The Period Drama DVD Giveaway

Welcome to the Willow and Thatch Period Drama DVD Giveaway. To help make these challenging times a little easier, 5 people will win 5 of their choices from the following list for this round of the giveaway. The rules have changed a little for this special round: instead of entering here, enter on the Willow and Thatch Facebook Page, and if all 5 of your choices aren’t available, we will substitute something we think you’ll like.

Please read the following carefully, and then see the next section on how to enter.

This page is a living document, so new titles will be added, and others will be removed when they have been won. The first few times you enter, you’ll want to spend some time reading through all of the available movies and TV series. At the start of a new giveaway, we will highlight any just-added titles (in the How to Enter area), which will also be inserted in the list. 

At the end of each short description of a title you’ll see “Read more / watch the trailer.” Click on those words to see ratings, cast information, more plot description and to watch the trailer if it’s available. 

There are two sections with the available DVDs. In the first section, period dramas are listed alphabetically. The second section contains period drama collections. While some of these are new in wrap, the majority are previously viewed and from our private collection, and all are for North American players unless noted.

5 people will win 5 CHOICES this giveaway. Some titles count as one choice, others count as multiple choices. You must include your choices in your comment to be entered into the giveaway. If a title counts as more than one choice, this information follows the title. Please include that in your comment if you select a title that counts as more than one choice. We will make substitutions as needed if another winner has already chosen a title on your list. 

The best way to know when the giveaway is happening is to follow us on Facebook or sign up for our newsletter. Please do not enter until you see “The Giveaway is now OPEN” at the top of the How to Enter section and have checked the entry period that follows these words. Also look for the “giveaway bird” on the righthand sidebar of our website, when you are reading on Desktop or Tablet. 

You will be able to enter on our Facebook page by commenting with your 5 choices in the giveaway post, and before the start of a new giveaway round, all previous comments will be deleted to make it easier for us to keep track of who is entering the current giveaway. Link to our Facebook page is below.

Winners will be announced here and on Facebook, so check back. To make that easy, FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK, and BOOKMARK THIS PAGE. Winners will also be contacted by Messenger on Facebook. You must reply within 1 week or forfeit your win. A list of winners is at the end of the page. Most giveaways will run Sunday – Monday, and will only be open to US and Canada. We believe that the DVDs are in good, playable condition, but no replacements will be made for DVDs that are defective, are undeliverable, or lost in the mail.

How to Enter

The giveaway is now CLOSED. Our winners this round are John Smith, Grace Drury, Katie Sinclair Fowler, Rita Bellanca, and Pat Greene. 

Five (5) winners will be chosen randomly. Open to residents of the United States and Canada only, aged 18 and older. By law, Canadians must state that they are from Canada at the time of entry. If you fail to mention it at the time of entry another winner will be chosen.

You’ll get two chances to win your 5 CHOICES when you publicly share any of our articles from the Willow and Thatch website – including this giveaway – to any of your social networks. You can also share The Period Films List. See the Facebook Giveaway post for more ways to have a second chance. 

Then leave a comment in the Giveaway post on the Willow and Thatch Facebook page with your 5 choices, and saying what you shared, and where (just the platform – Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter – and your profile / account name like ‘Shared on Twitter as @willowandthatch.’). 

If you want just one chance to win, leave a comment under the Facebook post with your 5 choices. (But why not share? Not only will you have another chance at winning, but you will help spread the word about Willow and Thatch. Thank you.)

This round ended Monday, August 10, 2020 at 9:59 PM EST.

If you don’t have Facebook, you can enter by emailing us your choices.

See the Official Rules.  

A

Agatha Christie’s Poirot (The Hollow): Single episode. Poirot stumbles on the murder scene of philandering Dr Christow in a country house as his wife standing next to him with a revolver in her hand. Read more / watch the trailer.

Anna Karenina (2000): Anna Karenina is the young wife of an older husband. She has an affair with the handsome Count Vronsky. By following her desires, Anna complicates her life. PBS Masterpiece. Read more / watch the trailer.

B

Berkeley Square (1998): Three young women from very different backgrounds meet, become friends and share experiences when they all gain positions as nannies in the wealthy households of London’s exclusive Berkeley Square. Read more / watch the trailer.

The Black Stallion (1979): In 1946, shortly after the end of World War II, while traveling with his father, young Alec becomes fascinated by a mysterious Arabian stallion who is brought on board and stabled in the ship he is sailing on. When it tragically sinks both he and the horse survive only to be stranded on a desert island. When finally rescued, both return to his home where they soon meet a once-successful trainer. Together they begin training the stallion to race against the fastest horses in the world. Read more / watch the trailer.

C

The Cazalets (2001): Counts as 5 choices. It’s 1937 and the storm clouds of World War II gather across Europe. Tensions also simmer beneath the seemingly charmed lives of the Cazalet family. While this grand family saga commences during an idyllic summer at the Cazalet’s Sussex country estate, the years that follow will see birth, death, marriage, adultery, dementia, intrigue, and war play significant roles. Based on Elizabeth Jane Howard’s captivating family epic. PBS Masterpiece. Read more / watch the trailer.

D

Days of Heaven (1978): One of the most critically-acclaimed films of all time, this period drama is a moving story about two men who love the same woman. A fugitive from the slums of Chicago, finds himself pitted against a shy, rich Texan for the love of Abby. Read more / watch the trailer.

E

Evita (1996): The riveting true-life story of Eva Peron, who rose above childhood poverty and a scandalous past to achieve unimaginable fortune and fame. Despite widespread controversy, her passion changed a nation forever. Read more / watch the trailer.

I

In the Mood for Love (2000): Two neighbors, a woman and a man, form a strong bond after both suspect extramarital activities of their spouses. However, they agree to keep their bond platonic so as not to commit similar wrongs. Read more / watch the trailer.

I Remember Nelson (1982): Worshipped as a national savior, Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson masterminded the naval victories that thwarted Napoleon’s plans to invade Britain. Yet, in the midst of public adulation, rumors swirled about his private life. Nelson took a friend’s wife as a mistress and even fathered a child by her in secret. What emerges is an unconventional portrait of a complex figure and a study in the effects of fame. PBS Masterpiece. Read more / watch the trailer.

L

The Last Station (2009): A historical drama that illustrates Russian author Leo Tolstoy’s struggle to balance fame and wealth with his commitment to a life devoid of material things. Starring Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren. Read more / watch the trailer.

Les Miserables (2012) DVD + Blu-ray:  After 19 years as a prisoner, Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is freed by Javert (Russell Crowe), the officer in charge of the prison workforce. Valjean promptly breaks parole but later uses money from stolen silver to reinvent himself as a mayor and factory owner. Javert vows to bring Valjean back to prison. Eight years later, Valjean becomes the guardian of a child named Cosette after her mother’s (Anne Hathaway) death, but Javert’s relentless pursuit means that peace will be a long time coming. Read more / watch the trailer.

Love Finds a Home (2009): The final chapter from popular novelist Janette Oke’s “Love Comes Softly” series of books arrives on the screen in a tale of new frontiers. Belinda once again faces decisions about her life that are no less difficult than before. A very unexpected responsibility makes the choice even harder. Read more / watch the trailer.

Love’s Long Journey (2005): The third chapter from popular novelist Janette Oke’s “Love Comes Softly” series of books arrives on the screen in a tale of new frontiers. Missie is pregnant, and it’s time that her and husband Willie strike out on their own and begin life anew. Read more / watch the trailer.

M

Mansfield Park (2007): In one of Austen’s most complex plots, Billie Piper (The Ruby in the Smoke) stars as Fanny Price, who goes to live with prosperous relatives at Mansfield Park. PBS Masterpiece. Read more / watch the trailer.

The Mayor of Casterbridge (1978): Counts as 2 choices. Note: has a minute long bit of damage on the 2nd episode. As an adaptation of a classic, this BBC dramatization of Thomas Hardy’s heart-wrenching novel is remarkably loyal to the original. The incomparable Alan Bates manages to make the mature Michael Henchard, the flawed protagonist, sympathetic, despite his galling youthful misdeeds. Anna Massey is his poignant co-star. Read more / watch the trailer.

The Mission (1986): In this epic, unforgettable film, eighteenth century Spanish Jesuits try to protect a remote South American tribe in danger of falling under the rule of pro-slavery Portugal. The true story of two men – a man of the sword (Robert De Niro) and a man of the cloth (Jeremy Irons). Read more / watch the trailer. 

N

North & South (1975): Counts as 2 choices. In this Victorian era BBC mini-series based on the novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, a young woman is uprooted from her idyllic village in Southern England, has her eyes opened to class warfare in the industrial North, and receives a surprising marriage proposal. Read more / watch the trailer.

North and South (1985): Counts as 2 choices. The Complete Collection. Two friends, one northern and one southern, struggle to maintain their friendship as events build towards the American Civil War. Read more / watch the trailer.

Northanger Abbey (1987): A taste for melodrama from reading too many Gothic novels is almost Catherine Morland’s downfall when she falls in love with Henry Tilney. Invited to stay at Northanger Abbey, she finds evidence of a sinister family secret. A BBC mini-series based on the Jane Austen novel. Read more / watch the trailer.

O

Oliver Twist (1999): In this television mini-series, an orphan named Oliver Twist meets a pickpocket on the streets of London. From there, he joins a household of boys who are trained to steal for their master. PBS Masterpiece. Read more / watch the trailer.

Outlander (Season 1, Volume 1): The first 8 episodes of Season 1. An English combat nurse from 1945 is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743. Read more / watch the trailer.

P

Pearl Harbor (2001): A tale of war and romance mixed in with history. The story follows two lifelong friends and a beautiful nurse who are caught up in the horror of an infamous Sunday morning in 1941. Read more / watch the trailer.

Persuasion (1971): A BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel about lost and found love. Anne is persuaded to reject a proposition of marriage from the man she loves due to his lack of fortune. Years later she is made the offer again. Read more / watch the trailer.

Persuasion (2007): Counts as 2 choices. Jane Austen’s romantic masterpiece in a thrilling new production from the BBC and Masterpiece Theatre. Anne Elliot fell deeply in love with the handsome young naval officer Frederick Wentworth at the age of nineteen. But Anne was persuaded to break off her engagement. Eight years later, Anne has lived to regret her decision. She never stopped loving Wentworth, and when he returns from sea with a fortune and rank, she can only watch as every eligible young woman in the district falls at his feet. Read more / watch the trailer.

Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975): In the early 1900s, Miranda attends a girls boarding school in Australia. One Valentine’s Day, the school’s typically strict headmistress treats the girls to a picnic field trip to an unusual but scenic volcanic formation called Hanging Rock. Despite rules against it, Miranda and several other girls venture off. It’s not until the end of the day that the faculty realizes the girls and one of the teachers have disappeared mysteriously. Based on an acclaimed 1967 novel by Joan Lindsay. Read more / watch the trailer.

The Portrait of a Lady (1968): Counts as 2 choices. A 6-episode BBC adaptation of the Henry James story of a young American woman who enters into a disastrous marriage in 1800s Italy, starring Richard Chamberlain and Suzanne Neve. Best known for his novels the chronicle the passions and missteps of 19th century Americans in Europe, Henry James continues to appeal to modern sensibilities with his deep understanding of character. Read more / watch the trailer.

Pride and Prejudice (1980): A BBC adaptation of the Jane Austen classic. While the arrival of wealthy gentlemen sends her marriage-minded mother into a frenzy, willful and opinionated Elizabeth Bennet matches wits with haughty Mr. Darcy. Read more / watch the trailer.

Pride and Prejudice (1995): The definitive “Pride and Prejudice” and the most successful TV period drama ever. This BBC/A&E co-production pulsates with energy as lively, witty Elizabeth Bennet charms smouldering, haughty Darcy against a backdrop of a picture postcard countryside, small-town assembly rooms and stately English homes. Read more / watch the trailer.

S

Sense and Sensibility (1981): A BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s tale of two devoted sisters with totally differing attitudes to life and love. Filmed on location in the stately homes of picturesque Dorset and Somerset. Read more / watch the trailer.

Sense and Sensibility (1995): Based on Jane Austen’s classic novel, the period drama tells of the Dashwood sisters, sensible Elinor and passionate Marianne, whose chances at marriage seem doomed by their family’s sudden loss of fortune. Read more / watch the trailer.

Sense & Sensibility (2008): Counts as 5 choices. In this BBC / PBS adaptation of Jane Austen’s story, Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve when she falls in love with the charming but unsuitable John Willoughby, ignoring her sister Elinor’s warnings. Elinor struggles to conceal her own romantic disappointment. Will the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love? Includes the movie “Jane Austen Regrets.” Read more / watch the trailer.

Sorrell and Son (1984): Counts as 5 choices. Spanning two decades of tragedy and joy, this faithful adaptation of Warwick Deeping’s best-selling novel tells the story of Stephen Sorrell, a decorated British army officer, who returns home after the First World War to face unemployment, poverty and his wife’s desertion. Determined to educate his son as a gentleman, Sorrell is forced to accept exhausting and demeaning jobs in order to provide him with the best possibilities for a brighter future. PBS Masterpiece. Read more / watch the trailer.

T

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1996): BBC’s adaptation of Anne Bronte’s classic story. In a remote village on the Yorkshire moors, a beautiful widow and her son move into the near-derelict Wildfell Hall. Befriended by a handsome farmer, she remains mysteriously silent about her past and why she is afraid – until she becomes the focus of malicious village gossip. Read more / watch the trailer.

W

The Way We Live Now (2001): Anthony Trollope’s epic tale of Victorian power and corruption captures the turmoil as the old order is swept aside by the brash new forces of business and finance. It is packed with the trials and tribulations of young love, the enduring values of honorable men, the raw energy of one of the most powerful cities in the world, and the greed and corruption that lay below its glittering surface. Read more / watch the trailer.

When Calls the Heart (The Heart of the Community): Single episode of the family-friendly period series set on the frontier. The town carnival is a chance for Elizabeth to raise money for the school and help a young boy connect with his father. Read more / watch the trailer.

Wives and Daughters (1999): BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell’s novel. Set in a richly portrayed society well-stocked with eccentric nobles and gossipy villagers, the story centers around 17-year-old Molly Gibson, the only daughter of a respected country Doctor. Read more / watch the trailer.

Period Drama Collections

The Elizabeth Gaskell Collection (BBC): Counts as 5 choices. Three BBC miniseries adapted from Mary Gaskell’s classic novels. In “Cranford,” a market town in the North West of England is a place governed by etiquette, custom and above all, an intricate network of ladies. It seems that life has always been conducted according to their social rules, but Cranford is on the cusp of change. “North & South” follows Margaret Hale, the daughter of a middle-class parson who uproots the family from rural southern England to start a new life in Milton – a northern mill town in the throes of the industrial revolution. “Wives and Daughters” is set in a richly portrayed society well-stocked with eccentric nobles and gossipy villagers. The well-ordered world of 17-year-old Molly Gibson becomes complicated when her father, a respected country doctor, remarries after many years of widowhood. Read more / watch the trailer.

Masterpiece Classic: Classic English Literature Collection (Volume 1): Counts as 5 choices. With a tradition of great writers stretching back many hundreds of years, England’s reputation as a producer of literary giants is well deserved. Now this incredible collection from PBS brings the lives and work of some of the greatest names in English literature to life in a new and exciting way. Includes Great Expectations, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Northanger Abbey. Read more / watch the trailer.

Masterpiece Classic: Classic English Literature Collection (Volume 2): Counts as 5 choices. Following the success of Classic English Literature Volume 1, PBS is proud to present the Second Volume of this revealing and entertaining look into the work and lives of some of the greatest authors in history. The films include The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Mansfield Park, The Turn of the Screw, and A Room with a View. Read more / watch the trailer.

Masterpiece Theatre’s Family Collection: Counts as 5 choices. PBS Masterpiece mini-series for the whole family include “Carrie’s War,” “Goodbye Mr. Chips,” “Pollyanna,” and “The Railway Children.” Read more / watch the trailer.

Everyone can feel like a winner: use coupon code Willow&Thatch for 10% off “Anne of Green Gables” related products (and more) at ShopatSullivan and the code WILLOWTHATCH for $10 off the Anne of Green Gables Trilogy at GazeboTV, the streaming home of “Anne of Green Gables,” the sequel, and other quality family movies and TV series.

Round 17 winners: John Smith, Grace Drury, Katie Sinclair Fowler, Rita Bellanca, and Pat Greene.

Round 16 winners: Liz Gibson, Patti Villavicencio, Evelyn Morgan. Cara Woods, and Jill Bastian. 

Round 15 winners: Julie Waldron, Tamara O’Callaghan, Holly McCalla, Bridget Narsh, and Becky Rhoads Schick.

Round 14 winners: Christen Hallberg Boyd, Robin Daugherty, Angie Dawn Grogan, Maureen Smyth, and Camille D Green.

Round 13 winners: Robin Erdman, Eve Cadigan, Nanette Franckum Shinkle, Caity Bauer Tobin, and Joseph Hernandez.

Round 12 winners: Aaron Stukey, Kristen Beaudoin, Earl Messer, Elizabeth Simpson, and Divine Missjay.

Round 11 winners: Hayley Nystrom, Carole Gomez, Melissa Merritt, Shelley Quezada, and Ginty Reed Porter. 

Round 10 winner: Pamela L. with “Dances with Wolves,” “Dr. Zhivago,” “Hamlet,” “Romeo and Juliet,” and “Tuck Everlasting.” Congrats!  

Round 9 winner: Earl M. with “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Cinema Paradiso,” “Dead Poets Society,” “Finding Neverland,” and “The Prestige.” Congrats! 

Round 8 winner: Kaylla R. S. with “The Jane Austen Collection,” “Gosford Park,” and “Florence Foster Jenkins.” Congrats!

Round 7 winner: Julie W. with “Little Women,” “Spartacus,” “War Horse,” “When Calls the Heart” (The Heart of the Community), and “When Calls the Heart” (Rules of Engagement). Congrats!

Round 6 winner: Kay E with “Berkeley Square,” “Bomb Girls,” “Gone with the Wind,” “Miracle on 34th Street,” and “Angela’s Ashes.”

Round 5 winner: Howard B. with “Lincoln,” “Seabiscuit,” “Deadwood (Season 1),””Atonement,” and “The King’s Speech.” Congrats! 

Round 4 winner: Forfeited by failure to respond within 2 weeks. 

Round 3 winner: Linda P with “Catherine Cookson Collection.” Congrats! 

Round 2 winner: Lisa W with “Upstairs, Downstairs.” Congrats!

Round 1 winner: John S with “Great Cinema” (15 Classic Films 1), “Great Cinema” (15 Classic Films 2) and “A Christmas Carol.” Congrats!

If you enjoyed this post, wander over to The Period Films List to discover the best historical, costume, and period dramas to watch, all sorted by era and theme.