20th Century Period Pieces on Netflix
Last updated May 05, 2025
The Deep Blue Sea
2011 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsThis remake of the original 1955 film, adapted from a Terence Rattigan play, stars Rachel Weisz as a wedded woman who falls hard for a younger man. Her determination and emotional obsession lead her into tragic conflict with the morals of the day.
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The Snowtown Murders
2011 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsThis grisly thriller is based on the true story of Australia's worst serial killer, John Bunting, and the people he convinced to help him. One of them is teenager Jamie, whose entire family eventually falls under Bunting's dark spell.
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Something in the Air
2012 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsGrowing up in the wake of France's civil crisis of May 1968, Gilles and his teen friends are determined to sustain the partisan passions of that era. But now it's 1971, and Gilles is also beginning to think more about his other aspirations in life.
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A Portrait of James Dean: Joshua Tree, 1951
2012 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsDreamlike vignettes blend biographical and fictionalized elements to present pivotal moments in James Dean's short yet remarkable life, focusing on his experiences as a rising star in Los Angeles circa 1951.
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The Look of Love
2013 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsThis bittersweet biopic chronicles the over-the-top life of Paul Raymond, England's Hugh Hefner, from nightclub mind reader to burlesque impresario. When not putting nude women on stage, he indulges in every excess and nearly destroys his family.
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Neal Cassady
2006 | NR | 2.7 out of 5 StarsNoah Buschel directs this film that dramatizes the real-life fallout Jack Kerouac's landmark novel On the Road had on Neal Cassady (Tate Donovan), the beat generation adventurer who inspired the book's unforgettable wanderer, Dean Moriarty. Struggling to emulate his larger-than-life literary alter ego, Cassady joins Ken Kesey's (Chris Bauer) acid-dropping Merry Pranksters but ultimately sabotages his relationships with Kerouac (Glenn Fitzgerald) and his own family.
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The Tree of Life
2011 | NR | 2.6 out of 5 StarsBrad Pitt and Sean Penn star in Terrence Malick's 1950s adventure about a confused man named Jack, who sets off on a journey to understand the true nature of the world. Growing up in the Midwest with two brothers, Jack has always been torn between his mother's guidance to approach everything he encounters with an open heart and his father's advice to look after his own interests. Now, Jack must find a way to regain purpose and perspective.
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Leslie, My Name Is Evil
2009 | NR | 2.6 out of 5 StarsSheltered, sexually frustrated chemist Perry is thrust headlong into the wildness of the 1960s when he is selected as a jury member in the infamous trial of Charles Manson and becomes obsessed with one of Manson's followers, Leslie Van Houten.
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Multiple Sarcasms
2010 | NR | 2.6 out of 5 StarsIn 1979, architect Gabriel (Timothy Hutton) begins questioning his existence, avoiding work and escaping into the fictional world of movies. When he starts writing a play examining the choices he's made, it creates issues with his family and friends.
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The Casserole Club
2012 | NR | 2.6 out of 5 StarsIn a 1960s suburb, a group of housewives decides to form a recipe club and host dinners with their husbands to see who can make the best casserole. But the competition soon turns to boozy flirtation, and more than recipes end up getting swapped.
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Nine
2009 | NR | 2.5 out of 5 StarsFilm director Guido Contini faces a midlife crisis and struggles to complete his latest movie while juggling relationships with several women -- including his wife, his mistress and his mother -- in this musical based on the Broadway smash.
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Summer Lover
2008 | NR | 2.5 out of 5 StarsRecently married Sappho can't imagine a more perfect union than the passionate relationship she shares with her sensitive husband. That is, until they spend the summer on the Greek island of Lesbos, where Sappho meets the intoxicating Helene.
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Gal Young'Un
1979 | NR | 2.5 out of 5 StarsMarking his first film out of the gate, Victor Nuñez wrote, directed, photographed, edited and produced this Prohibition-era tale about a young drifter (David Peck) who sets his sights on marrying a middle-aged widow (Dana Preu) for her money. His true intentions are painfully obvious to everyone -- including the widow, who's perfectly fine without a man. But that only makes his overtures all the more charming.
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