Best movies like Hammers Over the Anvil
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Set in the summer of 1910 in Australia the film follows the story of 14 year old Alan Marshall (Alexander Outhread) as he stumbles out of childhood towards the exciting yet forbidding world of adulthood. For Alan, despite the effects of polio, there is only one passion in life - to become a great horseman just like his hero, the reclusive horse trainer East Driscoll (Russell Crowe). Alan is one of East's few friends and also one of the few who knows about the affair between East and the aristocratic English woman Grace McAlister (Charlotte Rampling). Things inevitably take a turn towards the tragic when East becomes determined to force Grace to leave her husband and run away with him. Hammers Over The Anvil is an evocative coming of age film from Australian director Ann Turner.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 635
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: Australia
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: erotic, sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, independent film, period piece, period drama
Best tv shows and movies like Hammers Over the Anvil (1993):
Similar in 83%
Proof (1991)
Plot Summary:
The life of a blind photographer who is looked after by a housekeeper is disrupted by the arrival of an agreeable restaurant worker.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Australia
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: witty, melancholic, serious, sincere, psychological, clever, realistic, independent film, cult classic, black comedy
Similar in 83%
First Love (1970)
Plot Summary:
Based on Ivan Turgenev's novella, Erste Liebe is about two young lovers in czarist Russia. One is a 21-year-old woman, the other a young man of sixteen. Things take a tragic turn as the girl (Dominique Sanda as Sanaida) falls in love with the boy's father (Maximilian Schell). This film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in 1970's Academy Awards.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 389
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: West Germany, Switzerland, Hungary
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, touching, serious, realistic, contemplative, stylized, period drama
Similar in 90%
Three (1969)
Plot Summary:
Two college friends, traveling in Europe, find themselves rivals for the attentions of a mysterious woman.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 365
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, realistic, sexual, freeze frame, sexy
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As White as in Snow (2001)
Plot Summary:
Inspired by real-life Elsa Andersson, this mostly fictional movie tells the story of her upbringing as a farmer's daughter, in the early 1900s, who dreams of getting away from the farm and becoming an aviatrix.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 601
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: Sweden, Denmark
Duration: 154 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, period drama
Similar in 84%
Swann in Love (1984)
Plot Summary:
Swann (Jeremy Irons), an eligible bachelor in the best circles of fin-de-siècle Paris, has also some more vulgar but rich friends, the Verdurins. Through them he meets Odette (Ornella Muti), a courtesan, with whom he falls hopelessly in love. She seems to enjoy his company, for which he pays, but considers herself free to socialise and sleep where she pleases, particularly with a rival called de Forcheville. Swann’s passion turns to consuming jealousy, which leads him eventually to accept the social stigma of marrying her. One old friend, the overtly gay Charlus (Alain Delon), stays sympathetic.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, West Germany
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, contemplative, gloomy, sexual, neurotic, sexy, period drama
Similar in 76%
Violets Are Blue... (1986)
Plot Summary:
After fifteen years of traveling around the world Gussie (Spacek), a famous photographer, returns to the Maryland coastal resort where she grew up.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, contemplative, talky, gloomy, crying
Similar in 77%
Serenades (2001)
Plot Summary:
A girl is born to an Aboriginal mother and an Afgan father.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 105
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Australia
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: serious, touching, sincere, captivating, tense, realistic, independent film
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The Woodlanders (1997)
Plot Summary:
The story is set in late 19th century rural corner of South England. The daughter of timber merchant Melbury, Grace, returns to the town after finishing school. Her father now believes she can find a better husband than her childhood sweetheart, woodsman Giles. She marries handsome young doctor Fitzpiers, but soon finds out he's not the man of her dreams and she still loves Giles.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 741
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: costume drama, serious, realistic, independent film, period piece, period drama
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Heading South (2005)
Plot Summary:
A story of three female tourists who visit Haiti, in order to enjoy the sexual nature of the young men.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: France, Canada, Belgium
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, emotional, disturbing, erotic, sexy, captivating, sensual, erotic drama, touching
Similar in 85%
Cactus (1986)
Plot Summary:
A woman who injured her eyes in car accident and a young blind man fall for each other.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 234
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Australia
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: psychological, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, crying, independent film
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Charlotte Sometimes (2002)
Plot Summary:
Michael, a young mechanic, is forced to choose between a daring tryst with an alluring stranger and the habitual comfort of his bittersweet obsession: his beautiful young roommate.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: sincere, sexy, light, captivating, romantic, romantic drama, erotic, serious, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 80%
The Crossing (1990)
Plot Summary:
A single day. To challenge the past. To accept the present. To decide the future. Sam arrives in his home town after 18 months away, hopeful that Meg, the girlfriend he abandoned, will go back with him to the city. His return brings the outside world into the parochial confines of the town, provoking mixed reactions which fuel conflict. Meg, heartbroken when Sam left her, has begun an affair with Sam's friend Johnny. On the eve of Sam's arrival, Johnny asks Meg to marry him. The marriage proposal, along with Sam's unexpected return, forces Meg to choose not only between the two men but also the type of life she wants. The conflicting loyalties and emotions generated by the triangle provide the focus for an array of inter-related characters enmeshed in the life of this country town. There is a feeling of impending tragedy as night falls and Johnny becomes increasingly desparate.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 642
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Australia
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, crying, independent film
Similar in 82%
Basil (1998)
Plot Summary:
A lonely young aristocrat in turn-of the century England struggles to meet the approval of his over-bearing, class-conscious father while trying to please the selfish woman he loves.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: sentimental, serious, realistic, light, sincere, period piece, gothic, crying, independent film, period drama
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Love in the Time of Cholera (2007)
Plot Summary:
In Colombia just after the Great War, an old man falls from a ladder; dying, he professes great love for his wife. After the funeral, a man calls on the widow - she dismisses him angrily. Flash back more than 50 years to the day Florentino Ariza, a telegraph boy, falls in love with Fermina Daza, the daughter of a mule trader.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Mexico, UK, Colombia
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: psychological, sexy, romantic, costume drama, emotional, serious, sentimental, atmospheric, realistic, erotic
Similar in 82%
Ethan Frome (1992)
Plot Summary:
Based on the novel of the same name by Edith Wharton, it is about a husband and wife (Ethan and Zeena), who need an extra hand around the house due to Zeena's debilitated body and constant illness. The young woman who joins them is a beautiful, spirited person. She and Ethan fall in love much to the dismay of Zeena. Written by Jason Ihle.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: emotional, intense, costume drama, sentimental, captivating, serious, realistic, contemplative, independent film, light
Similar in 90%
The Children of the Century (1999)
Plot Summary:
True tale of the tumultuous love affair between two French literary icons of the 19th Century, novelist George Sand and poet Alfred de Musset. But their affair falls apart during an excursion to Venice, Italy where Musset is distracted by drugs and Sand by a handsome doctor.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, sexy, captivating, stylized, erotic, romantic, visual, visually stunning, serious, emotional
Similar in 83%
Bride of the Wind (2001)
Plot Summary:
A biopic of Alma Mahler, the wife of composer Gustav Mahler (as well as Walter Gropius and Franz Werfel), and the mistress of Oskar Kokoschka.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 692
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music, Romance
Country: UK, Germany, Austria
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, captivating, realistic, heartbreaking, visual, visually stunning, independent film, period drama
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Summer in February (2013)
Plot Summary:
The Newlyn School of artists flourished at the beginning of the 20th Century and the film focuses on the wild and bohemian Lamorna Group, which included Alfred Munnings and Laura and Harold Knight. The incendiary anti-Modernist Munnings, now regarded as one of Britain's most sought-after artists, is at the centre of the complex love triangle, involving aspiring artist Florence Carter-Wood and Gilbert Evans, the land agent in charge of the Lamorna Valley estate. True - and deeply moving - the story is played out against the timeless beauty of the Cornish coast, in the approaching shadow of The Great War.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, emotional, retro, historical drama, realistic, stylized, costume drama, period drama
Similar in 89%
Romulus, My Father (2007)
Plot Summary:
It tells the story of Romulus, his beautiful wife, Christina, and their struggle in the face of great adversity to bring up their son, Raimond. It is a story of impossible love that ultimately celebrates the unbreakable bond between father and son.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, captivating, gloomy, entertaining
Similar in 81%
The Great Gatsby (2000)
Plot Summary:
Stock broker Nick Carraway consents to play Cupid for his rich married first cousin Daisy Buchanen and her former love, successful bootlegger and forger Jay Gatsby.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sentimental, captivating, stylized, serious, realistic, gloomy, period drama
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The Waterdance (1992)
Plot Summary:
An oft overlooked film about struggling to deal with paralysis. Author Joel Garcia breaks his neck while hiking, and finds himself in a rehab center with Raymond, an exaggerating ladies man, and Bloss, a racist biker. Considerable tension builds as each character tries to deal with his new found handicap and the problems that go with it, especially Joel, whose lover Anna is having as difficult a time as he is.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, emotional, talky, psychological, sincere, uplifting, thought provoking, independent film, erotic
Similar in 81%
Carrington (1995)
Plot Summary:
The story of the relationship between painter Dora Carrington and author Lytton Strachey in a World War One England of cottages and countryside. Although platonic due to Strachey's homosexuality, the relationship was nevertheless a deep and complicated one. When Carrington did develop a more physical relationship with soldier Ralph Partridge, Strachey was able to welcome him as a friend, although Partridge remained somewhat uneasy, not so much with Strachey's lifestyle and sexual orientation as with the fact that he was a conscientious objector.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, France
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: costume drama, touching, emotional, talky, sexual, historical drama, independent film, sentimental, sincere, atmospheric
Similar in 76%
Talk of Angels (1998)
Plot Summary:
This is the story of a young Irish woman who comes to Spain to escape from the pressures she feels about her impending marriage to a political activist in Ireland. But in Spain in the 1930's, taking a job of governess in a wealthy family, she finds the same kinds of political unrest. In fact, it isn't long before she finds herself attracted to a married man who is similarly involved in the struggle against fascism and Franco. This awakens her to her nature that brings her to such men and resolves for her what she must do about the life she left in Ireland.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 893
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, sentimental, disturbing, independent film
Similar in 83%
Firelight (1997)
Plot Summary:
Firelight is a period romance/drama film written and directed by William Nicholson. It was Nicholson's first, and to date only, film as director.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: uplifting, serious, touching, feel good, sexy, erotic, romantic, emotional, melancholic, realistic
Similar in 80%
My Brilliant Career (1979)
Plot Summary:
A young woman who is determined to maintain her independence finds herself at odds with her family who wants her to tame her wild side and get married.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: Australia
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: independent film, period piece, romantic, historical drama, sentimental, uplifting, touching, feel good, serious, realistic
Similar in 77%
The Heart of Me (2002)
Plot Summary:
Drama set in 1930s London with two sisters, Madeleine married to Rickie, and Dinah, who falls in love with him. Rickie and Dinah begin an affair which is to have repercussions throughout all their lives.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Germany
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, romantic drama, clever, erotic, romantic, spiritual, cult classic
Similar in 75%
Dangerous Beauty (1998)
Plot Summary:
Veronica is brilliant, gifted and beautiful, but the handsome aristocrat she loves, Marco Venier, cannot marry her because she is penniless and of questionable family. So Veronica's mother, Paola, teaches her to become a courtesan, one of the exotic companions favored by the richest and most powerful Venetian men. Veronica courageously uses her charms to change destiny -- and to give herself a chance at true love.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: romantic, sexual, period piece, witty, sexy, costume drama, light, emotional, erotic, dramatic
Similar in 76%
Adore (2013)
Plot Summary:
Lil and Roz are two lifelong friends, having grown up together as neighbors in an idyllic beach town. As adults, their sons have developed a friendship as strong as that which binds their mothers. One summer, all four are confronted by simmering emotions that have been mounting between them, and each find unexpected happiness in relationships that cross the bounds of convention.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 36000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Australia, France
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: sexy, emotional, romantic, erotic, disturbing, sexual, sensual, captivating, controversial, independent film
Similar in 86%
Becoming Jane (2007)
Plot Summary:
A biographical portrait of a pre-fame Jane Austen and her romance with a young Irishman.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 64000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Ireland
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: romantic, touching, costume drama, period piece, sweet, intellectual, emotional, factual, historical drama, romantic drama
Similar in 87%
The Last Station (2009)
Plot Summary:
A historical drama that illustrates Russian author Leo Tolstoy's struggle to balance fame and wealth with his commitment to a life devoid of material things. The Countess Sofya, wife and muse to Leo Tolstoy, uses every trick of seduction on her husband's loyal disciple, whom she believes was the person responsible for Tolstoy signing a new will that leaves his work and property to the Russian people.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: Germany, UK, Russia
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: sentimental, emotional, factual, period piece, touching, melancholic, serious, costume drama, sexy, sweet