So you’ve binged Bridgerton and every Jane Austen adaption 20 times and are looking to get a fix, but with something new. You want empire waist gowns, cravats, and sweeping country estates. But where to find them?
New category time! One of our respondents to this year’s survey requested more on Regency centered movies and tv shows, so we were happy to create a new category: Regency Film and TV.
This month we are showcasing (with links to find deals) on some late 80s/early 90s movies/mini series you may not have seen. All have romantic elements, historical details, costumes, and witty repartees.
Duel of Hearts (1991): Lady Caroline Faye, a Diamond of the First Water, can’t resist her attraction to rake Lord Reversby. The rake has his eyes on her too…for compromise resulting in marriage. Fleeing from the rogue, she stumbles upon Lord Vane Brecon and decides to conceal her identity while they flee from the authorities. When she later finds out that he is being accused of a murder he did not commit, she sets out to prove him innocent, and takes a position in his family castle as a companion to his mother. She discovers that the Brecon family is not only wealthy in land and fortune, but rich in secrets lurking behind the castle walls. This is a Barbara Cartland adaption, so it has all the tropes and details Regency Readers love. While it will be obvious this is an early 90s pic, the production does stand up as a solid Regency flick.
Napoleon and Josephine (1987): Epic story about the romance between the most powerful man in the world and the woman who conquered his heart. This was a tv mini series, but the production values were good for the era with excellent performances from the two leads. By in large, it is about Napoleon’s formative years and his relationship, so has less on battles and war strategy than other bio-pics. Critics loved the strong character of Josephine, and the focus on how she and their romance impacted Napoleon.
Solid acting and great scenery make this an enjoyable, if retro, watch.
Impromptu (1991): In 1830s France, pianist/composer Frédéric Chopin is suffering from a decline in health. Author George Sand, who is really Baroness Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin, sets out to woo him. The film starts as a comedy of manners at a country estate, and then turns into a more romantic character study about an assertive woman interested in pursuing a liaison with a fascinating musician.
George Sand was infamous for taking a man’s name, wearing trousers, and publicly smoking cigars. She also abandoned her husband and children to move to Paris and write, have affairs, and move in society. This movie takes a little creative license to explore what that society looked like, and takes a tongue in cheek look at this infamous woman.
Mansfield Park (1983): This was a BBC TV mini series of the Jane Austen’s novel by the same title. Fanny Price is sent to live with her wealthy Aunt and Uncle as a young girl. When a brother and sister move to the area, romance blossoms and Fanny struggles with her feelings towards her cousin, Edmund. Treated as nearly a servant, she must also contend with her difficult situation. When she returns home, she realizes she also doesn’t fit in that world, and must find her way against many pressures. Although viewers said its definitely dated, this mini series has the benefits of being longer so it covers more accurately some of the nuances of the book. Many fans actually prefer this version over other, more recent adaptations.
Next month we will explore a few more gems from the vaults, but we hope you enjoy this month’s selection of solid Regency film/tv. Some of these films are hard to find (I couldn’t find any sites currently streaming them), which is why we linked to a site that shows several purchase options.
Share in the comments some of your lesser known Regency centered tv shows or films!
