20 period pieces you should watch

Are you not entertained? Because I am. Ridley Scott's epic about gladiators boasts some of the best fight scenes in cinema. In Russell Crowe, Scott found an underdog worth rooting for, a man who wears his heart on his armored sleeve.

It wouldn't be a period-movies list without Jane Austen, now would it? The woman has written eloquently, beautifully and humorously about the ingredients we now associate with period romances. Costumes? Check. Castles? Check. A matchmaker who eventually finds a match of her own? Duh. This is the source material that started that trope.

More Jane Austen! This might be her best film adaptation ever. Thanks to Emma Thompson's performance as the reserved protagonist and Kate Winslet's performance as the energetic sister, the author's prose comes to life like never before. Those estates! Those fields! Those women! How do they not have a match already? They will. You just have to wait until the end.

A movie so large it can barely fit on the screen. David Lean's epic is truly epic, from the sweeping shots of the desert to the thousands of extras to Peter O'Toole's performance, which brings this flamboyant soldier-adventurer to life.

Speaking of epic, have you seen the 1950s Ben-Hur starring Charlton Heston in the title role? It's the original Fast and Furious, except with chariots instead of sports cars. 

Richard Linklater brings his high-school experience to life with this comedic triumph. You can practically taste the beer and smell the smoke wafting through the frame as a bunch of dudes enjoy their last day of school. And by the end, you actually feel for the characters. It makes for a perfect hangout flick. See it with a bud.

Was there more room on that door? Probably. Does that make this romance any less interesting? Nope. In fact, it just adds to the discussion surrounding James Cameron's film even more.

Lesbian period pieces are all the rage these days, to the point where they're starting to get repetitive. This one doesn't look like the others, however, since there are more perverse tactics at play. One woman will become the Queen's right-hand man and they're going to have to use their right hand to get there.

A teacher gets stuck with a bunch of bratty students over Christmas break at his boarding school. It's a present worse than coal — maybe even worse than the time your grandma got you underwear for Christmas. Actually, it's way worse than that. But what a gift for moviegoers who missed the comedies of Alexander Payne, who delivers his first great film in years.

Casablanca may be remembered for the main characters, but don't forget about the bustling setting around them. Set during World War II, the entire city comes to life thanks to director Michael Curtiz's use of production design.

Lesbians weren't always the main characters of movies, and not long ago, they weren't even allowed to show their affection in public. That's what makes Todd Hayne's romance play like a thriller. If these women are caught having an affair, they may not live to see another day. 

A group of schoolgirls take a trip to the Outback, their white skirts clashing against the phallic-shaped rocks. A few go missing. Without any clues or hints, Peter Weir unfolds a mystery that is haunting, gorgeous, lyrical and confounding. There are no answers and nothing like it. The real question is how Weir could have crafted such a visionary work of art.

Two women are alone on an island that looks like a postcard. One is there to paint the other's portrait, but both study each other's contours, quirks and curves. Eventually they will both be drawn out, sketched by the palpable lines of their sexual connection. The result is a masterful portrait of lesbian desire.

There isn't just one period of Italian history on display, but the bridging of two periods in this monumental work of art. Luchino Visconti was a director who came from an aristocratic background, so it makes sense why he would tell this story of aristocrats losing some of their power and influence during a major war. The film is magnificent and intimate. A steadfast mountain and a light breeze. A movie that is grand in scale yet small in scope. A story that is personal for the director but feels larger than life.

There are no estates in this tale of '60s showbiz, but that doesn't make it any less of a period piece. It's a bygone era come to life thanks to old cars, signs, buildings and two great performances. Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio are movie stars playing movie stars. Or wannabe movie stars, but their charisma remains the same.

Just about every Western is a period piece when you think about it. Through deserts, cowboys, saloons and shootouts, Sergio Leone brings the last days of a bygone era to life with visceral filmmaking, a revenge tale and a harmonica-toting cowboy who plays the era's final, mournful tunes.

The music. The performances. The family. The period setting. Everything in The Sound of Music soars, from the babysitter to the production design that brings this era to life.

Stanley Kubrick may be known for his colder films like The Shining and 2001: A Space Odyssey, but Spartacus is a nice outlier amidst his bleaker work. It's a swords-and-sandals epic that plays like an underdog story, as Kirk Douglas rallies the slaves into rebellion under their Roman masters.

This is some fantastic production design. The design feels authentic to the look of the period and the feel of the characters as two journalists unravel the Watergate scandal that brought down the presidency of Richard Nixon.

The Princess Bride may not take place in a specific time period. It's a fairytale with giants and castles and monsters and swords. But it brings to life that wonderful, magical and mystical time period we as children thought the past might have been — only better. This is something truly great.