Highest-Rated Movies about 'Victorian Era', Sort by Popularity

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (2005), The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976), How Green Was My Valley (1941), Hobson's Choice (1954), The Wind in the Willows (1996), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Victorian Era movies.

#1. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)

Storyline: Scientist Dr. Henry Jekyll (John Barrymore) is intelligent and diligent, but also uptight and extremely serious about his work. When his friend, Sir George Carew (Brandon Hurst), takes him to a show featuring the sensual Miss Gina (Nita Naldi), an aroused Jekyll sets out on a quest to separate man's saintly and sinful sides. His experiments succeed, and his evil alter ego, Mr. Hyde, is created. As the doctor uncontrollably alternates between Jekyll and Hyde, danger looms.

Plot Keywords: scientist, friend, dancer, colleague, mr. hyde, dr. jekyll, dark ...

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#2. The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

Storyline: In this silent horror classic, aspiring young opera singer Christine Daaé (Mary Philbin) discovers that she has a mysterious admirer intent on helping her become a lead performer. This enigmatic masked presence is Erik, also known as the Phantom (Lon Chaney), a horribly disfigured recluse who lives underneath the Paris Opera House. When the Phantom takes Christine prisoner and demands her devotion and affection, her suitor, Vicomte Raoul de Chagny (Norman Kerry), sets out to rescue her.

Plot Keywords: phantom, singer, pretty woman, suitor, creepy, tense, paris ...

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#5. How Green Was My Valley (1941)

Storyline: Life is hard in a Welsh mining town and no less so for the Morgan family. Seen through the eyes of the family's youngest, Huw, we learn of the family's trials and tribulations. Family patriarch Gwilym and his older sons work in the mines, dangerous and unhealthy as it is. Gwilym has greater hopes for his youngest son, but Huw has his own ideas on how to honor his father. Daughter Angharad is the most beautiful girl in the valley and is very much in love with Mr. Gruffydd, who isn't sure he can provide her the life she deserves. Times are hard and good men find themselves out of work and exploited by unseen mine owners.

Plot Keywords: father, mother, brother, sister, coal miner, preacher, emotional ...

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#6. Hobson's Choice (1954)

Storyline: 1880s Salford, England. Widowed Henry Hobson, owner and operator of Hobson's Boots, lives with his three adult daughters, Maggie, Alice, and Vicky, in a flat attached to the shop. Henry is miserly, dipsomaniacal, and tyrannical, not allowing his daughters to date since their sole purpose in life is in service to him and the shop (receiving no wages for their services). He changes his mind about Alice and Vicky, for whom he will choose husbands, despite these romantic ones already having chosen the men they would marry if given the opportunity. Henry will, however, not provide them with a dowry, which may prove to be a challenge in finding them men he would consider suitable husbands. Concerning Maggie, he believes her far too useful to him as the overly efficient and organized one to let go, and too old at age thirty for any man to want anyway. Incensed by her father's attitude, Maggie decides she must show him how wrong he is about her being an unmarryingable spinster. As such, she makes a proposal to timid Willy Mossop, the shop's poor, uneducated, and illiterate boot hand (yet best boot maker, apparently better than any boot maker in nearby Manchester), who has known no other professional life than the shop. They enter into a marriage of convenience. Despite the differences in their social classes, Maggie believes she can show her father that she can find a husband while also forcing him to treat Willy better (and by association her) in paying him decent wages, otherwise she will use her wifely influence to convince Willy to take his and her valuable services elsewhere. If their hands are forced, Maggie believes their best weapon is wealthy and particular Mrs. Hepworth, who said she will have no one else but Willy make her boots. Maggie has even taken into consideration what effect her actions will have on her sisters' nuptials, vowing to them that all will be all right in that regard. Although she truly has no idea how her father will react, she also may not have considered Willy, who may already have a life of his own outside the shop. If he does agree, what effect will her plan have on him and his entire being?—Huggo

Plot Keywords: daughter, shoemaker, widower, cheeky, hysterical, quirky, england ...

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#7. The Wind in the Willows (1996)

Storyline: Mr. Toad (Terry Jones) lives in a mansion, but his obsession with motorcars is taking a toll on his finances. He sells his meadow to the sinister Chief Weasel (Antony Sher), but neglects to tell Mole (Steve Coogan), who lives underneath the field in a cozy burrow. After Mole moves in with his friend Rat (Eric Idle), they learn that Toad is in jail and that his lawyer (John Cleese) is no help. The two friends hatch a plan to find their pal Badger (Nicol Williamson) and free Toad from prison.

Plot Keywords: rat, mole, toad, thief, judge, spirited, witty ...

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#9. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Storyline: In the Victorian London, the barber Benjamin Barker is married to the gorgeous Lucy and they have a lovely child, Johanna. The beauty of Lucy attracts the attention of the corrupt Judge Turpin, who falsely accuses the barber of a crime that he did not commit and abuses Lucy later after gaining custody of her. After fifteen years in exile, Benjamin returns to London under the new identity of Sweeney Todd, seeking revenge against Turpin. He meets the widow Mrs. Lovett who is the owner of a meat pie shop who tells him that Lucy swallowed arsenic many years ago, and Turpin assigned himself tutor of Johanna. He opens a barber shop above her store, initiating a crime rampage against those who made him suffer and lose his beloved family.

Plot Keywords: baker, barber, judge, victim, brutal, chilling, madcap ...

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#10. The Railway Children (1970)

Storyline: The film opens in a happy, comfortable upper middle-class home in Edwardian London. One night in 1905, the three children see their father usher two strangers into his study. After an argument he leaves with them and does not return. They and their mother fall on hard times and eventually move to a cottage in the country. Yet they keep their spirits up and find ways to help others. Fascinated by the nearby railway, they wave to the passengers faithfully every day, and their vigilance and courage prevent an accident. Their kindness makes friends of some important people who can help solve the mystery of their missing father.—Paul Emmons <pemmons@wcupa.edu>

Plot Keywords: government official, wife, son, daughter, sister, gentleman, endearing ...

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#12. The Lodger (1944)

Storyline: In late Victorian London, Jack the Ripper has been killing and maiming actresses in the night. The Burtons are forced to take in a lodger due to financial hardship. He seems like a nice young man, but Mrs. Burton suspects him of being the ripper because of some mysterious and suspicious habits, and fears for her beautiful actress niece who lives with them.—John Oswalt <jao@jao.com>

Plot Keywords: serial killer, inspector, singer, maid, lodger, chilling, suspenseful ...

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#13. An Enemy of the People (1978)

Storyline: It's winter in a small southern Norwegian town in the late nineteenth century. After years of struggling, Dr. Thomas Stockmann and his family - his wife Catherine, their young adult daughter Petra, and their two adolescent sons Ejlif and Morten - have returned to town after being away for five years up north, he now well respected and successful as the medical resident of the Health Institute at Kirsten Springs, where he is also a board member. He devised the springs and institute as a center of therapeutic benefits on his own, but developed it with his brother, the town mayor, Peter Stockmann, who is the board chair. They have reinvigorated what was the financially crumbling town. Peter takes credit for giving Thomas this air of respectability, something that has never been important to Thomas, who would rather be seen as a man of conviction in doing the right thing. In this respect, Petra takes after her father. Thomas often writes articles for the local activist newspaper, The People's Daily Messenger, as part of doing the right thing. The Messenger's editor, Hovstad, who is attracted to Petra, sees the mayor as part of a group of townsfolk in positions of power solely for their own benefit - an old boys' club. Thomas' latest article, not yet published and what he wanted to investigate during the springs' off season before tourists start arriving in the spring, concerns the water supply at Kirsten Springs. As he feared, in the board's decision to locate the institute's water supply in the cheapest site and in the process dismissing Thomas' original recommendations, the water is being polluted, contaminated by being located downstream from a tannery. Through the story, Thomas wants to protect the overall public health, and does not want to be seen as a hero or extraordinary in doing so. When Peter finds out about the article, he does whatever he can to quash the story, including fear mongering, intimidation and using the power of being both the mayor and the board chair. His primary concern is increasing the viability of the institute by increasing the number of visitors, while doing as little as possible to increase costs, fixing the water problem, which he is not convinced even exists, being cost prohibitive. Although not his direct motivation, Peter is not averse to ruining Thomas' reputation in the process, making Thomas an enemy of the public which would make it easier to protect his own interests even more.—Huggo

Plot Keywords: doctor, mayor, brother, wife, intense, bleak, small town ...

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#14. Nicholas Nickleby (2002)

Storyline: Young Nicholas (Charlie Hunnam) and his family enjoy a comfortable life, until Nicholas' father (Andrew Havill) dies and the family is left penniless. Nicholas, his sister Kate (Romola Garai) and mother (Stella Gonet) venture to London to seek help from their Uncle Ralph (Christopher Plummer), but Ralph's only intentions are to separate the family and exploit them. Nicholas is sent to a school run by the cruel, abusive and horridly entertaining Mr. Wackford Squeers (Jim Broadbent). Eventually, Nicholas runs away with schoolmate Smike (Jamie Bell), and the two set off to reunite the Nickleby family.

Plot Keywords: young man, mother, sister, uncle, friend, suitor, endearing ...

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#15. The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981)

Storyline: A film is being made of a story, set in 19th century England, about Charles, a biologist who's engaged to be married, but who falls in love with outcast Sarah, whose melancholy makes her leave him after a short, but passionate affair. Anna and Mike, who play the characters of Sarah and Charles, go, during the shooting of the film, through a relationship that runs parallel to that of their characters.

Plot Keywords: actor, actress, paleontologist, brooding, emotional, melodramatic, passionate ...

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