My Favorite Period Dramas... On Netflix

I am constantly watching historical films and period pieces, especially ones inspired by my favorite eras: the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. I plan on writing more detailed posts on my favorite films of all time, but for now, I thought I would focus on films and series which are available for you darlings to stream on Netflix. (If I get a positive response from this post, maybe I could write one like this every few months.) If you like vintage costuming, ornate sets, and historic storylines, take a peek at some of these pieces.

Magic City

It's 1959 in flashy Miami, Florida, and the luxurious Miramar Playa Hotel is the place to be and be seen. This series explores the scandals which ensue at the most glamorous establishment in the city, as Fidel Castro takes control of Cuba just offshore. This show is dark, sexy, and has some of the most gorgeous sets and costuming I've seen. 

Changeling
Starring Angelina Jolie as single mother Christine Collins in 1928 Los Angeles, this true story follows her struggles to find her missing son, being a woman in a sexist world, and the corruption of the LAPD in the '20s. This film is a beautifully-shot dark crime drama.

The Immigrant
This film stars Marion Cotillard as Ewa, a beautiful Polish immigrant who travels through Ellis Island with her sister Magda in 1921. Shortly after their arrival, Magda is quarantined due to an illness discovered during a health inspection. Ewa is almost deported, but meets handsome stranger Bruno who bribes an officer for her citizenship and makes promises of a better life. Knowing that Ewa has to make money to get Magda released from Ellis Island, Bruno forces her into prostitution and performing in vaudeville shows.

Mona Lisa Smile
Set at the prestigious all-girls' Wellesley College in 1953, free-thinking art professor Katherine (played by Julia Roberts) inspires her conservative students to challenge the lives they are expected to lead. This film explores the changing roles of women in an era when college students were expected to find a man to marry and assume the duties of the traditional American housewife.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Starring Frances McDormand as down-on-her-luck Guineviere Pettigrew and the adorable Amy Adams as aspiring actress Delysia LaFosse, this light-hearted film follows the hilarities that ensue when our two leading ladies cross paths in 1939 pre-war London. A very cute film. Keep your eyes out for the vintage lingerie show - the costumes and interior decor are to die for!

My Week With Marilyn 
In the summer of 1956, Colin Clark (played by adorable Eddie Redmayne) worked as a production assistant on the set of the Marilyn Monroe film "The Prince and the Showgirl." Driven to exhaustion from work, her new marriage to playwright Arthur Miller, and fighting depression, Marilyn (played by Michelle Williams) takes an R&R with Colin in the British countryside.

Bonnie & Clyde
I've had an infatuation with stories of this couple since I was a young girl. Bonnie Parker (Holliday Grainger) dreams of becoming a Hollywood movie star and having her name in the headlines, while Clyde Barrow (Emile Hirsch) began stealing from a young age in rural Texas. At the height of the Great Depression, Clyde sweeps small-town waitress Bonnie off her feet, and they begin a life of crime together. Although this version isn't at the very top of my list, it's definitely worth watching for the '30s costumes alone.

As always, thank you for reading. Do you have any favorite period dramas?