Period Piece Genre Explained: 4 Types of Period Pieces in Film

A period piece is a film or TV series that takes place in or strongly evokes an earlier time period. For a period piece, a filmmaker can choose to specify the exact time period (e.g., the American revolution or late Victorian-era England) or make the setting feel more general and indistinct (e.g., the Middle Ages or Greco-Roman times). A period piece may include notable people, places, or events from history, but these historical elements may or may not be important to the film's story.

Within the wide-ranging category of period pieces are multiple sub-genres that often overlap.

1. 1. Biopic: Short for "biographical picture," a biopic tells the real-life story of a non-fictional, real person. Not all films based on a true story are biopics—a biopic film must focus on one protagonist and comprehensively tell that person's life story over the course of many years (as opposed to focusing on just one event or period in that person's life). Biopics take creative liberties when depicting their subjects’ lives and thus are never entirely accurate. Examples of biopics that are period pieces include A Beautiful Mind, Lawrence of Arabia, Lincoln, and Marie Antoinette.
2. 2. Costume drama: This type of period piece features particularly elaborate costumes, sets, and props in order to create a spectacle based on the ambiance of the specific time period. Examples of costume drama period pieces include Downton Abbey, Gone with the Wind, Little Women, and most adaptations of Jane Austen novels.
3. 3. Historical romance: A historical romance is a period drama with a romantic relationship at the heart of the story. Examples of historical romances include Atonement, Doctor Zhivago, Pride and Prejudice, and Titanic.
4. 4. Historical epic: Most historical epics are also costume dramas, but they have an especially lofty scope, extraordinary settings, a large cast, and grand dramatic ambitions. This type of historical drama often features large battle scenes and tells tales of mythical, biblical, and royal figures. Examples of historical epics include Ben-Hur, Gladiator, and Seven Samurai.

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