What kind of posts will you find here?
Short information about historical films;
reviews based on critics' reception;
personal reviews and recommendations;
fact & fiction in period pieces - judging how historically accurate the films & tv series are based on facts and historians' research;
book adaptations comparison;
guest posts.
Why was the blog created?
Originally, HistoricaDrama was supposed to be a data base of all historical period films & tv series - possibly with reviews and recommendations, interesting facts about the films, actors, locations, book adaptations etc.
As I started doing some very surface level research on some of the shows I'd seen and wanted to share with people, I realised that I didn't agree with some critics and even general audiences - I didn't find The Duchess quite as incredible as the critics said it was, I don't consider Pride & Prejudice 1995 version the best Jane Austen adaptation ever created, and, unlike the critics say, I find Dangerous Beauty to be one of the most feminist, progressive and meaningful historical films I'd ever seen.
What's the goal?
I want to understand - what makes a period piece 'good' or even 'great' in the eyes of critics, history buffs, period drama lovers and mainstream audiences? We all have different expectations, film and history knowledge - all of it contributes to how we would judge or recommend a film to our friends, colleagues or even on social media. There's personal preference, of course, but I believe it can shift, and there are still many factors worth exploring and talking about when we try to make a judgement of a film.
How loyal is it to its book adaptation? What about historical inaccuracies? Is the dramatic effect worth sacrificing historical authenticity? Why do some pieces get criticised while with others we close our eyes on many mistakes made by filmmakers? Is it even possible to make a 'good' period drama film without playing with facts?
From what I can see, each case is individual, every writer and filmmaker approaches history with their own understanding of how it should be. That's what this blog is about - exploring, what the filmmakers hope to achieve and whether they succeed doing so.
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