Films or TV with great period sets

Caduceus · Post by **Caduceus** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 2:08 pm

What are some films/TV with great sets, apart from the obvious ones like Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings?

Plot doesn't matter.

(E.g. Da Vinci's Demons has a terrible plot, but beautiful sets of Renaissance Florence.)

I just love it when the visual setting actually transports you into a different world.

cheese_breath · Post by **cheese_breath** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 2:17 pm

I like sets depicting luxurious living of times gone bye such as Gone with the Wind, Grand Hotel in Somewhere in Time, or Oak Alley in Interview with the Vampire.

edit: I'd add there's also some gorgeous panoramic scenery in Far and Away.

dore · Post by **dore** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 2:27 pm

Downton Abbey, obviously. The Third Man (filmed in Vienna shortly after the end of the war); the same goes for the Bicycle Thief (Rome).

neilpilot · Post by **neilpilot** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 2:27 pm

Man in the High Castle (Amazon)

Purelife304 · Post by **Purelife304** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 2:29 pm

Peaky Blinders

eskouster · Post by **eskouster** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 2:43 pm

Rome (HBO)

Inframan4712 · Post by **Inframan4712** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 2:49 pm

George Gently. Truly delightful to see the old cars/mean streets. The clothes, hair, etc. The subject matter is depressing, but very well done.

canderson · Post by **canderson** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 3:02 pm

Fargo

Bylo Selhi · Post by **Bylo Selhi** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 3:07 pm

TV
Boardwalk Empire
Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries (Australian)
Murdoch Mysteries (Canadian)
The Doctor Blake Mysteries (Australian)
The Knick
The Borgias

Films
Amadeus
The Sting
...and oh, so many more...

123 · Post by **123** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 3:43 pm

I absolutely love the old "Highway Patrol" TV series with Broderick Crawford. Everything is vintage mid 1950's. It was done cheaply at the time and it's a treasure today.

Carlton · Post by **Carlton** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 4:38 pm

"Naked City" TV show. Mostly shot on location in gritty parts of 1950's NYC.

Short opening clip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNYUq2ACpHQ

BahamaMan · Post by **BahamaMan** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 4:48 pm

"Cinderella Man" depicts the 1930s perfectly..... A look at the Great Depression through a Heavyweight Champion.... The Clothes, the Cars -- All from the 1930s. A true story and a Great Film and a great period set!

fourwaystreet · Post by **fourwaystreet** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 5:09 pm

Mad Men
The Americans

Thrifty1 · Post by **Thrifty1** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 5:21 pm

Carol. Upper class 1950's New York City area. I enjoyed the sets more than the plot.

dratkinson · Post by **dratkinson** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 7:42 pm

"Maigret." '50s French detective series occasionally shown as part of PBS International Mysteries series. Recall it being said that filming was done in Poland to get the look of '50s France. Always enjoy seeing the old cars, trains, canal boats.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Maigret

wassabi · Post by **wassabi** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 8:23 pm

Hell on Wheels. On Netflix.
Takes place a few years after the Civil War, centered on the expansion of the railroad to the west coast.

drawpoker · Post by **drawpoker** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 8:33 pm

For films, why not consult the list of who won the Academy Award in that category (set design).
That would surely give you the list (from 1927 anyway) of the best of the best.
I don't know if there is a similar listing for TV shows outstanding set design award winners. ?

joe8d · Post by **joe8d** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 8:38 pm

I just love it when the visual setting actually transports you into a different world.

My favorite type of movie too.

Nicolas · Post by **Nicolas** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 8:40 pm

Barry Lyndon, 1975, director Stanley Kubrick.
Mr. Turner, 2014, director Mike Leigh

whaleknives · Post by **whaleknives** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 9:02 pm

Doctor Zhivago

profnot · Post by **profnot** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 9:25 pm

The Golden Bowl

Dangerous Beauty

marco1910 · Post by **marco1910** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 9:32 pm

I thought the new movie "Carol" was a great production..set in the 1940's..they did a great job in the period..

Gleops2 · Post by **Gleops2** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 9:33 pm

"The Godfather"...

NYC in the 40s, 50s..one scene I particularly liked, that lasted for only seconds.....a Constellation landing in LA when Tom Hagen goes to visit the studio head Woltz...( before the horsehead scene)....

The street scenes in NY remind me of Queens where I used to live long ago-when Michael and Kay are walking along while a car follows slowly.....and the scenes of Italy were gorgeous...The period automobiles, the clothing, the interiors of the houses...

That was a beautifully filmed movie....

nisiprius · Post by **nisiprius** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 10:22 pm

Boardwalk Empire is just breathtaking... before my time of course, but completely convincing.

GerryL · Post by **GerryL** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 2:44 am

Used to be on Netflix but no longer: PBS Cadfael series from the 1990s with Derek Jacobi as former crusader who has become a monk. He solves crimes using only the knowledge and the period (12th century). The sets are appropriately grubby. A real period piece.

blueblock · Post by **blueblock** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 10:34 am

We just watched A Bit of Chaos, which is set in and around Versaille Circa 1700 (so pre-revolution). Gorgeous sets and landscapes, plus Kate Winslet. For ultra-lush sets, try Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, set in the same place some 80 years later, during the collapsing reign of Louis XVI.

We're also working our way through Mr. Selfridge on Netflix streaming. It's set in 1910 and is about the launch of Selfridge's Department Store in London. Think Downtown Abbey but with the focus on the rising merchant class.

Another historical series we really enjoyed, detailing the effects of the Industrial Revolution on a small English town and its environs, is From Lark Rise to Candleford with the wonderful Julia Sawalha.

JupiterJones · Post by **JupiterJones** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 10:36 am

Yeah, definitely Mad Men. They were absolute sticklers for authenticity when they did that show.

Other good TV shows to transport you another era...

Halt and Catch Fire (set during the '80s computer revolution)
Deutschland 83 (also set in the '80s, obviously, but in East/West Germany)
Outlander (set in 1940s England and 1740s Scotland)

Edited to add: Links for all the above-mentioned shows that take you to more info/pics about the set design.

chuckb84 · Post by **chuckb84** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 12:06 pm

Deadwood.

And so fun to hear Al Swearingen totally live up to his last name. Can't wait for the movie.

cheese_breath · Post by **cheese_breath** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 2:08 pm

Veering off my liking for luxurious living of times gone bye I have to nominate A Christmas Story. I was about the same age as Ralphie in the '40s, and it was like living my childhood again... little orphan Annie decoder ring (I had one)... the neighborhood... the school teacher and classroom... Santa's slide in the downtown department store. I had a Red Ryder BB gun too but, praise the Lord, no bunny jammies.

Bylo Selhi · Post by **Bylo Selhi** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 4:12 pm

Don't forget some of this year's Oscar contenders, including e.g.
• The Revenant [spectacular outdoor scenery, undoubtedly because it was filmed in Canada

]
• The Hateful Eight
• Bridge of Spies
• The Danish Girl
• even Star Wars [if you'll consider a piece from a future period]

JupiterJones · Post by **JupiterJones** » Fri Jan 15, 2016 10:48 am

Just thought of another one:

John Adams (HBO miniseries)

t3chiman · Post by **t3chiman** » Fri Jan 15, 2016 1:16 pm

Caduceus wrote:What are some films/TV with great sets ....
... the visual setting actually transports you into a different world.

Name of the Rose. 14th century Italy: architecture, interior lighting, technology, fabrics, haircuts (monastic), even politics. The supporting actors had their 20th century dental work removed, the better to reflect health problems of old age back then. The film is unnerving in some ways; makes you appreciate modern life.

raveon · Post by **raveon** » Fri Jan 15, 2016 6:40 pm

Lawrence of Arabia
Cleopatra
The Fall of the Roman Empire
Rome (TV show)

Ninnie · Post by **Ninnie** » Fri Jan 15, 2016 8:25 pm

TV: Foyle's War

Film: Gosford Park, True Grit (Coen Brothers version)

sconscha · Post by **sconscha** » Fri Jan 15, 2016 8:44 pm

The Last Emperor and The Conformist - both by the great Bernardo Bertolucci!

cheese_breath · Post by **cheese_breath** » Fri Jan 15, 2016 11:26 pm

Ben Hur and The Three Commandments, especially the parting of the Red Sea.

Minnesota97 · Post by **Minnesota97** » Fri Jan 15, 2016 11:33 pm

Gangs of New York. Awesome movie, great cast and amazing acting.

obgraham · Post by **obgraham** » Sat Jan 16, 2016 12:33 pm

Went to see Bridge of Spies last night. I thought their sets were great. Sure, the goof sheet at IMDB points out several errors, such as cars not quite in the correct year, but the atmosphere of the film is very much in keeping with the time frame.

As an added bonus, Mark Rylance gives a superb performance -- where has this man been hiding??

stillnesssage · Post by **stillnesssage** » Sat Jan 16, 2016 3:18 pm

Remains of the day
Mansfield Park
Emma
Pride and Prejudice
The Duchess of Duke Street
Upstairs downstairs
Outlander
Anne of Green Gables
The White Queen
The Patriot
Turn
Home fires
The Tudors
Deadwood
The Count of Monte Cristo
Elizabeth I - the Virgin Queen
The manor house
Master and Commander
Spartacus
Dancing on the Edge
Indian Summer
The West Wing
A Royal affair
When Calls the Heart
Restoration
The Journey of August King
Queen Margot

beardsworth · Post by **beardsworth** » Sat Jan 16, 2016 3:52 pm

If the key criterion is being convincingly transported into another time and place:

Lawrence of Arabia

Sense and Sensibility (Emma Thompson, who also adapted the book for the screenplay)

Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Anna and the King (Jodie Foster, Chow Yun-Fat)

Mutiny On the Bounty (Marlon Brando, Trevor Howard)(also has a fantastic swashbuckling music score)

Cabaret (Liza Minnelli)

Cold Comfort Farm

The Color Purple

David Copperfield (many versions, but I like the one with Daniel Radcliffe in his first major role as the boy David)(other cast members include Maggie Smith as Aunt Betsy Trotwood and Bob Hoskins as Mr. Micawber)

84 Charing Cross Road (Anne Bancroft)(beautiful, intimate, bittersweet story of a struggling American writer who establishes an enduring relationship-by-correspondence with an English used book store during and after WWII)

Fiddler on the Roof

Fried Green Tomatoes

Gandhi (Ben Kingsley)

The Green Mile

The Shawshank Redemption

In the Heat of the Night (Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger)

The King's Speech (Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush)

Last of the Mohicans (Daniel Day-Lewis)

Last Samurai (Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe)

The Miracle Worker (Anne Bancroft and the young Patty Duke)

Mrs. Brown (Judi Dench as widowed Queen Victoria)

any of the Hercule Poirot mystery series with David Suchet
and of the Sherlock Holmes mystery series with Jeremy Brett

A River Runs Through It

Seabiscuit

Seven Years in Tibet (Brad Pitt)

Snow Falling on Cedars (dramatic and atmospheric mystery/love story, set in the Puget Sound area in the years following the WWII internment of Japanese Americans)

The Sting

Young Frankenstein

lostinjersey · Post by **lostinjersey** » Sat Jan 16, 2016 6:56 pm

The Forsyte Saga miniseries captures upper middle class Victorian England in exquisite detail.

EvelynM · Post by **EvelynM** » Sun Jan 17, 2016 9:37 am

Death Comes to Pemberley - on Netflix

>>Death Comes to Pemberley is a three-part British television drama based on the best-selling P.D. James novel of the same name, a murder mystery continuation of the events of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice incorporating the same characters.>>

Ged · Post by **Ged** » Sun Jan 17, 2016 9:59 am

Mr. Turner, a wonderful biopic on the great 19th century proto-impressionist artist J.M.W. Turner.

Geneyus · Post by **Geneyus** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 9:18 pm

neilpilot wrote:Man in the High Castle (Amazon)

You beat me to it. BTW, we're from the same city.

Toons · Post by **Toons** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 10:52 pm

Wizard of Oz

cheese_breath · Post by **cheese_breath** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 11:05 pm

Blade Runner

fidelio · Post by **fidelio** » Fri Jan 22, 2016 9:53 am

didn't notice anyone mention bbc production of agatha christies "poirot." fantastic sets, costumes, steam trains. don't know how they did it on a tv budget. just excellent.