Romola Garai is an actress who is super talented. She’s done a number of period movies, although fewer these days — I hope she gets back to it! In the meantime, let’s appreciate her beauty and talent:
The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000)
I haven’t seen this, but the 1940s costumes (and hair!) are cute!
Daniel Deronda (2002)
One of the great bustle-era BBC miniseries. Okay, so there’s some Zionism and abusive husbands to get through, but the DRESSES. ARE. AMAZING!! Romola’s character is kind of an anti-hero, although at the same time they do a good job helping you to understand (and empathize) with her motivations.
Nicholas Nickleby (2002)
I saw this version once, thought it was weird, and can’t remember Romola as Kate Nickleby.
I Capture the Castle (2003)
I have raved about my love for this movie multiple times. If you haven’t seen it, GO WATCH IT. Even more importantly, IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE BOOK, DROP EVERYTHING YOU ARE DOING AND READ IT N.O.W.!!!!!
Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004)
I admit to watching this, partially out of nostalgia for the original, and partially because I love Romola! And, shockingly, it wasn’t that cheesy! This one is set in 1950s Cuba, and it’s not a total waste of your time.
Vanity Fair (2004)
A fabulous adaptation of the classic novel, with Romola playing the nice girl foil (Amelia) to anti-heroine Becky Sharp. She does a good job with a milquetoast character, although she isn’t helped by the brown hair.
The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant (2005)
I recently did a thorough review of this one. It’s a fascinating, gripping story set in the late 18th century. Romola plays a real-life convict sent to Australia who has guts of steel!
As You Like It (2006)
I admit to having skipped this Kenneth Branagh-directed Shakespeare adaptation set in the late 19th-century in Japan. It just doesn’t grab me!
Amazing Grace (2006)
Romola plays Barbara Spooner, wife of anti-slave-trade politician William Wilberforce. Her role is mostly that of supportive wife, but she looks greeeeaaaaat in red hair and fabulous hats!
Angel (2007)
Oh god, this movie. It looks good in pictures, BUT THE SCRIPT IS THE MOST CHEESEBALL THING THAT HAS EVER EXISTED. BAAAAAAAAAD.
Atonement (2007)
A sad, sad movie about People With Issues in 1930s-40s England. Romola plays the grown-up version of Keira Knightley‘s younger sister, who has a lot of baggage for one bad decision.
Glorious 39Â (2009)
I want more people to watch this fascinating and unexpected story set just as World War II breaks out in England, so let me just say it has Eddie Redmayne and David Tennant, and if you like psychological thrillers, you’ll LOVE this.
Emma (2009)
I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy this adaptation, as it’s my least favorite (SORRY!!) Austen novel and one that’s been done so many times. But they manage to do a good take on it, Romola is great in the lead role, and they let the story take a bit more time which is always enjoyable.
The Crimson Petal and the White (2011)
Hated the book, LOVED the miniseries. Romola plays a late 19th-century London prostitute who ends up entangled with a middle-class married man.
The Hour (2011-12)
I keep meaning to get back to finishing this series — I saw about 5 episodes and loved it. Romola plays a TV news show producer in 1950s England, while shadowy conspiracies are at play. Bonus hottie Dominic West!
The Great War: The People’s Story (2014)
I haven’t seen it, so all I can tell you is Romola plays suffrage activist Kate Parry Frye.
Suffragette (2015)
Romola has a small part as an upper middle-class suffragist.
Churchill’s Secret (2016)
Haven’t seen it, sorry! Romola plays Winston Churchill’s nurse after he has a stroke in 1953.
What’s your favorite Romola Garai film?
Daniel Deronda, Vanity Fair, I Captured the Castle are my favs. But I loved them all. Churchill’s Secret was interesting.
I love her so much! Daniel Deronda is amazing, and I Capture the Castle is one of my favorite stories of all time!
She is highly underrated as an actress. Love all her work. And definitely, watch The Hour if you have not!
I saw Romola in King Lear a few years back and I have never been able to get over the dress she wore. It was absolutely gorgeous. She is also one of my favorite actresses so it was fun to see her in person.
She’s great in everything. I Capture the Castle (movie AND book) is one of my favorites, and I loved that version of Emma — though Jonny Lee Miller is too close to her in age to be Mr. Knightley! He’s supposed to be 17 years older than her and but they’re really only 10 years apart. The costumes in that version are fabulous, though.
I’ve loved her since Daniel Deronda and I Capture the Castle (weird factoid: written by Dodie Smith who also wrote 101 Dalmatians!!). I was amazed that Romola was so good, so young. And so beautiful. Queenly even, a natural for fabulous costumes.
I love her so much and yet, I haven’t seen half of these!!!! I have some watching to do.
I Capture the Castle is so good I love it! Branagh’s Much Ado About Nothing is perfect, but As you like it is super boring, not worth a watch tbh. Cast was good and even the japanese setting would’ve worked but the movie itself was as funny as the Bible.
Dirty Dancing 2 is my dirty secret, I absolutely adore it. Romola Garai is good as ever and Diego Luna is soo cute. I almost prefer it to the original one
I haven’t thought of the last of the blonde bombshells in so long but I remember really liking it! I should try to find it. Amazing Grace is a favorite, I think she is so good in it and I am excited to try Glorious 39!
I love, love Glorious 39!!! It also has Charlie Cox, looking astonishingly hot. For a while.
Romola has been in a lot of things which I enjoy but for me her stand out roles are The Hour and Emma. Like Kendra Emma is my least favourite Austen novel and of course the one that was always on the English lit syllabus so I studied it more than once which did not help. I disliked the character, Emma until I watched the version mentioned. Romola made her sympathetic, even after she was so nasty to poor Fran/Miss Bates.
She always looked fabulous in The Hour, but every costume she wore looked “unworn” as though she had purchased it the day before. Still small quibble. I loved the costumes in Daniel Deronda, my favourite period of fashion. (probably thanks to growing up watching The Pallisers) I thought Glorious 39 started out well but went in some odd and unconvincing directions. Still maybe time for a re watch if I can find it again.
Will also look out for “I Capture the Castle” as it is so well recommended.
Cheers
Janette
Daniel Deronda is eye porn, I Capture the Castle is knitting porn, and Amazing Grace is Ioan Griffud porn.
Now excuse me, I’m off to look for Glorious 39.
So I love this site but wtf was that Zionism comment about?
Yeah, not good and taints my most favourite blog now :(
It’s a strong theme in George Eliot’s book Daniel Deronda.
I loved her in Daniel Deronda and Emma! The dresses in both are so breathtaking. Daniel Deronda is one of the reasons why I fell in love with the bustle era.
I’ve seen almost all of them. Guess I’m a not-so-closeted Garai fan. ;) Or just a costume-drama-aholic. That works too.
I’ve been so disappointed with most actors/actresses these days. So when someone comes along who is genuinely talented, I fan them like crazy. I like Garai, she is so personable and warm even in her baddie roles. I love that her emotions are so close to the surface.
I, too, love Romola! She is often the most interesting performer on screen, and it’s always a pleasure to see her turn up in a big budget pic. She has such a wonderful period face (nothing whatsoever to do with menses), in that she looks absolutely right in the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries; Kate Winslet is another one with this ability. Very few “it” girls these days would be considered beauties in centuries past.
Like Kendra and many of the commenters here, I have long been a fan of Romola Garai, and I feel that she is very underrated and underused as an actress. I saw “I Capture the Castle” not long after it came out. I LOVED the movie, then fell in love with the book, too. I became a Romola fan from then on which was pretty early in her career. Thank you for this list because I have not seen many of the movies here, and with the exception of “Emma,” I can’t wait to see them. (I love the Gwyneth Paltrow version of “Emma”!)
Here’s a factoid I learned recently about “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights” (which I haven’t yet seen). One of the credited writers was Peter Sagal (host of NPR’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me”). His story was set in Cuba and did not have anything to do with “Dirty Dancing.” If I remember correctly, somebody bought the “idea” and then adapted into in a “Dirty Dancing” franchise movie.
I agree completely with Karen that Romola has the look that fits right in with bygone eras. Last month I attended a Jane Austen Literary Festival. Naturally, some people were in Regency era costumes. There were a few standouts who just had a “look” about them–regardless of the clothes–that marked them out as bygone beauties.