I already have a list of period drama series, movies, documentaries and books, that you can easily access, here on the blog.
As I mentioned recently, over the past few weeks, I have really gotten into the International period dramas, and have been in absolute historic fiction heaven. It took me a little to get used to the English subtitles, as it confused me a bit at first. I spent more time reading than seeing what was happening on screen, but I've mastered it now and nothing can hold me back.
Over the last week, I have watched what now has become my favorite of all time, period series. Magnificent Century.
I have watched it twice, and even started it again yesterday. It's THAT brilliant, and I find that each time I watch an episode again, I see or learn something new.
I do plan on adding these to the lists above, but I felt that International Period Dramas, needed a page of their own as well.
So, with that in mind, this will officially become that place, and I'll list below, by country, the different series and where you can watch them, with English subtitles.
I'll continue to update this list, as I watch and find more.
Do yourselves a favor, and watch this fantastic series. It is about the Ottoman Empire, but so well done, so brilliant, that you can't help but become obsessed.
Such a fantastic look at the life of Ottoman Empire Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent.
I don't necessarily agree with the rules and laws of the time, with the harem, the concubines and the way punishments were handed out, but it is quite interesting to learn more about his rise to power and his life.
Sultan Suleyman was the first Sultan to break all tradition and rules, and marry one of his favorite concubines Hurrem Sultan. His family turned against him, his closest confidant betrayed him, one of his sisters tried to kill his wife multiple times, and he eventually orders the execution of his first born son, Prince Mustafa, for betraying him. It is a crazy ride of a show, but you can't stop watching.
Charting the life of Isabella I of Castile, one of the most important women in Spain’s history, Isabel follows her passionate story from childhood to being crowned Queen. From her political struggles within King Henry IV's court to her wedding to Ferdinand of Aragon, the drama encapsulates the passions, emotions and sacrifices of a woman who refused to just be a figurehead and whose outlook was ahead of her time.
Without a doubt, the show of the week to watch, has to be Isabel.
I have had this one on my list for quite a few years, matter of fact, when it was first released in 2012, I made note of it, but over the years, I forgot about it. There are so many wonderful shows, especially historical fiction, that it's often hard to keep track of them all.
However, I watched all 3 Seasons of Isabel, over the past week, and I must add it to my favorites.
It goes without saying that, it is visually stunning, the actors are brilliant, and it brings to life the story of Queen Isabel of Castille, and her husband King Ferdinand II of Aragon.
Even if you are not a history buff, but enjoy historical fiction, this is a must see. Actually, it became a binge for me. I could not stop watching, and practically took my laptop with me everywhere, while I did laundry, while I cooked dinner, when I took a long bubble bath, and I also stayed up quite late watching "just one more episode." We've all been there, and done that right?
Two of my absolute favorite Spanish actors, play the lead. Queen Isabel is played by Michelle Jenner and King Ferdinand by Rodolfo Sancho. Together, they make a stunning couple that really played on the love the King and Queen felt for each other.
Married for 35 years, they ruled over Castille and Aragon, as a force to be reckoned.
One thing that always strikes me in any of these shows, and especially when they stay true to history and facts, is the immense grief and heartache these people went through. The stillbirths, the loss of heirs, the cheating and backstabbing, the attacks on their lives, the constant wars. It is surely a life I would haven't been able to live through......but yet, find completely riveting and fascinating.
If you wish to watch Isabel, you can do so online, with English Subtitles. I only found one website that is currently showing the series
If you enjoyed The Tudors, you will most certainly enjoy this one too.
When you start digging into all this history, and connecting all the King and Queens, it's quite fascinating to see. In the series, we see the lives of Isabel and Ferdinand's children. They had 6 all together, but only 5 survived birth, with only 3 surviving later in life.
The whole purpose of King and Queens marrying, in those days, was to form alliances and to produce heirs, but quite often, the road to a male heir was not as easy as they hoped for. What I loved about Ferdinand is that he loved all his children equally, never once forsaking a daughter just because she was not born male and therefore the heir to the throne, everyone wished for.
Together, they had:
Isabella, John, Joanna, Maria
and Catherine. Isabella and John
died before the Queen without lasting offspring.
Joanna was nicknamed
“Joanna the mad” for her mental instability and married Philip the
Handsome. I swear, this guy made me want to reach through the screen and smack him, multiple times. He was such a horrible man.
Catherine of Aragon first married Arthur Tudor, Prince of
Wales, and then after his death the brother King Henry VIII of England. Who doesn't know about King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon? One of my absolute favorite Tudor marriages.
As with most marriages in those days, the couple usually never met, couldn't stand each other, didn't feel much love between them and there were multiple mistresses in and out of the King's bed.
Ferdinand did cheat on Isabel multiple times, producing a few children outside of the marriage, but he absolutely adored and loved his wife, and eventually gave himself to the marriage completely, and to ruling alongside the woman he not only loved but admired as a strong, powerful queen.
Isabel on the other hand, adored her husband and would not accept any relationship outside of their marriage, but she was fair and just, and her priority was to Castille and her people.
In the show, we also get to learn more about the Portuguese Kingdom, the fights, the wars and so on, which to me was wonderful. I am ashamed to admit that I know more about English Monarchy and history, than I do about my very own Portuguese heritage. I need to remedy that, immediately.
I hope you will give this one a try.
The follow up to this show is called Carlos, Rey Emperador. It follows the story of King Charles, Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand's grandson, who is actually the son of Phillip and Queen Joanna (who was known as Juana La Loca, Joanna the Mad One).
It is also available to watch on WLXET. Also available to watch on RTVE.
Yes weekends are supposed to be for just that, but both Curt and I have been doing so much around the house lately, that we feel our weekends go by, and we don't really sit down and do nothing, or watch movies, or read. We tend to start our Monday mornings, already tired and looking forward to the weekend again.
So this time, we both decided that we were going nowhere, doing nothing, and just relaxing. I don't think we even unlocked the front door.
It's been a wonderful slow weekend. I finished a book, finished a period drama series and even watched a movie too.
There's this sense of accomplishment, even though I did nothing, but I'm sure you understand what I mean.
You know I was watching a really sweet, down to earth family, in Brazil, the other day. And it struck me just how simple their life is, how quiet and full of love and family moments. It made me realize, again, because truly I've been slowly feeling glimpses of this within me.....that we are so caught up on trying to live like everyone else. We want to be like others, live like others, do like others.
It's all about being glamorous, driving the best cars and trucks, going on the best vacations, eating meals that are full of this ingredient and that special seasoning you never use again.
We make everything so complicated, when in actuality, all we need is to live our lives, peacefully, quietly, minding our own business.
I speak for myself here, I wouldn't dare to talk for anyone else, because I don't live anyone else's lives. But it just made me once again think, that I need to just be me, like what I like, enjoy what I enjoy, eat the simple hearty, home cooked meal, that is filling instead of magazine cover worthy.
Days were we drink that simple cup of coffee with a splash of milk, talk with family, have a slice of cake in the afternoon. Read the book we want and enjoy, just because, and not due to the influence of bestsellers or because everyone is talking about it.
I want to watch old shows, family movies, eat popcorn. Have a warm bath at bedtime, and throw on that comfy nightgown that no one else would be caught dead wearing, simply because it's so old fashioned.
And when someone asks what I'm watching on TV, I want to say "Little House on the Prairie", without someone laughing or thinking me silly.
I guess I'm just letting my mind run, at this point. But I think a lot of you will understand me.
Anyway, back to this weekend. It's been just what we needed.
Today I got out all the veggies in my fridge and freezer, that needed using up, and made a delicious Portuguese Veggie Soup for lunch. It is just the way I like it, thick and hearty, and so good. I was going to make dinner as well, but Curt told me not to. So we've been munching on this soup, all day long.
I also had carrots that needed using up, so some went into the soup, and the others went into this divine Carrot and Lemon Cake. So yummy!!!
I will get this recipe up on the blog this week. It's a simple cake, all mixed in the blender. I love recipes like that.
On TV, I watched the first season of Love and Sacrifice. It was so good, oh my word, but the second season has not been put up yet on PBS, and the last episode ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. Hate when that happens, don't you?
It's worth a view though if you're interested. It is Italian but with English subtitles.
and then I also watched the new Emily movie, which tells the story of Emily Bronte, who wrote Wuthering Heights. What a beautiful movie and such a sweet, but sad and tragic story too.
Next on the list, and I'm already on the first episode of Season 1, is Love in Chains.
The series in Russian, so you'll have to watch with English subtitles. It looks really good too. It follows the story of Katerina Verbitskaya. She is raised as a nobleman, and considered the property of a wealthy landowner. However, she falls in love with a nobleman, so you can already imagine the drama that is going to ensue from that.
I'm very much looking forward to this series. I mentioned in a previous post how I am enjoying all these international series. When you get past the language barrier, you quickly realize, that they have some absolutely, visually stunning tv and movies.
As for books, I finished A Feather on the Water by Lindsay Ashford. It was really good. If you enjoy WWII historical fiction, this is a must read.
It tells the story of 3 women, all with different backgrounds and different life stories to tell. They are brought together in Germany, to run a camp for Displaced Persons. In other words, those who survived the concentration camps but have nowhere to go. This is a camp with over 2000 people.
We get to learn more about Kitty, Martha and Delphine, their lives, what they left behind, their struggles trying to help others while trying to help themselves too. They end up finding love, and finding missing family members and
Anyway my friends, I hope your weekend was a relaxing as mine. I will see you all back here in the morning, for our Happy Homemaker Monday.
There are quite a few new International Period Dramas, available to watch. I know that not many enjoy watching these, and that the language can be a barrier, mainly because some also don't like watching shows or movies with subtitles.
I used to be one of those people. If it had subtitles, I wasn't interested. I felt like it confused me, or rather, distracted me from the show and I spent so much time reading the screen, completely missing the people or the action happening.
However, over the past few years, I have fallen in love with some of the best international period dramas, available, which also happen to be foreign language. The subtitles no longer bother me, thankfully.
So, if you, like me, enjoy foreign language series, I have a few for you.
Seaside Hotel (Denmark)
The first one I'll mention is Seaside Hotel, which I talked about a few posts ago. I just binged it and absolutely loved every episode. I'm quite sad that it seemed to have ended abruptly, or rather, without really closing any storylines. I don't know if the show was canceled or if it will ever return. Each season usually had 6 episodes, but the last season had just 5. Weird!!!
Don't let that stop you from watching though, it is quite a wonderful series, taking place in a summer hotel near the beach.
Forbidden from practicing law, a woman prepares an appeal to overturn the court's decision in this true story of Lidia Poët, Italy's first female lawyer.
A Norwegian series. The
sailor Alfred is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean when World War II
breaks out. Suddenly the sailors are in the front of the war, without
any weapons.
Now this one, some of you may not be interested in, as the story surrounds a brothel during World War II, but I think it's still worth taking a look.
The world-shattering events of World War II are told through the eyes of
the people working at and frequenting Madame K’s elite brothel in the
capital city of Tallinn. From Walter Presents, in Estonian with English
subtitles.
Young Maria Theresa is the heiress to the Habsburg Empire, but she’s not
in charge of her own destiny. Must she sacrifice her happiness to the
state? From Walter Presents, in German with English subtitles.
Building a tunnel through the Swiss Alps is an undeniably
earth-shattering event in the 19th century. In the spring of 1873,
people from all over the world come to the village of Goschenen for the
most spectacular construction site of modern times: the tunnel through
the Gotthard. Tunnel of Dreams tells the story of love, friendships, loyalty and uprisings.
If you loved Mr. Selfridge, you'll definitely enjoy this one.
this Italian series takes its inspiration from Emile Zola’s novel, Au Bonheur des Dames, but imagines the department store drama in 1950’s Milan, Italy’s cosmopolitan capitol for fashion. Paradise
is an ensemble drama portraying tightknit relationships between store
employees. After World War II, society is changing, especially
expectations for women.
This acclaimed series follows the life of a young seamstress. In the
months leading up to the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), Sira abandons
Madrid in order to follow the man she loves to Tangier. But things there
do not turn out as she had planned, and she is forced to take charge of
her life. Sira struggles to balance her double life as both a prominent
couturier and an Allied spy.
Maybe you're trying to improve a second language, or learn a new one altogether, or maybe you're just like me and love period pieces so much that it doesn't matter what language they come in.
Last week I mentioned Morocco: Love in Times of War. It is a Spanish speaking period drama available on Netflix. It is so good, but I mean SO good that I literally binge watched in one or two days and I'm hoping really really hard, that a second season is made available.
After I was done with that one I went on the hunt for other period drama series, and what I found was that most of the English ones I've already seen, and the others that I hadn't were all basically international series, Spain, Mexico, Turkey, Poland, Germany, Russia and so forth.
