Last Updated on March 6, 2021
We’ve gathered up the period dramas that are newly included with your US Amazon Prime Video membership in December 2020, and January and February 2021.
Then, we share the historical / costume / period dramas that are coming to Prime Video Channels, are available to rent, and movies and TV series in the genre that are being released to DVD this winter.
Finally, we list some newly added non-period movies and series like British shows and romances that you may also like, that are included with your Prime Video membership.
Check this list throughout the winter; we’ll update all the sections (alphabetically) as more titles become available. If some of these titles look familiar, it’s because they were previously available with Prime, were pulled off, and now they are back.
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It’s easy to watch the trailers for the films on this list, or add the movies and TV series to your watchlist: just click. This is a US-based list, but if you live in Canada or the UK, you can also use our “Add to your WATCHLIST” links to check availability in your country.
From British costume dramas to sweeping romantic epics, there’s a lot here by the end of the season, so to help you keep track: the blue TVs next to the title mean the film is included with your membership, the orange TVs mean it is available to rent or is available with a Prime Video Channel subscription.
Also see the list of Period Dramas New on Prime in the Fall 2020. The Spring 2021 list is here.
Period Dramas Added in December
This section contains newly available historical, costume and period dramas (movies and TV series) that are included with your Prime Video membership.
The King’s Speech (2010)
England’s Prince Albert must ascend the throne as King George VI, but he has a speech impediment. Knowing that the country needs her husband to be able to communicate effectively, Elizabeth hires Lionel Logue, an Australian actor and speech therapist, to help him overcome his stammer. An extraordinary friendship develops between the two men, as Logue uses unconventional means to teach the monarch how to speak with confidence.
Starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Derek Jacobi, Jennifer Ehle.
Rated R for some language
Available December 1
Lady Macbeth (2016)
Rural England, 1865. Katherine is stifled by her loveless marriage to a bitter man twice her age, whose family are cold and unforgiving. When she embarks on a passionate affair with a young worker on her husband’s estate, a force is unleashed inside her, so powerful that she will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
Newly married to a rich industrialist, Katherine finds herself confined to the house and starved of companionship. Forced to spend her days in endless tedium, when her husband is called away to one of his collieries she begins a passionate and fiery relationship with a young groom from the estate, beginning a conflict with her stern and unforgiving family that will end in tragedy. Based on the book Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk by Nikolai Leskov. Read more about it.
Starring Florence Pugh, Cosmo Jarvis, Christopher Fairbank, Paul Hilton, Golda Rosheuvel.
Rated R for violence, strong sexuality/nudity, and language
Available December 12
Northanger Abbey (1987)
In this BBC adaptation of the Jane Austen novel, a taste for melodrama from reading too many Gothic novels is almost Catherine Morland’s downfall when she meets Henry Tilney and his sister Eleanor. Catherine is invited to accompany them to their home, Northanger Abbey. There Catherine’s imagination continues to flourish and she begins to suspect a dark secret at Northanger Abbey.
Starring Katharine Schlesinger, Peter Firth, Robert Hardy, Googie Withers, Ingrid Lacey.
Rated 13+
Available December 4
Saga (2020)
This period drama series follows one Cossack family, with the century-long history of Ukraine as its background. This epic story begins in 1914 and concludes in 2014, within the borders of modern Ukraine. It traces the history of a nation as seen through the stories of one family, from generation to generation, a family that managed to endure through wars, revolutions and tragedies.
Starring Daria Plakhtiy, Alexander Pecheritsa, Lilia Tsvelikova.
Rated 16+
Available December 24
Sylvie’s Love (2020)
When a young woman meets an aspiring saxophonist in her father’s record shop in 1950s Harlem, their love ignites a sweeping romance that transcends changing times, geography, and professional success.
Written and directed by Eugene Ashe, “Sylvie’s Love” combines romance and music into a sweeping story that brings together changing times, a changing culture, and the true price of love. Set in the summer of 1957, aspiring television producer Sylvie and saxophonist Robert first meet and fall for one another. Time and circumstances pull them apart, but years later they meet again by chance, only to find that while their lives have changed, their feelings for each other remain the same.
Starring Tessa Thompson, Nnamdi Asomugha, Eva Longoria, Regé-Jean Page, Jemima Kirke.
Rated PG-13
Available December 25
Vikings (Season 6B)
The final ten episodes of the hit drama series “Vikings” close the saga of the remarkable tales of the lives and epic adventures of the Nordic raiders and explorers of the Dark Ages.
Season six returns following the battle between brothers which has left Bjorn as the new leader of Kattegat. But Bjorn struggles to fill his late father’s shoes. And Ivar meets his match in Prince Oleg, a ruthless and unpredictable Russian ruler.
Starring Gustaf Skarsgård, Alex Høgh Andersen, Marco Ilsø, Georgia Hirst, Lucy Martin.
Rated TV-14
Available December 30
The following period dramas (and period-inspired titles) are also newly available and included with your Prime membership in December 2020. Click on the titles for more information, to watch trailers where available, and to start streaming full movies or episodes:
December 1: Hemingway’s Garden Of Eden (2010). December 9: Sherlock: A Case of Evil (2002). December 12: Habermann (2011), The Three Musketeers (1974). December 15: Scents and Sensibility (2011). December 17: Saving Lincoln (2013), The Throne (2015). December 18: Jade Dynasty (2019). December 19: The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser (1974), Woyzeck (1979). December 23: The Little Hours (2017), The Invisibles (2017), The Snow Queen (2005). December 26: A Sicilian Dream (2003). December 30: Wuthering Heights (1958).
Also see the following living history specials / documentaries newly available in December:
Royal Upstairs Downstairs (2011): The series sees the presenting talents of Tim Wonnacott and Clarissa Dickson Wright join forces to bring to life the history and workings of favourite royal retreats from above and below stairs, and follows in the footsteps of Queen Victoria to the grand houses, castles and intimate family homes across Great Britain that Victoria visited throughout her 63 year reign.
Edwardian Farm (2011): In this historical documentary series, archaeologists Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn and domestic historian Ruth Goodman team up to re-create a working Edwardian farm. The farm, located at Morwellham Quay in Devon, becomes home for the trio for a full calendar year as they learn to live a simpler but harder life during the turn of the 20th century. They have access only to tools and materials that would have been available at the time, and take up the crafts and responsibilities of the average Edwardian farmer, from harvesting crops and raising livestock to mining and fishing.
Secrets of the Castle (2014): Historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Peter Ginn and Tom Pinfold go back in time a few hundred years – figuratively, at least – as they learn how to build a medieval castle using only tools, techniques and materials that were available in the 13th century. It is an extensive project, which is part of a large archaeological experiment expected to take 25 years to complete.
Tudor Monastery Farm (2013): Archaeologist Peter Ginn and historian Ruth Goodman, who is also a leading specialist in Tudor domestic life, return to front this six-part series, joined this time by archaeologist Tom Pinfold. The team turns the clock back to the year 1500 to take on the role of the lay-folk who did the bulk of the farming and crafting within monastic lands.
Tudor Monastery Farm at Christmas (2013): Historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Tom Pinfold and Peter Ginn turn the clock back 500 years to rediscover how the farms of Tudor England celebrated the twelve days of Christmas. The culmination of Christmas was marked by a frenzy of music, food and alcohol. Tudor life was hierarchical and strictly organized but, at Christmas, the rules were relaxed and the roles reversed.
Period Dramas Added in January
This section contains newly available historical, costume and period dramas (movies and TV series) that are included with your Prime Video membership.
1900 (1977)
The epic tale of friendship and betrayal in twentieth century Italy, as seen through the eyes of two childhood friends divided by class. Beautifully set in the countryside of the Province of Emilia in Italy, this is the story of two men, one a bastard born into a family of farm workers, the other an heir to a wealthy family of landowners. The Italian film, originally titled “Novecento “ from director Bernardo Bertolucci (The Last Emperor, The Sheltering Sky), is considered a cinematic triumph by some, but contains thematic elements that some will find upsetting.
Starring Robert De Niro, Gerard Depardieu, Burt Lancaster, Sterling Hayden, Dominique Sanda, Francesca Bertini.
Rated R for nudity, sexual situations, and violence.
Available January 1
A Royal Affair (2012)
The true story of an ordinary man who wins a queen’s heart and starts a revolution. In 1767, Caroline Matilda, the youngest sister of George III, is betrothed to her cousin Christian VII, King of Denmark. Almost immediately aware of her young husband’s mental illness, she falls under the charismatic spell of Christian’s new doctor.
Starring Alicia Vikander, Mads Mikkelsen, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, Harriet Walter.
Rated R for sexual content and some violent images
Available January 19
Beecham House (Season 1)
*Included with Prime for a limited time. Delhi 1795: John Beecham is determined to leave the past behind and start a new life with his infant son. But to reunite his family and keep the identity of his child secret, what cost must John pay?
Starring Tom Bateman, Lesley Nichol, Lara Dutta, Leo Suter, Dakota Blue Richards, Grégory Fitoussi.
Rated TV-14
Available January 1
Chaplin (1993)
A loving, grand scale portrait of the Little Tramp’s amazing life and times. His poverty-stricken childhood in England comes to life, along with his friendships, his many wives and scandalous affairs, and his pursuit by J. Edgar Hoover.
Starring Robert Downey, Geraldine Chaplin, Paul Rhys, John Thaw, Anthony Hopkins, Moira Kelly.
Rated PG-13
Available January 1
The Elephant Man (1980)
A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, intelligence and sophistication.
Starring Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Phoebe Nicholls.
Rated PG
Available January 1
Elizabeth (1998)
The Oscar-winning British period drama portrays the early years of the reign of Elizabeth I –royal intrigues, assassination attempts and foreign political interference cause turmoil in 16th century England– and her difficult task of learning what is necessary to be a monarch.
Starring Eric Cantona, Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Emily Mortimer.
Rated R for violence and sexuality
Available January 1
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
A mature Queen Elizabeth endures multiple crises late in her reign including court intrigues, an assassination plot, the Spanish Armada bearing down on England, and romantic disappointments. Oscar winner for costume design.
Starring Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Clive Owen, Laurence Fox, Samantha Morton, Eddie Redmayne.
Rated PG-13
Available January 1
Grantchester (Season 5)
Set in 1953, “Grantchester” follows Sidney Chamber, a Cambridgeshire clergyman, who finds himself investigating a series of mysterious wrongdoings in his small village of Grantchester. He partners up with gruff, down-to-earth police inspector Geordie Keating, whose methodical approach to police work complements Sidney’s intuitive techniques of getting information out of people.
Starring James Norton, Robson Green, Al Weaver, Kacey Ainsworth, Tessa Peake-Jones.
Rated TV-14
Available January 19
Ida (2014)
After encountering a long lost relative, a young novitiate nun in 1960s Poland discovers a shocking family secret dating back to the terrible years of the Nazi occupation, and embarks on a revelatory journey to uncover the mystery of her own past. Winner of the 2015 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.
Starring Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska, Dawid Ogrodnik, Jerzy Trela.
Rated PG-13
Available January 27
The Immigrant (2014)
1921. An innocent immigrant woman is tricked into a life of burlesque and vaudeville until a dazzling magician tries to save her and reunite her with her sister who is being held in the confines of Ellis Island.
Starring Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Renner, Maja Wampuszyc, Angela Sarafyan.
Rated R for sexual content, nudity and some language
Available January 1
Last Of The Mohicans (1992)
An epic adventure and passionate romance unfold against the panorama of a frontier wilderness ravaged by war. Academy Award winner Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Hawkeye, rugged frontiersman and adopted son of the Mohicans, and Madeleine Stowe is Cora Munro, aristocratic daughter of a proud British Colonel.
Starring Madeleine Stowe, Daniel Day-Lewis, Russell Means, Eric Schweig, Jodhi May.
Rated R for violence
Available January 1
Marie Antoinette: The Trial of a Queen (2018)
A well-done 2-part docudrama in English and French, originally titled “Ils ont jugé la reine,” or “They Judged the Queen.” On the night of August 2, 1793, Marie Antoinette is transferred to the prison. Her husband has been sent to the guillotine, her children have been taken away, all the other European monarchies have abandoned her and France is calling for her head yet Marie Antoinette has more strength and dignity than ever imagined. The revolution judged her as a queen, her tragic death made her immortal.
This ambitious film unveils how Marie Antoinette was transformed into one of the greatest symbols of France. It only took three days and two nights to convict the last Queen of France but the outcome was known in advance. Previously unseen documents have revealed a shocking truth about the trial: It was rigged. When Marie Antoinette was led to the Tribunal, her fate was already sealed.
Starring Maud Wyler, Francis Leplay, Nicolas Chupin, Sophie Breyer, Denis Podalydès.
Rated 13+
Available January 14
Master And Commander (2003)
“Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” is set during the Napoleonic Wars. A brash British captain pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America.
Starring Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd, James D’Arcy, Chris Larkin, Robert Pugh.
Rated PG-13
Available January 1
One Night in Miami (2020)
One incredible night in 1964, four icons — Cassius Clay (soon to be Muhammad Ali), Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown — gathered to celebrate one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. Directed by Regina King, “One Night in Miami” is a fictional account that looks at the struggles these men faced and the vital role they each played in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the 1960s.
Starring Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr., Beau Bridges.
Rated R for sexual situations, nudity, and language.
Available January 15
Places In The Heart (1984)
During the Great Depression in central Texas in the 1930s, a widow with two small children, tries to run her small 40-acre farm with the help of two disparate people. Sally Field won an Academy Award for her role in this stirring drama.
Starring Sally Field, Lindsay Crouse, Ed Harris, John Malkovich, Danny Glover, Amy Madigan.
Rated PG
Available January 1
School Ties (1992)
After receiving a scholarship to an exclusive prep school, working-class teen David Greene becomes a star athlete and wins the attention of a beautiful debutante. But the ties of his newfound friendships are broken when a student reveals the secret David has tried to conceal.
Starring Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Amy Locane, Chris O’Donnell.
Rated PG-13
Available January 1
Seabiscuit (2003)
The inspiring true story of the undersized Depression-era racehorse whose victories lifted not only the spirits of the team behind it but also those of the nation as well.
Starring Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Elizabeth Banks, Chris Cooper.
Rated PG-13
Available January 7
Vanity Fair (2004)
Born to poor parents, Becky Sharp has always aspired to be a member of England’s upper classes. Leaving her boarding school and best friend, Amelia, behind, Becky associates herself with the Crawleys, eventually falling in love with their son, Rawdon. The marriage is happy at first, but deteriorates when Rawdon’s fortune dwindles. Becky is then supported by the lecherous Marquess of Steyne, whose motives are less than pure.
Starring Reese Witherspoon, Romola Garai, James Purefoy, Gabriel Byrne, Angelica Mandy, Roger Lloyd-Pack.
Rated PG-13
Available January 1
War of the Buttons (2012)
While the world is shaken by the terrible events of WWII, another war is being played out in the French countryside. The children of neighboring villages Longeverne and Velran have always hated each other. Now their battle takes a new turn: prisoners will have the buttons of their clothes removed and return home almost naked, vanquished, humiliated. Whichever village collects the most buttons will be declared the victor. Alongside this conflict, the children witness the effects of the war being waged by adults and the Nazis dragging families out of their homes. When a young Jewish girl is faced with exposure to the Nazis, the children are faced with putting their own conflicts aside to protect her. From the producer of the Academy Award-Winning “The Artist.”
Starring Jean Texier, Clément Godefroy, Francois Morel, Laetitia Casta, Théophile Baquet.
Rated PG-13
Available January 1
The following period dramas (and period-inspired titles) are also newly available and included with your Prime membership in January 2021. Click on the titles for more information, to watch trailers where available, and to start streaming full movies or episodes:
January 1: Bloody Sunday (2002), Hyde Park On Hudson (2012), In the Time of the Butterflies (2001), The Legend Of Bagger Vance (2000), Resistance (2007), Road to Perdition (2002), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Enemy At The Gates (2001), Sayonara (1952). January 9: A Girl Named Jo (2019), Words by Heart (1985). January 12: Brother Future (1991), The Deep Blue Sea (2012). January 18: Obsessed (2014). January 30: The Black Robe (1991).
Period Dramas Added in February
This section contains newly available historical, costume and period dramas (movies and TV series) that are newly included with your Prime Video membership.
Australia (2008)
A romantic action-adventure epic set in Australia prior to World War II that centers on an English aristocrat who inherits a large ranch.
With the globe on the brink of World War II, Lady Sarah Ashley travels from Britain to Australia to inspect a cattle ranch she inherited. Reluctantly joining forces with a rugged local known as the Drover, she sets out on a cattle drive across hundreds of miles of harsh terrain to save her ranch. But when they finally reach the town of Darwin, they must contend with the same Japanese bombers that just rained death upon Pearl Harbor.
Starring Nicole Kidman, Shea Adams, Hugh Jackman, Eddie Baroo, Bryan Brown, Tony Barry, Jamal Bednarz-Metallah, Damian Bradford.
Rated PG-13
Available February 1
Breathless (2014)
From PBS and Masterpiece, this British period drama series is set in a London hospital in 1961 — when Britain was on the brink of cultural revolution — Otto Powell is a brilliant and charismatic surgeon, who believes he can make a difference in women’s lives.
Starring Zoe Boyle, Shaun Dingwall, Jack Davenport, Oliver Chris, Catherine Steadman, Natasha Little, Philippa Langdale.
Rated TV-14
Available February 25
Cross Creek (1983)
The Oscar nominated true story of the woman who wrote The Yearling. In the late 1920s, columnist Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings moves to Cross Creek, Florida, to dedicate herself to writing a serious novel. Despite her husband’s eventual departure, the initial suspicion of the locals about her work, and the challenge of finding a worthy subject to devote herself to, Marjorie persists in her dream. With the inspiration of kindly Marsh Turner and his daughter, Ellie, Marjorie discovers the perfect theme for her novel.
Starring Mary Steenburgen, Peter Coyote, Rip Torn, Dana Hill.
Rated PG
Available February 25
Endeavour (Season 7)
Opening on New Year’s Eve 1969, normal order has been resumed and the team reunited at Castle Gate CID. However, the events of the past year have left their mark. Old friendships will be challenged and new relationships will blossom.
Starring Abigail Thaw, Anton Lesser, Caroline O’Neill, James Bradshaw, Roger Allam, Sean Rigby, Shaun Evans.
Rated TV-14
Available February 24
Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)
Based on the incredible true story, Meryl Streep delivers a hilarious and touching performance as a New York socialite who dreams of becoming a great opera singer, despite having a hilariously awful singing voice.
Starring Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg, Rebecca Ferguson, Nina Arianda.
Rated PG-13
Available February 25
Howards End (2018)
Based on E.M. Forster’s classic novel, the miniseries adaptation of “Howards End” is a portrayal of England at the turn of the 20th century told through the lens of three families: the intellectual Schlegels, the wealthy and prejudiced Wilcoxes and the working-class Basts. In the evolving landscape of social and class divisions, idealistic Schlegel sisters Margaret and Helen seek to help the impoverished Bast family while simultaneously ridding the Wilcoxes of their preconceived notions of class and welfare. Shown on PBS Masterpiece.
Starring Hayley Atwell, Philippa Coulthard, Matthew Macfadyen, Tracey Ullman.
Rated TV-14
Available February 12
Ladies in Lavender (2004)
In this British period drama written and directed by Charles Dance, aging spinster sisters Ursula and Janet discover a young man near death on the beach by their home in a small Cornish fishing village. Taking him in, they discover that he is Andrea, a violinist from Krakow, Poland, who had been swept off an ocean liner on which he was sailing to a fresh start in America. His presence stirs feelings long dormant, and changes the household. The screenplay is based on a 1908 short story by William J. Locke.
Starring Daniel Bruhl, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Natascha McElhone.
Rated PG-13
Available February 4
Mercy Street (Seasons 1 & 2)
It’s 1862 and Mary Phinney, a New England abolitionist, and Emma Green, a Confederate belle, collide at Mansion House, the Green family’s hotel that has been transformed into a Union Army hospital.
Inspired by real events, “Mercy Street” takes viewers beyond the battlefield and into the lives of a distinctive cast of characters — doctors, nurses, contraband laborers and Southern loyalists — realizing the chaotic world of Union-occupied Alexandria, Virginia and the Mansion House Hospital in the early years of the Civil War.
Starring McKinley Belcher III, Suzanne Bertish, Norbert Leo Butz, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Hannah James, Josh Radnor, Gary Cole.
Rated TV-14
Available February 1
My Mother and Other Strangers (2017)
Shot on the stunningly beautiful Ards Peninsula in Northern Ireland, “My Mother and Other Strangers” portrays the culture clash when a U.S. bomber base is established near the fictional village of Moybeg in 1943, bringing hundreds of gum-chewing, swing-band-listening American airmen to a remote Ulster farming community, with its winsome women and stolid workingmen. Shown on PBS Masterpiece.
Starring Hattie Morahan, Owen McDonnell, Aaron Staton, Ciarán Hinds, Michael Nevin.
Rated 13+
Available February 12
The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (2012)
One night in Victorian Melbourne, two gentlemen board a hanson cab… but only one emerges alive. A classic whodunnit adapted from the best-selling book of the same name by Fergus Hume, “The Mystery of a Hansom Cab” is a human story of jealousy, blackmail, self-made men, frustrated ambitions and secrecy.
Starring John Waters, Jessica De Gouw, Oliver Ackland, Marco Chiappi, Shane Jacobson.
Rated TV-14
Available February 16
The Return of the Soldier (1982)
Kitty Baldry is a haughty society queen with a tunnelled view of life. Kitty’s complacency is rocked when her husband, Captain Chris Baldry, returns from the front during World War I shell-shocked and suffering amnesia, not knowing who she is, and determined for a reunion with Margaret Grey, a working class lover from his past.
Starring Julie Christie, Sir Alan Bates, Glenda Jackson, Ann-Margret, Ian Holm.
Rated PG
Available February 6
Romeo and Juliet (1968)
Italian director Franco Zeffirelli stunned the screen world when he cast two young unknowns to portray the star-crossed lovers in “Romeo & Juliet,” but it was a gamble that resulted in one of the most popular motion pictures of all time.
Starring Olivia Hussey, Leonard Whiting, Milo O’Shea, Michael York, John McEnery, Pat Heywood, Natasha Parry, Robert Stephens.
Rated PG
Available February 2
The Skin of Sorrow (2010)
A young writer without money receives a strange gift when he was thinking of committing suicide, a talisman that fulfills his wishes. But though his dearest wishes will be fulfilled, life will gradually be reduced with each desire. Based on Honoré de Balzac’s The Wild Ass’s Skin, this is a moving drama beset of joy, despair, madness, excess and love alongside a man whose deepest desire is to live life as its fullest.
Starring Thomas Coumans, Annabelle Hettmann, Julien Honoré, Mylène Jampanoï, Jean-Pierre Marielle.
Rated 18+
Available February 16
The White Princess (Season 1)
“The White Princess” charts one of the most tumultuous times in British history uniquely from the viewpoint of the women waging the battle for power.
In a tale of power, family, love and betrayal, “The White Princess” — adapted from Philippa Gregory’s best-selling novel of the same name — follows up the BBC/Starz miniseries “The White Queen.” Promised in marriage to the newly crowned King Henry VII in hopes that it will unite the Kingdom, Princess Elizabeth (aka Lizzie) instead resents and plots against him. She matches wits and wills with Lady Margaret Beaufort, King Henry VII’s mother, each maneuvering to gain his trust. Meanwhile, Lizzie’s mother, Dowager Queen Elizabeth Woodville, struggles with rumors that her long-lost son Prince Richard is alive — forcing Elizabeth into choosing between her new Tudor husband and the boy who could be her own blood and the rightful York King.
Starring Rebecca Benson, Jacob Collins-Levy, Jodie Comer, Richard Dillane, Michelle Fairley, Kenneth Cranham, Essie Davis.
Rated TV-MA
Available February 1
The Zookeeper (2001)
In a city torn apart by war, a lone zookeeper struggles to keep himself and his animals safe. Sam Neill stars as Jonah Ludovic, a solitary man living out an unstated but remorseful destiny in a city that is steadily being ground up by civil war, artillery bombardments and mass evacuations. Rather than leave the city, Ludovic continues to go to his job at the local zoo — staying on long after the rest of the staff has fled or been killed. Soon, a wounded boy and his mother join him. Now, they must all struggle to survive.
Starring Sam Neill, Gina McKee, Ulrich Thomsen, Om Puri, Marek Vasut, Javor Loznica, Srdjan Simeonovich, Arnost Proschek.
Rated 13+
Available February 27
The following period dramas (and period-inspired titles) are also newly available and included with your Prime membership in February 2021. Click on the titles for more information, to watch trailers where available, and to start streaming full movies or episodes:
February 1: Moulin Rouge (2001), The Prestige (2006), Beowulf (2007), Heart Of Dixie (1989), The Hound Of The Baskervilles (1959). February 4: Red Sorghum (1987), Gladiator (2020), A Year in My Life (2006). February 5: Othello (2007), We Were Soldiers (2002). February 6: Goya’s Ghosts (2006). February 8: Pride and Prejudice (2003), Careful, He Might Hear You (1983). February 9: Hysteria (2012), Swept From The Sea (1998), The Winter’s Tale (2005). February 12: Little Men (1998). February 16: The Warrior Queen Of Jhansi (2019). February 25: Frances (1982), An Innocent Man (2016). February 27: The Rainbow (1989).
Period Dramas New to Prime Video Channels
This section contains period dramas added in December 2020, January and February 2021 (movies and TV series) that are included with add-on Prime Video Channels. If you don’t already subscribe to the channel, follow the link below the film description that says “Available …” to sign up for a free trial.
MASTERPIECE: All Creatures Great and Small (2020)
Based on the beloved autobiographical books by James Herriot, “All Creatures Great and Small” tells the exciting adventures of a veterinarian in 1930s Yorkshire. The series takes place in 1937, when James Herriot, fresh out of Glasgow Veterinary College, follows his dream to become a vet in the magnificent Yorkshire Dales, one of England’s most beloved and beautiful landscapes.
He soon discovers that treating the animals is as much about treating their owners, and the Dales’ farmers are a tough crowd to please. At Skeldale House, James gets to know his newly formed dysfunctional family: his chaotic and erratic boss Siegfried Farnon, his wayward brother Tristan and the shrewd Mrs. Hall, who is endlessly steering the ship. When local beauty Helen Alderson attracts James’s attention, he finds another, more enduring reason to stay in the Dales. 7 episodes
Available January 10, 2021 with PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel
MASTERPIECE: The Long Song (2018)
“The Long Song,” an adaptation of the award-winning novel by Andrea Levy set during the final days of slavery in 19th century Jamaica. The story follows the strong-willed, young slave July on a sugar plantation owned by her odious mistress Caroline Mortimer. When a charming new arrival to the island, Robert Goodwin, becomes the new overseer, July and Caroline are both intrigued by his seemingly revolutionary determination to improve the plantation for the slaves and mistress alike. 3 episodes
Available January 31, 2021 with PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel
MASTERPIECE MYSTERY!: Miss Scarlet & the Duke (2020)
Set in the same 1850’s London society that gave rise to Jack the Ripper, this Victorian detective drama features a fearless, independent heroine played by Kate Phillips (Peaky Blinders). With her inquisitive mind, Miss Eliza Scarlet has always been more interested in running her late father’s detective agency than behaving like a proper lady, much to the chagrin of family friend Inspector William Wellington of Scotland Yard (Stuart Martin, Jamestown). But nothing has prepared her for the dangers she is about to face as a woman in the murder investigation trade. 6 episodes
Available January 17, 2021 with PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel
The Master Butcher (2019)
From the acclaimed novel by Louise Edrich, The Master Butchers Singing Club, comes the adapted historical drama, “The Master Butcher.” After the social and financial destruction caused by World War I in Germany, a German butcher, and former military sniper, attempts to create a better life for himself and his family by moving to the United States. As the family struggles to acclimate to their new surroundings, many unexpected events occur, necessitating their plans and their lives to drastically adapt. In German with English subtitles, original title “Der Club der singenden Metzger.”
Available January 29, 2021 with PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel
MASTERPIECE: Northanger Abbey (2007)
Starring Felicity Jones, a young woman’s penchant for sensational Gothic novels leads to misunderstandings in the matters of the heart, in this Jane Austen adaptation.
Available December 4, 2020 with PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel
True North (2021)
When the future of Quebec was being forged amongst countless plots to seize power and territory, witness the passion of the young trio Seraphin, Donalda and Alexis. Set on the verge of the 20th century, “True North” is the untold story of the colonization of the Laurentian mountain rage in Quebec known as the “Wild West.” The series explores the turbulent period of the settlement and development of this northern region of Canada as the territory wreaks havoc on the new colony and an array of colorful characters try to make their mark. From Walter Presents, in French (Canadian) with English subtitles.
Rated TV-MA
Available January 1, 2021 with PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel
Also see BritBox Adds 75 Period Dramas in December if you have BritBox as an Add-on Channel, and Period Dramas on Acorn TV in 2021 if you have Acorn TV as an Add-on Channel.
New Period Dramas to Rent
This section contains historical, costume and period dramas (movies and TV series) that are newly available to rent on Amazon this season.
Ammonite (2020)
In 1840s England, acclaimed but overlooked fossil hunter Mary Anning works alone on the rugged Southern coastline. With the days of her famed discoveries behind her, she now searches for common fossils to sell to tourists to support herself and her ailing mother. When a wealthy visitor entrusts Mary with the care of his wife Charlotte Murchison, she cannot afford to turn his offer down. Proud and relentlessly passionate about her work, Mary initially clashes with her unwelcome guest, but despite the distance between their social class and personalities, an intense bond begins to develop, compelling the two women to determine the true nature of their relationship.
Starring Kate Winslet, Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Jones, James McArdle, Alec Secareanu, Fiona Shaw.
Rated R for graphic sexuality, some graphic nudity and brief language
Bel Ami (2012)
A penniless soldier seeking his fortune in turn of the century Paris, Georges Duroy’s moves among the wealthy in turn of the century Paris. He soon realizes that it’s not the men that hold the power, but the men’s wives.
Starring Robert Dorian Lough, Robert Pattinson, Holliday Grainger, Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Christina Ricci.
Rated R for some strong sexuality, nudity and brief language
The Black Book of Father Dinis (2018)
A picaresque chronicle of Laura, a peasant maid, and Sebastian, the young orphan in her charge, against a backdrop of overflowing passion and revolutionary intrigue in Europe at the twilight of the 18th century.
Starring Lou de Laâge, Vasco Varela da Silva, Stanislas Merhar, Niels Schneider, Jenna Thiam, Victoria Guerra.
Rated 13+
Sweet Land (2005)
When Inge Altenberg, a young German woman, arrives in rural Minnesota, she meets Norwegian farmer Olaf Torvik, a fellow immigrant. Olaf’s parents in Norway have arranged for the two to marry, but problems arise when she doesn’t have the proper papers. Despite being unwed, the couple lives and farms together, causing a rift with their community. In the face of considerable hardship, Inge and Olaf toil away and grow closer in the process.
Starring Elizabeth Reaser, Tim Guinee, Lois Smith, Alan Cumming, Patrick Heusinger, Jodie Markell.
Rated PG
New Period Drama DVD Releases
This section contains a selection of historical, costume, and period dramas and other titles of interest that are being released this season to DVD and Blu-ray.
A Call to Spy: As Great Britain’s forces were stretched thin during World War II, Winston Churchill’s Special Operations Executive began to enlist women as spies. Their daunting mission: conduct sabotage and build a resistance. Spymistress Vera Atkins, later the inspiration for Ian Fleming’s Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond franchise, was the chief recruiter for this secret army. Atkins selected two unusual candidates: Virginia Hall, an American journalist from Baltimore with a wooden leg, and Noor Inayat Khan, a wireless officer of Indian descent and an avowed pacifist. Together, they worked to undermine the Nazi regime in France. The courage, sacrifices and grit of these three women helped quell the Nazi occupation – and ultimately turned the tide of the war. Available HERE February 16, 2021
Agatha Christie: Inside The Mind of Agatha Christie / Agatha Christie’s England: Two films about the worlds most successful crime writer. Discover what made Agatha Christie tick and see how the people and places Agatha encountered found themselves immortalized in her huge canon of work. Available HERE January 26, 2021
American Masters: Laura Ingalls Wilder: Prairie to Page: An unvarnished look at the unlikely author whose autobiographical fiction helped shape American ideas of the frontier and self-reliance. A Midwestern farm woman who published her first novel at age 65, Laura Ingalls Wilder transformed her frontier childhood into the best-selling “Little House” series. Read more about it. Available HERE February 16, 2021
Ammonite: In 1800s England, acclaimed but unrecognized fossil hunter Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) works alone on the rugged Southern coastline. With the days of her famed discoveries behind her, she now searches for common fossils to sell to tourists to support herself and her ailing mother. When a wealthy visitor entrusts Mary with the care of his wife Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan), she cannot afford to turn his offer down. Proud and relentlessly passionate about her work, Mary initially clashes with her unwelcome guest, but despite the distance between their social class and personalities, an intense bond begins to develop, compelling the two women to determine the true nature of their relationship. Available HERE January 12, 2021
Dreamland: Margot Robbie stars in this love story set amidst America’s struggle during the Great Depression. Eugene Evans (Finn Cole) dreams of escaping his small Texas town when he discovers a wounded, fugitive bank robber Allison Wells (Robbie) hiding closer than he could ever imagine. Torn between claiming the bounty for her capture and his growing attraction to the seductive criminal, nothing is as it seems, and Eugene must make a decision that will forever affect the lives of everyone he’s ever loved. Read our REVIEW. Available HERE January 19, 2021
Father Brown (Season 8): Set in the early 1950s, while Britain is still suffering through the aftermath of the Second World War, the local priest at St Mary’s Catholic Church in fictional Cotswold village Kembleford often finds himself solving the town’s biggest crimes. Available HERE
Lucy Worsley’s Royal Myths And Secrets, Vol. 1: Join Lucy Worsley on a journey across Europe to visit the incredible locations where royal history was made. From the Spanish Armada to the French Revolution, learn how royal history is a mixture of facts, exaggeration, manipulation and mythology. Read more about it. Available HERE
Martin Eden: Adapted from a 1909 novel by Jack London yet set in a provocatively unspecified moment in Italy’s history, Martin Eden is a passionate and enthralling narrative fresco in the tradition of the great Italian classics. Martin (Luca Marinelli) is a self-taught proletarian with artistic aspirations who hopes that his dreams of becoming a writer will help him rise above his station and marry a wealthy young university student (Jessica Cressy). The dissatisfactions of working-class toil and bourgeois success lead to political awakening and destructive anxiety in this enveloping, superbly mounted bildungsroman. Available HERE January 19
Masterpiece: All Creatures Great And Small: Fresh out of Glasgow Veterinary College, James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) follows his dream to become a vet in the magnificent Yorkshire Dales. He soon discovers that treating the animals is as much about treating their owners, and the Dales farmers are a tough crowd to please. Read more about it. Available HERE February 9, 2021
Masterpiece: The Long Song: Set during the final days of slavery in 19th century Jamaica, follow the trials, tribulations and survival of a plantation slave, July, and her odious mistress, Caroline. Told from Julys perspective as she reflects upon her life, “The Long Song” is a tale of love, hope and defiance in the face of injustice. Read more about it. Available HERE February 16, 2021
Masterpiece Mystery!: Miss Scarlet and the Duke: With her inquisitive mind, Miss Eliza Scarlet has always been more interested in running her late fathers detective agency than behaving like a proper lady, much to the chagrin of family friend Inspector William Wellington of Scotland Yard. But nothing has prepared her for the dangers she is about to face as a woman in the Murder Investigation trade. Read more about it. Available HERE February 16, 2021
Secrets of Royal Travel: The British Royal Family are the most well travelled monarchy in history. The Queen alone has been around the world 42 times, clocking up over one million air miles. This series tells the inside story of the monarchy on the move, taking us inside some of the most famous and yet secretive transport in the world. Available HERE
Other Shows You May Also Like
This section contains a curated list of movies and TV series new and are included on Prime, that are NOT period dramas. We think fans of historical and costume dramas will enjoy them just the same. Follow the links to watch the trailers. You may also like:
Added in December: Letters To Juliet (2010), Madame (2018), Mad About You (Seasons 1-7), Greenfingers (2001), Blackbird (2020), Little Victorian Secrets (2020), Where The Green Ants Dream (1985), Hope Gap (2020), Ghost (1990), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1991).
Available in January: January 1: Confessions Of A Shopaholic (2009), Erin Brockovich (2000), The Firm (1993), Girl Most Likely (2013), Like a Boss (2020), Love Happens (2009), Love The Coopers (2015), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Ordinary People (1980), Premonition (2007), Pride (2007), Regarding Henry (1991), St. Elmo’s Fire (1985), Starman (1984), The Truman Show (1998), When A Man Loves A Woman (1994). January 3: The Magic Of Belle Isle (2012). January 5: Finding Joy (2018), The Gilded Cage (2013). January 7: Kirby Allison Gentlemen’s Tour: Exploring The World Of Quality, Craftsmanship And Tradition (2019). January 8: Herself (2020). January 13: Britain’s Hidden Villages (2014). January 15: Country Walks with Craig Duncan (2021).
Available in February: February 1: Notes On A Scandal (2006). February 4: QB VII (1974). February 5: Bliss (2021). February 8: Crimes of the Heart (1986). February 12: The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021). February 25: Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony (1999) PBS.
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to see The Period Films List, with the best British period dramas, historical and costume movies and TV series sorted by era.
M Taylor
February 7, 2021 at 5:09 pm (3 years ago)No comment