#leslie durrell you will never be famous

[grinchwrapsupreme]

The Durrells was so smart when they made Leslie the family member who winds up fluent in Greek because if it was any other character they would have been able to solve problems before they became plots

[brian-in-finance]

Movie-loving British period drama fans have had a busy year.

With cinemas kept closed for the majority of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, many exciting titles had their release dates postponed, resulting in a year that was jam-packed with new films to watch.

Here, in alphabetical order, is every new British historical and period drama movie from 2021!

What’s it about?

Caitriona Balfe (Outlander), Judi Dench (Skyfall), and Jamie Dornan (50 Shades of Grey) star in this poignant story of love, laughter and loss in one boy’s childhood.

Written and directed by Academy Award nominee Kenneth Branagh, Belfast is set amid the music and social tumult of the late 1960s in Northern Ireland.

What did the reviews say?

“There is a terrific warmth and tenderness to Kenneth Branagh’s elegiac, autobiographical movie about the Belfast of his childhood: spryly written, beautifully acted and shot in a lustrous monochrome, with set pieces, madeleines and epiphanies that feel like a more emollient version of Terence Davies.” ★★★★★ – The Guardian

“It’s a film of formal beauty, letter-perfect performances, complex and textured writing (also from Branagh) and enough comedic one-liners and Van Morrison musical montages to make you forget that you’re watching a drama about seething sectarian hatreds. It will nab an easy best picture Oscar nomination next year.” ★★★★★ – The Times

What’s it about?

Based on actual events, World War II drama Six Minutes to Midnight stars Judi Dench (Casino Royale), James D’Arcy (Broadchurch), Jim Broadbent (War and Peace), and Eddie Izzard (Victoria & Abdul).

In the summer of 1939, influential families in Nazi Germany have sent their daughters to a finishing school in an English seaside town to learn the language and be ambassadors for a future looking National Socialist. A teacher there sees what is coming and is trying to raise the alarm. But the authorities believe he is the problem.

What did the reviews say?

“There’s a fascinating film — a mix of The Beguiled and Picnic at Hanging Rock — trying to escape from this creaky passion project of Eddie Izzard’s.” ★★ – The Times

“Judi Dench and Jim Broadbent co-star in a peculiar blend of spy thriller and Ealing comedy that wobbles tonally but will keep you smiling.” ★★★ – The Telegraph

What’s it about?

Based on Stephen Michael Shearer’s An Unquiet Life, this movie – originally titled An Unquiet Life – stars Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) as Roald Dahl in the early 1960s as the British children’s author struggles to write some of his most famous works. Brian’s note: Sam Heughan (Outlander) plays Paul Newman.

The story focuses on Dahl’s marriage to American actress Patricia Neal, played by The Durrells star Keeley Hawes.

What did the reviews say?

“Hugh Bonneville steps effortlessly into the role of the author, portraying a slightly eccentric yet ultimately grief-stricken man on the brink of a creative jackpot. Due praise must also be awarded to Keeley Hawes whose portrayal of Patricia Neal is equally enthralling.” ★★★★ – The Upcoming

“A well-intentioned biopic about a little-discussed but pivotal moment for both artists. If it’s never transcendent, it at least offers charming child performances, and Hawes is a particularly good fit as Neal. ” ★★★ – Empire

Complete 2021 list: https://britishperioddramas.com/lists/2021-best-new-british-period-drama-movies/

2022 is looking like another exciting year for British period drama fans.

Here, in alphabetical order, are all the new British historical and period drama movies you need to see next year!

What’s it about?

Kenneth Branagh returns as Hercule Poirot in the sequel to 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express.

Based on Agatha Christie’s classic murder mystery novel, Death on the Nile sees Poirot investigate a murder while on a luxury cruise on the Nile River in Egypt.

The all-star cast includes Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Armie Hammer (Call Me By Your Name), Rose Leslie (Downton Abbey), Letitia Wright (Black Panther), Annette Bening (American Beauty), Ali Fazal (Victoria & Abdul), Sophie Okonedo (Christopher Robin), Tom Bateman (Vanity Fair), Jennifer Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous), Dawn French (The Vicar of Dibley), and comedian Russell Brand.

When’s it out?

Death on the Nile will finally sail in to cinemas in February.

What’s it about?

Set in 1862 and based on Emma Donoghue’s 2016 novel, this Irish period drama movie stars Florence Pugh (Little Women), Tom Burke (The Musketeers), Niamh Algar (Deceit), Toby Jones (Dad’s Army), and Ciarán Hinds (The Woman in Black).

The Wonder follows a young girl who stops eating, but remains miraculously alive and well. English nurse Lib Wright is brought to a tiny village to investigate, as tourists and pilgrims flock to witness the girl who is said to have survived without food for months. Is the village harbouring a saint ‘surviving on manna from heaven’ or are there more ominous motives at work?

When’s it out?

The Wonder will premiere on Netflix in 2022.

Complete 2022 list: https://britishperioddramas.com/lists/2022-best-new-british-period-drama-movies/

Remember the last time you didn’t enjoy a British period drama?