So many frock flicks are biographies, of course, and we can debate endlessly how accurate they are in telling the life stories of their subjects. I think my favorite biopics are a balance of that accuracy with entertainment value — because any person’s life is going to be too complicated to make a perfectly accurate film or TV series. Edits must be made! Another thing I look for, being Frock Flicks, is good and interesting costumes, and in particular, I want to see a progression over time if the movie / show covers a significant era. I don’t expect the actors to look exactly like the subject, but I’d love if the costumes recreate key looks that the subject is known for.
With all that said, here are my top five biopic frock flicks. Click on the titles for my full reviews!
Lillie (1978)
Frida (2002)
Wilde (1997)
Gentleman Jack (2019)
Elizabeth R (1971)
What frock flick biopics do you like?
Jennie Lady Randolph Churchill is one of my favs
I liked that one too & have a deep-dive review here.
Colette (with Keira Knightley) has some nice costumes
Carrington is one that I love and Emma Thompson’s portrayal just draws you in
Carrington has been on my list to review, beautiful but sad!
Yes, I cry every time!
I love l’Allée du Roi about madame de Maintenon (which you reviewed :)
I love all of the ones you listed, but would add Edward the King, The First Churchills, Anne of A Thousand Days, Marshall, The Six Wives of Henry VIII especially KOA and Anne Boleyn episodes, The Winslow Boy and The King’s Speech.
The First Churchills was a defining moment for me as a young teen. I’d love to see it covered here. 40 years of late Stuart costumes and some pretty impressive wigs (and some Whigs too!)
And the incomparable Margaret Tyzack.
What a performance as Princess and later Queen Anne! I could never watch The Favourite as it just seemed to regard all these people as objects of fun. I have read so many of their letters – I can’t stand watching them being “sent up”.
‘La storia vera della signora dalle camelie‘ (The Lady of the Camellias) 1981.
I watched it on line in Italian with small French subtitles (or was it in French with small Italian subtitles… I forget) with gigantic Spanish subtitles that took up half the screen superimposed over them. Ugh! But I wanted to see the fantastic Piero Tosi costumes. It’s supposedly the real story and I could tell what was happening even tho’ it was in 3 languages I don’t understand. Incredibly sad… but I liked the film even in the bizarre form I saw it in.
I still haven’t seen that one, but the costumes are SO BEAUTIFUL.
Elizabeth R, all day, every day.
Amen.
Hallelujah!
If they had an Elizabeth R channel, I was pay to subscribe!
err, would pay* even
it’s called britbox! :-)
Two TNT mini-series hooked me on to frock flicks as a young person (perhaps teen?): A Season of Giants (about Michelangelo and his cohort) and Young Catherine (about Catherine the Great). Much like what you mentioned with Elizabeth R, these costume dramas got me interested in the people they depicted, their respective eras, and frock flicks. I loved Get on Up (the James Brown biopic) and The Doors both of which have time frames that extend beyond FF’s purview. Coco Before Chanel was also very, very good. There are probably more, but those are the only ones I can think of right now. Of the five you listed here, I thought Frida and Wilde were well done. I haven’t watched the others.
Bessie. Queen Latifah is peerless and the costuming is superb.
A lovely choice. I am also rather fond of ‘Wives and Daughters’. I love the book, the series, the acting, the costumes the hair!
Not a biography.
“Wallenstein” (1978) should be on the list. The German series with the best costumes, fine actors although some details are wrong. But it’s German.
“L’Allée du Roi” and “Molière” (1978) are great films too although the second is maybe not so good focussing on the costumes.
The French deffinetly love to produce epic biopics.
I suppose the costuming is good (not my era) but I liked The Electrical Life of Louis Wain because I love the artists work.
Wilde is heartbreakingly good. I completely agree with you too, Stephen Fry is Wilde. It’s been quite a while, but I remember thinking The Libertine was pretty good. I thought it did a good job to humanize John Wilmot outside of just being a bawdy poet.