Shubhabrata Dutta
Humanity without its history is incomplete. Just like that, films are incomplete without the historical/period genre. Across the decades since films came into being, we have all been subjected to historical/period dramas that take us on an extraordinary journey to a different time, showing how life was back then. From the macrocosm of huge monuments to the microcosm of human emotions, we understand how we came into being and what we carry within us. On that note, here is the list of period movies available on Peacock.
4. Ephraim’s Rescue (2013)
Directed by T. C. Christensen, this film follows the true stories of the lives of Mormon pioneers Ephraim Hanks and Thomas Dobson, who lived in the 19th century. While Hank started as a soldier, he went on to convert and join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Meanwhile, born and baptized, Thomas Dobson leaves with his family for Utah as a part of the handcart brigade composed of almost 3000 Mormon pioneers from England, Wales, Scandinavia, and Scotland. When the brigade faced trouble, Hanks set off to help them. The film’s cast includes Richard Benedict as old Ephraim Hanks and James Gaisford as Thomas Dobson. You can watch ‘Ephraim’s Rescue’ here.
3. Emma. (2020)
Adapted from Jane Austen’s 1815 eponymous novel, ‘Emma.’ is a well-crafted drama centering on 21-year-old Miss Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy), who lives with her father at their posh estate in Highbury, Surrey, in Regency-era England. While she isn’t interested in marrying, she loves matchmaking and takes pleasure in setting people up for marriage. However, her involvement in others’ affairs starts affecting her personal life and, by extension, her love life. Is she ready to fall in love? The Autumn de Wilde directorial won three Critics’ Choice Awards, two Oscar nominations, one BAFTA nomination, and one Golden Globe nomination. The movie also stars Mia Goth, Johnny Flynn, Bill Nighy, and Miranda Hart. You can stream it here.
2. The Northman (2022)
Robert Eggers’s ‘The Northman’ is set during the 9th century AD. The story, based on the Scandinavian legend of Amleth, follows Prince Amleth, who, as a young boy, witnesses his father’s murder by his uncle, flees to live with berserkers, and returns as a grown man to exact vengeance. However, when he finds that his mother is his uncle’s mistress, inner conflict brews. Did his mother betray his father? Or was she taken by force and thus surrendered to the King’s will? ‘The Northman’ is heavy on action and offers a dark and gritty retelling of a popular legend, with Eggers’ signature realistic and stylized approach doing full justice to the story. The movie stars Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, and Claes Bang. You can watch it here.
1. Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)
Simon Curtis’s ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ is the second movie in the ‘Downton Abbey’ franchise and the sequel to the movie ‘Downton Abbey.’ The movie is set in 1928 and shows the Crawleys having their Downton manor as the filming location for a silent film. This is not just new but also problematic, as there would be lots of people roaming around the house without any care about the significance of what’s around them. Meanwhile, Dowager Countess Violet Crawley bequeaths the villa in France she inherited as a young woman to her great-granddaughter, Sybbie. Members of the family head to France to see it. With these two plotlines, ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ showcases family relationships and the politics that govern them, a hallmark of the franchise. The cast includes Nathalie Baye, Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith, Laura Carmichael, Harry Hadden-Paton, and Laura Haddock. You can watch the critically acclaimed drama right here.
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