The 18th century is something of a blind spot for Britain’s cultural memory. It can feel like a hazy collection of stuff we may consider pretty boring, but I promise it is an exciting time. If you want to get excited about it (particularly you English students preparing for the Long 18th Century Paper), these films are an amazing place to start. They offer a 20th and 21st century perspective on this time, filling in the gaps of our cultural imagination – and are also having a bit of a revival at the moment, with recent rereleases.

Barry Lyndon (1975)

Barry Lyndon is Stanley Kubrick’s epic period piece about an Irish social climber who stumbles into and out of great wealth across 18th century Europe. It is a 1970s adaptation of a Victorian novel set in the 18th century so its perspective is filtered through these historical contexts. It is an absurdly funny adventure story, but it is also depressing and austere. Redmond Barry, it takes some time to realise, is a walking disaster. He basically ruins the life of everyone he runs into and never stops to think about them. He makes exactly the wrong decision at every turn. Luckily, he has a perfect solution to each disaster he causes: violence. Barry can fight. He doesn’t lose a single fight in the whole movie, and this one skill gets him pretty far up the social ladder. Over the course of three hours, he is transformed from a hopeless romantic into a hopeless drunk.

“These are the early days of the British Empire, and violence threatens to strike from behind every exquisite drape and piece of topiary”

The production is beautiful, maybe the most beautiful of any film I have ever seen. I have post-cards with stills from the film on my wall. The characters are dressed in ridiculous costumes and clown-like makeup. They look like caricatures. They have absurd wealth and dress in an absurd way. Kubrick puts them in vast, elegant and empty rooms. He sets the camera straight on before it erupts into messy, handheld violence. There’s a boxing match in this film where every punch sends the camera reeling. The most famous anecdote about Barry Lyndon is that Kubrick needed to hire cameras from NASA to film the candle-lit scenes. These dark scenes are warm and intimate, crowded with figures which disappear into the gloomy background. The interpersonal drama they frame is so intense – a seduction, an investigation, an accusation – that only when the characters step into the evening air can you finally breathe. These are the early days of the British Empire, and violence threatens to strike from behind every exquisite drape and piece of topiary. It really gets to the texture of this time period: the darkness, the opportunism, the ridiculous wealth.

The Favourite (2018)

The Favourite is a tense period drama about the court of Queen Anne, and is similarly focused on absurdity. Characters race ducks and have secret affairs. There’s spying,  lying, and a lot of sex. I made the mistake of watching this on a plane, which you should probably avoid. This film and Barry Lyndon speak to the sense of risk in the period. Characters move between vulnerable and powerful positions as the stakes rise and they wager their lives on a roll of the dice. There is a lot of literal gambling too, alongside cheating and the breaking of rules. Director Yorgos Lanthimos effectively conveys the feeling of speculation and uncertainty, and raking it in at the expense of others.

“There’s spying, and lying, and a lot of sex”

Amadeus (1984)

Amadeus will not convey the feeling of the 18th century. All the characters speak with American accents, in an American way, and it is distinctly ahistorical. It’s a musical biopic which is pretty uninterested in the actual life of Mozart, but wow, is it a lot of fun. The previous two movies make the 18th century look grotesque. Amadeus makes this culture look actually kind of cool, although the film is really bending the history to get there. It taps into the music and figure of Mozart which onboards you straight away into themes of celebrity and obsession it explores. I don’t really care at all about classical music, and this film made me truly enjoy it! Anyone will recognise Mozart’s music, and anyone will enjoy this. You should watch it! It’s a blast!

So those are my recommendations to anyone interested in diving into this period! Barry Lydon if you want something epic and awe-inspiring, The Favourite for the drama and high-stakes manipulation, and Amadeus for a fun movie night.