The Best Costume Drama Movies

Updated June 22, 2020 4.3k votes 246 voters 24.6k views161 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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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 on Wikipedia
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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 on Wikipedia
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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 on Wikipedia
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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 on Wikipedia
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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 on Wikipedia
More The Rains Came
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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 on Wikipedia
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Beauty and the Beast
Angela Lansbury, Frank Welker
Released: 1991
Directed by: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated musical romantic fantasy film produced by... more on Wikipedia
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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 on Wikipedia
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Amadeus
Jeffrey Jones, Cynthia Nixon
Released: 1984
Directed by: Miloš Forman
Amadeus - Directors Cut is a 1984 biography drama film written by Peter Shaffer and directed... more on Wikipedia
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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 on Wikipedia
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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 on Wikipedia
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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 on Wikipedia
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Lloyds of London
Tyrone Power, Madeline Carroll
Released: 1936
Directed by: Henry King
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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 on Wikipedia
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Rob Roy
Liam Neeson, Jessica Lange
Released: 1995
Directed by: Michael Caton-Jones
Rob Roy is a 1995 adventure film directed by Michael Caton-Jones. Liam Neeson stars as Rob Roy... more on Wikipedia
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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 on Wikipedia
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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 on Wikipedia
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Wuthering Heights
Laurence Olivier, David Niven
Released: 1939
Directed by: William Wyler
Wuthering Heights is a 1939 American black-and-white film directed by William Wyler and... more on Wikipedia
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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 on Wikipedia
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Gladiator
Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix
Released: 2000
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Gladiator is a 2000 American-British epic historical drama film directed by Ridley Scott,... more on Wikipedia
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Henry V
Christian Bale, Emma Thompson
Released: 1989
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Henry V is a 1989 British drama film adapted for the screen and directed by Kenneth Branagh,... more on Wikipedia
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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 on Wikipedia
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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 on Wikipedia
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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 on Wikipedia
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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 on Wikipedia

The Mississippi Gambler

Lloyds of London