The Best Costume Drama Movies

Updated February 12, 2021 3.9k votes 252 voters 24.9k views168 items

List RulesVote for your personal favorite Costume drama films, regardless of how popular or successful they were at the box office.

A list of the best costume drama movies ever made, ranked by film fans' votes -- many of which are streaming on Netflix or Amazon Prime. This list is ordered by popularity, so only the greatest movies about costume drama are at the top of the list. This list contains all the top costume dramas, like Joan of Arc or Madame Bovary, but if there are any great films you think we missed, please feel free to add them yourself.

The films on this list are the most famous costume drama movies of all time, so use it to find some movies that you haven't seen already if you're a fan of the genre.

This list answers the questions, "What are the best costume drama movies?" and "What is the greatest costume drama movie of all time?" and contains items like Cleopatra, The Bastard.

Various bits of information are included with these popular costume movies, such as who directed them, when they were released and who starred in the films. So from the latest, to the greatest costume drama movies, here is the full costume drama movies list, ordered from best to worst.

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Pride & Prejudice
Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan
Released: 2005
Directed by: Joe Wright
Pride & Prejudice is a 2005 British romance film directed by Joe Wright and based on Jane... more
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Gone with the Wind
Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh
Released: 1939
Directed by: Sam Wood, George Cukor, Victor Fleming
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American epic historical romance film adapted from Margaret... more
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Marie Antoinette
Tyrone Power, Norma Shearer
Released: 1938
Directed by: W. S. Van Dyke, Julien Duvivier
Marie Antoinette is a 1938 film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by W. S. Van... more
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Suez
Tyrone Power, Loretta Young
Released: 1938
Directed by: Allan Dwan
Suez is an American film released on October 28, 1938 by 20th Century Fox, with Darryl F.... more
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The Rains Came
Myrna Loy, Tyrone Power
Released: 1939
Directed by: Clarence Brown
The Rains Came is a 1939 20th Century Fox film based on an American novel by Louis... more
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The Mississippi Gambler
Anita Ekberg, Tyrone Power
Released: 1953
Directed by: Rudolph Maté
The Mississippi Gambler is a 1953 American adventure film directed by Rudolph Maté. The film... more
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Amadeus
Jeffrey Jones, Cynthia Nixon
Released: 1984
Directed by: Miloš Forman
Amadeus is a 1984 American period biographical drama film directed by Miloš Forman and adapted... more
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Sense and Sensibility
Kate Winslet, Hugh Laurie
Released: 1995
Directed by: Ang Lee
Sense and Sensibility is a 1995 British–American period drama film directed by Ang Lee and... more
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The Duchess
Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes
Released: 2008
Directed by: Saul Dibb
The Duchess is a 2008 British-American drama film directed by Saul Dibb. It is based on Amanda... more
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My Fair Lady
Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison
Released: 1964
Directed by: George Cukor
My Fair Lady is a 1964 American musical film adaptation of the Lerner and Loewe stage musical... more
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The Ten Commandments
Charlton Heston, Vincent Price
Released: 1956
Directed by: Cecil B. DeMille
The Ten Commandments is a 1956 American religious epic film produced and directed by Cecil B.... more
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Elizabeth
Cate Blanchett, Daniel Craig
Released: 1998
Directed by: Shekhar Kapur
Elizabeth is a 1998 biographical film written by Michael Hirst, directed by Shekhar Kapur, and... more
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Dangerous Liaisons
Michelle Pfeiffer, Uma Thurman
Released: 1988
Directed by: Stephen Frears
Dangerous Liaisons is a 1988 historical drama film based upon Christopher Hampton's play Les... more
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The Mark of Zorro
Tyrone Power, Basil Rathbone
Released: 1940
Directed by: Rouben Mamoulian
The Mark of Zorro is a 1940 American adventure film directed by Rouben Mamoulian and produced... more
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Barry Lyndon
Ryan O'Neal, Leonard Rossiter
Released: 1975
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Barry Lyndon is a 1975 British-American period drama film written, produced, and directed by... more
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
Angela Lansbury, Donna Reed
Released: 1945
Directed by: Albert Lewin
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a 1945 American horror-drama film based on Oscar Wilde's 1890... more
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Kingdom of Heaven
Eva Green, Liam Neeson
Released: 2005
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Kingdom of Heaven is a 2005 epic historical drama directed and produced by Ridley Scott and... more
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Braveheart
Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau
Released: 1995
Directed by: Mel Gibson
Braveheart is a 1995 epic historical medieval war drama film directed by and starring Mel... more
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Lawrence of Arabia
Omar Sharif, Peter O'Toole
Released: 1962
Directed by: David Lean
Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 British epic adventure drama film based on the life of T. E.... more
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Ben-Hur
Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins
Released: 1959
Directed by: William Wyler
Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic historical drama film, directed by William Wyler, produced by... more
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Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake
Gene Tierney, Tyrone Power
Released: 1942
Directed by: John Cromwell
Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake is a 1942 adventure film directed by John Cromwell,... more
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Beauty and the Beast
Emma Watson, Dan Stevens
Released: 2017
Directed by: Bill Condon
Beauty and the Beast is a 2017 romantic/dark fantasy musical film directed by Bill Condon. The... more
More
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Captain from Castile
Cesar Romero, Tyrone Power
Released: 1947
Directed by: Henry King
Captain from Castile is a historical adventure film released by 20th Century Fox in 1947.... more

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Downton Abbey
Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael
Released: 2019
Directed by: Michael Engler
Downton Abbey is a 2019 British historical period drama film directed by Michael Engler, and a... more
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The Lion in Winter
Anthony Hopkins, Katharine Hepburn
Released: 1968
Directed by: Anthony Harvey
The Lion in Winter is a 1968 historical drama film made by Avco Embassy Pictures, based on the... more
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The Mississippi Gambler

Beauty and the Beast