Period films aim to accurately represent a specific time period, using new techniques and special effects to create a believable setting. They can be categorized as either historical or fictional, and can cover various time periods and genres. Some films deliberately use anachronistic elements to appeal to modern audiences, while others fail due to unintentional anachronisms. Filmmakers may need to construct elaborate sets to capture an earlier era, and some films made in earlier eras have become representative of the time period they depict.
A period film is a film that attempts to faithfully represent a specific time period. This type of film has greatly improved with advances in filmmaking, such as the ability to replicate better costumes and sets using new techniques and special effects. All of these advances allow the audience to suspend their disbelief and visit the time period the director is attempting to depict.
Period film can fall into two categories, and then into a number of sub-categories. They may be an attempt to realistically depict a historical event, or they may use history as a backdrop to create new characters or storylines that have no historical basis. The first category can also be classified as historical films or biopics. Examples of these include movies like Cinderella Man or Schindler’s List.
The second type invents characters that fit perfectly into a time period. For example, the film Titanic invents characters to explore the emotional content of the true historical event of the sinking of the Titanic. Other films don’t dwell on a specific historical subject and their source material may have been written during the time period the director wants to depict. This is the case with the numerous films based on the fictional work of authors such as Jane Austen, William Thackeray or Charles Dickens. A film like Sense and Sensibility fairly accurately depicts the time period in which Jane Austen wrote, but does not reference “real” historical figures.
Period film can also be listed as a sub-class of the different time periods represented by films. Films such as Westerns, Chinese sword era films, medieval films, or films representing the Romantic era can all be subcategorized under the title of period films. A film can also try to go further back in time, to prehistoric times to imagine what life would have been like among the first humans as in films like The Cave Bear Clan or Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto.
A period piece doesn’t have to be accurate to be successful. Indeed, a recent trend in these films is to deliberately use anachronistic elements to make the film more relevant to a modern audience. This is the case with films like A Knight’s Tale, Marie Antoinette and Vanity Fair. The previous two films modernize both periods they represent, composing the films with rock music. Vanity Fair draws heavily on Bollywood references to explore India’s significant influence on the British Empire during the 19th century.
Sometimes a period film fails because unintentional anachronisms occur in the film and make the period portrayal less believable or ridiculous. Although the 1940s version of Pride and Prejudice was popular with audiences at the time of its release, its costumes appear to have borrowed liberally from the Gone with the Wind wardrobe collection. Hoop skirts were not common in early 19th century England, but are worn by most women in this period film.
It can be difficult to find the appropriate settings in which to make your film, especially when shooting on location. Getting rid of modern elements, such as cars or trains, can create problems for filmmakers. It is often necessary to construct elaborate sets within studios to capture an earlier era in history that is free from anachronisms.
Sometimes a film made in an earlier era becomes representative of the time period. Films like Saturday Night Fever, Mrs. Miniver or The Best Years of Our Lives are slice-of-life films that accurately depict the moment in which they were made. While these weren’t technically made as period films, they became and are associated specifically with the eras or moments in history they represent.
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