrien.

Not rated, but Common Sense Media suggests it may be appropriate for ages 14+ – there is considerable violence.

This epic film, directed by legendary Canadian filmmaker Allan King, tells the story of young Lukas Bienman, an indentured servant in 19th century Prussia. Lukas witnesses a murder by the ruthless Count who frames Lukas’ father for the crime. After helping his father escape, Lukas flees with the Count’s sister and her beautiful daughter Ursula to Canada, the home of his estranged grandfather. Set in 1865.

A classical adventure story in the genre of David Copperfield and Kidnapped, By Way of the Stars begins in the 19th century Prussia where youn Lukas (Zachary Bennett) is thrown into turmoil when his mother (Anja Kruse) dies in childbirth, and his grandfather (Dietmar Schonherr) returns to Canada in anger, blaming Lukas's father (Christian Kohlund) for the mother's death.

Lukas's problems escalate when he witnesses a murder by the nobleman count Otto von Lebrecht (Hannes Jaenicke); at the same time his father, Karl, is unjustly accused of a crime and imprisoned. His life shattered, Lukas is indentured as a servant in the castle of the Baron von Knabig (Gunther Maria Halmer), where he encounters Ursula (Gema Zamprogna), the haughty little Baroness; her kind and generous mother (Dominique Sanda); and her evil Uncle Otto, the man responsible for his father's imprisonment. Lukas orchestrates his father's prison escape with the help of Nathan the Peddler (Jane Rubes), but circumstances prevent them from feeling together. Events sweep our characters on a disastrous voyage across the ocean to the New World, where Lukas and Ursula survive an outbreak of smallpox; escape a kidnapping attempt by a pair of con artists; and elude Otto by bracing treacherous river rapids, only to find themselves lost in the Canadian wilderness.

Against the backdrop of post-Civil War, we inter-cut the father's adventures in America. His desire to reunite with his son leads Karl to help a young black boy flee north to Canada. The tragic end to this venture brings Karl to his father-in-law, willing to do anything the grandfather asks as long as Lukas is brought to the New World.

Starring Zachary Bennett, Tantoo Cardinal, Hannes Jaenicke, Christian Kohlund, Michael Mahonen.

Note: Shares many actors from Road to Avonlea.

One of the world’s most famous love stories comes to vibrant life in this lavish production filled with stunning scenery and a once in a lifetime cast! Nicknamed “Camille,” the beautiful Marguerite (Greta Scacchi, Brideshead Revisited) sacrifices her honor to become a high society escort who only entertains the richest men in Paris. However, the young and dashing Armand Duval (Academy Award® winner Colin Firth, The King’s Speech) falls hopelessly in love with her and determines to win her heart. As their love blossoms, Armand’s father (Academy Award® winner Ben Kingsley, Gandhi) feels Marguerite is unworthy of his son and begins to interfere… while Marguerite has a shocking secret of her own that will alter the course of their lives forever. Also starring Academy Award® winner John Gielgud (Arthur), Denholm Elliott (A Room with a View), and Billie Whitelaw (Quills), this Emmy Award-winning gem, from the director of Clash of the Titans, is an unforgettable romance for the ages.

Note: This is a made for television movie, and some loved it, others thought it was a real disappointment, unable to do service to Alexandre Dumas' novel. The cast is great, and the costumes strong, so Willow and Thatch has included it here. "Directed by Desmond Davis, this ''Camille'' is always a pleasure to look at and interesting to follow. But it is a touch too stately. The final impression is one of being a beautiful, but not much more than serviceable, illustration of the book." - NYT

The story of Camille Claudel (1864 - 1943), sister of well-known French diplomat and poet Paul Claudel, is relatively unknown outside Europe. A sculptress, she was deeply involved both romantically and professionally with famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. Camille Claudel was produced at the instigation of its star, Isabelle Adjani, who plays Camille. The film explores her 15 year relationship with Auguste, a period in which she is driven away from reason and rationality.

Set beginning in 1885.

The movie was nominated for the best Foreign Language Film Oscar, and Adjani for Best Actress.

Starring Gerard Depardieu, Isabella Adjani, Madeleine Robinson.

In French with English subtitles.

Rated R

A black Canadian, James Mink, finds the perfect match for his daughter while doing business with a white American. After the wedding the pair heads to America, leaving James happy knowing Mary is content and secure. Every day, James and his wife Elizabeth wait to hear from Mary, but when they finally do, it is not at all what they expect. Mary has been sold into the slave trade and it is up to them to aid her escape.

Loosely tells the story of James Mink, a black man who became a respected millionaire businessman in Toronto, Canada in the 1840s when slavery was rampant in the United States. James Mink offered a substantial dowry for his daughter's hand. He and his wife, a white Irish immigrant, believed in the races "blending together as naturally as two tributaries forming into one river." William Johnson married their daughter. Johnson took the dowry and Minnie on a honeymoon to the United States, where he then sold her into slavery to a Virginian tobacco plantation owner.

Starring Louis Gossett Jr., Kate Nelligan, Ruby Dee, Peter Outerbridge, Michael Jai White.

Featuring true cases, characters and events taken from the London Hospital records, nurse's ward diaries and intimate memoirs, these gritty medical series show the lives – and forbidden romances – of pioneering doctors and nurses a hundred years ago. Run with a will of iron by formidable Matron Eva Luckes, the hospital in London’s poverty-stricken East End deals with anything from infectious diseases like syphilis, pneumonia and tuberculosis to shocking injuries of the times such as self-abortion injuries, victims of anarchist bombings and an East End gang member wounded in a shooting. For the volunteer nurses and doctors – including Nurse Russell, Dr Culpin, Nurse Bennett, Dr Walton and the surgeons Hurry Fenwick and cocaine-addicted Dr Dean – work is tough and relentless. Relationships between staff might be strictly forbidden, but romance continues to blossom away from the Matron’s gaze.

In a time of great change, the hospital constantly faces up to the future. Pioneering radiographers work with the perilous x-ray equipment, chloroform is scandalously introduced as an anaesthetic and the use of revolutionary new electro-mechanical devices are instigated.

Equally gritty and heart-warming, these series bring the Edwardian hospital compellingly to life – illuminating the dramas and romances of a fascinating medical era. Casualty 1906, 1907& 1909: all ten episodes of the acclaimed historical hospital drama.

Set in the 1850s. The misanthropic Mallen clan gives new meaning to the term "bad blood." Patriarch Thomas, squire of High Banks Hall in the wilds of Northumberland, passes his poisonous legacy on to subsequent generations, whose avarice, lust deception and betrayal know no bounds. Storyteller extraordinaire Catherine Cookson is at the top of her game in this scintillating period piece about family values run amok. The Mallens would be disastrous neighbors, but their wily was make for superb viewing.

Catherine Cookson, one of the world’s best-loved and most prolific authors, created this passionate saga about an ambitious, scandal-ridden dynasty in nineteenth-century England. Nothing good ever came of a Mallen. It is said that they’re cursed and seldom reach old age or die in bed... and flamboyant, ruthless Thomas Mallen, current squire of High Banks Hall, is living up to that reputation. Brutal and ambitious, he is feared in the wild Northumberland country where he resides — along with the illegitimate children he has fathered, each of whom possesses a distinctive flash of white hair known as the Mallen Streak. The squire’s taste for women, hunting and high living ultimately drives him and his family into financial ruin, Forced to live in a tiny cottage under severely reduced circumstances, he sinks into a violent, alcoholic haze and in one night, dooms his family forever. The rest of the Mallen clan each plots to reclaim their former positions of wealth and power, resulting in murder, rape, deceit, suicide, forbidden love and madness. The Mallen: play a savage game of scandal, blind passion and betrayal that will touch three generations - and will only end in one final epic tragedy.

13 episodes in The Mallen Streak, The Mallen Girls, The Mallen Secret, and The Mallen Curse.

Starring Caroline Blakiston, Mary Healey, Gillian Lewis, Matthew Long, John Duttine.

In the year 1900 an idealistic young man joins a medical research facility, only to face his colleagues' wrath for his progressive social views. Then he falls in love with a woman who helps him fight the establishment.

Stephen Poliakoff's Century begins on the last day of 1899, a time when British society was energised by giant leaps in scientific and medical discovery, and filled with hope and enthusiasm for the future. Setting the story at this significant moment in history, Poliakoff explores his thematic preoccupations: the effects of commerce and science on individuals and society.

Century sees Poliakoff drawing comparisons with the approaching millennium, stressing the politics of scientific progress and the effects on individuals and society. The doctors discuss possible medical advances in the next century, speculating about the eradication of certain diseases. Century atmospherically recreates London at this watershed moment, reflecting the complex mood of the time, caught between excitement and anxiety at the birth of a new century. - Chris Allison, BFI

Starring Charles Dance, Clive Owen, Miranda Richardson, Robert Stephens, Joan Hickson.

Rated R

This film by Satyajit Ray, India's most renowned filmmaker, tells the story of Charu (Madhabi Mukherjee), a woman in late 19th-century Calcutta. She is neglected by her busy husband, Bhupati (Shailen Mukherjee), a politically active newspaper publisher. When Bhupati's younger cousin Amal (Soumitra Chatterjee), a sensitive, intellectual student on break from the university, comes for an extended visit, Charu enjoys Amal's company, and the two while away the hours in conversation. But as their relationship grows closer, Charu falls in love with Amal. The film, based on a popular Indian novel, marks a significant point in Ray's career, as it bears the influence of Western film on his directorial style. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, Rovi

Director Satyajit Ray has composed the picture in the most literal sense of the word—and exquisitely. He has made the most of beautiful young Madhabi Mukherjee, who gives a lustrously affecting and almost mind-readable performance as the yearning heroine. In a sense, the very opening shot—Miss Mukherjee's hands darting a needle into an embroidery hoop—keys all that follows. Arranging every single camera frame to convey nuance, mood or tension, Mr. Ray has photographically embroidered a steady flow of quiet images with precise, striking acuity. - NYT

Beneath the straightened 19th- century values and Mukherjee's deft, delicate performance lies a drama that's fit to burst with political and colonial discourse, class, proto-feminist values, music, poetry and, most of all, love. All life is here. - Irish Times

Set in the 1880s in India. Black & white, in Bengali, subtitled in English.

Starring Soumitra Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee, Shailen Mukherjee.