Ahistorical drama (alsoperiod drama,period piece or justperiod) is adramatic work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television, which presentshistorical events and characters with varying degrees offictional elements such ascreativedialogue or fictional scenes which aim to compress separate events or illustrate a broader factual narrative. Thebiographical film is a type of historical drama which generally focuses on a single individual or well-defined group. Historical dramas can includeromances,adventure films, andswashbucklers.
Historical drama can be differentiated fromhistorical fiction, which generally present fictional characters and events against a backdrop of historical events. A period piece may be set in a vague or general era such as theMiddle Ages, or a specific period such as theRoaring Twenties, or the recent past.
In different eras different subgenres have risen to popularity, such as thewesterns andsword and sandal films that dominated North American cinema in the 1950s. Thecostume drama is often separated as a genre of historical dramas. Early critics defined them as films focusing on romance and relationships in sumptuous surroundings, contrasting them with other historical dramas believed to have more serious themes. Other critics have defended costume dramas, and argued that they are disparaged because they are a genre directed towards women.[1] Historical dramas have also been described as a conservative genre, glorifying an imagined past that never existed.[2]
Historical drama may include mostly fictionalized narratives based on actual people or historical events, such as thehistory plays ofShakespeare,[3]Apollo 13,The Tudors,Braveheart,Chernobyl,Enemy at the Gates,Les Misérables, andTitanic.[4] Works may include references to real-life people or events from the relevant time period or contain factually accurate representations of the time period.
Works that focus on accurately portraying specific historical events or persons are instead known asdocudrama, such asThe Report. Where a person's life is central to the story, such a work is known asbiographical drama, with notable examples being films such asAlexander,[5]Frida,House of Saddam,Lincoln,Lust for Life,Raging Bull,Stalin, andOppenheimer.
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