Best movies like The Ghosts of Dickens' Past
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
In the 19th century, young Charles Dickens is a promising young writer who is obsessed with material success in his career. His misguided priorities are soon challenged when he encounters a mysterious little girl. That girl takes Dickens on a strange and moving journey in which he is shown the future he could have if he doesn't change his ways and, more importantly, he is shown a better purpose for his writing as a way of speaking for the oppressed who need his help. It is these events and lessons that would inspire Dickens to write an extraordinary Christmas tale that would become his greatest work, A Christmas Carol.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 119
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: independent film
Best tv shows and movies like The Ghosts of Dickens' Past (1998):
Similar in 84%
Trash (1999)
Plot Summary:
Trash is a coming of age drama set amongst the poverty stricken trailer parks of the deep South. In a spiraling tale of hatred, love and loyalty, two teenage friends realize that the only way for each of them to escape their miserable futures is by forever sacrificing the other.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 392
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: independent film
Similar in 77%
Lute: Forge On or Die (1987)
Plot Summary:
In Spain of the 1960s, a poor family of quinquis - a nomadic ethnic group with a tradition as old as that of the gypsises of Spain but with even more obscure origins - have a nomadic life marked by poverty. The son, Eleuterio Sánchez Rodriguez, nicknamed "El Lute", steals some chickens and is condemned to six months in jail. El Lute moves to the slum outskirts of Madrid with his common law wife, Chelo, starting an itinerant life as a peddler of pots and pans and living in a quinqui shantytown. He gradually embarks upon as life of petty criminality, eventually participating in the theft of a jewelry store during which a bystander is killed.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 677
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: social, hood
Similar in 79%
Secrets In The Snow (2012)
Plot Summary:
On this particular Friday morning the students of Eastbrook High are arriving at school to complete their final exams before the Christmas Holiday. But what began as a December snowfall quickly becomes a threatening winter storm, and school is dismissed for the day. The students who are unable to arrange transportation before the storm grows are forced to remain in the school gym. The six familiar strangers are the only students remaining as the outdoor conditions worsen and the doors are locked. Wills are tested, friendships are created, and secrets are revealed as they realize they must rely on each other to make it through the night.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 161
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 86%
By God's Grace (2014)
Plot Summary:
In the tradition of a classic "A Christmas Carol", this film offers many lessons on the importance of giving and the cause and effect our choices have on others.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 241
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 80%
El Lute II: Tomorrow I'll Be Free (1988)
Plot Summary:
This is the story of a man fighting with all his might for his life and his freedom. Eleuterio (”El Lute”) embarks upon an action-packed future, fuelled by the notions of freedom and dreams of living just as his countrymen, ever-growing in his mind. Nothing and no-one can stop him. After escaping the Puerto de Santa María prison, the reunion with his family is just the beginning of what will become an endless escape.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 310
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 79%
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1979)
Plot Summary:
Based on writer Maya Angelou's childhood, this story is about a young girl in the South who is sent to live with her grandmother after her parents divorce.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 327
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 83%
Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story (1995)
Plot Summary:
Actress Mia Farrow's personal life takes a turn for the worse when she engages in a long relationship with Woody Allen.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 233
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 240 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 76%
Barry (2016)
Plot Summary:
A biopic of Barack Obama set during his time as a college student in New York City.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: political
Similar in 77%
A Time for Miracles (1980)
Plot Summary:
Elizabeth Bayley Seton, America's first native-born saint and founder of the Sisters of Charity, is the subject of this inspiring biopic. After the tragic death of her husband, Seton converts to Catholicism. Once again, she suffers terrible loss when two of her children die, but goes on to found the American Sisters of Charity and the first American Catholic schools. Seton died in 1826 and was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1975.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 109
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 83%
Eadweard (2015)
Plot Summary:
In the second half of the 19th century, Eadweard Muybridge, the father of motion pictures, embarks on an obsessive project to record on film "the motion of life" in all of its abundance. His epic quest is eclipsed only by the depth of his jealousy over his beautiful, young wife Flora. As the project progresses, his paranoia over her fidelity consumes him, until questions arise about his son’s paternity, causing him to erupt.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 641
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, educational, period piece
Similar in 88%
The Patricia Neal Story (1981)
Plot Summary:
The actress (Glenda Jackson) recovers from a 1966 stroke with help from friends and her husband, author Roald Dahl (Dirk Bogarde).
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 209
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 89%
Zelda (1993)
Plot Summary:
Biopic about Zelda Fitzgerald, as played by Natasha Richardson.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 141
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Canada, USA
Duration:
Plot tags:
Similar in 75%
A Christmas Carol (1977)
Plot Summary:
"If I could work my will, every idiot that goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips would be boiled with his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly in his heart" So spoke the immortal words of Christmas’ most famous miser, Charles Dicken’s Ebenezer Scrooge. Too mean to join in with the festivities; he sits alone on Christmas Eve. The scene is set for a visitation by the ghost of his late business partner, Marley, now bound to earth by eternal chains and his introduction to the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. For it is they who will take him through his life to face the truth about himself….
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 561
Genere: Drama, Fantasy
Country: UK
Duration: 58 min
Plot tags: spiritual, christmas horror, independent film
Similar in 76%
Christmas Cottage (2008)
Plot Summary:
Inspired by the picturesque paintings of Thomas Kinkade, The Christmas Cottage tells the semi-autobiographical tale of how a young boy is propelled to launch a career as an artist after he learns that his mother is in danger of losing the family home.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, captivating, exciting, suspense, melancholic, semi serious
Similar in 79%
Joni (1979)
Plot Summary:
Based on Joni Eareckson's autobiography. She becomes paralyzed after breaking her neck in a swimming accident at age 17. Trying to cope with her new life, she learns to paint using her mouth and finds strength in her new Christian faith.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 361
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 75 min
Plot tags: christian film, independent film
Similar in 81%
Father Damien (1999)
Plot Summary:
The true story of the 19th century Belgian priest, Father Damien, who volunteered to go to the island of Molokai, to console and care for the lepers.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Belgium, Netherlands, Australia
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: christian film, sincere, uplifting, touching, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 90%
Have a Little Faith (2011)
Plot Summary:
At age 82, Mitch Albom's former rabbi Albert Lewis wants the famous Detroit sportswriter to give his eulogy when the time comes. Albom makes a visit to his former home town in New Jersey, where Rabbi Lewis has served a congregation for about 50 years. Albom doesn't feel worthy, especially since he is no longer a practicing Jew and, in fact, he has married a Christian (who apparently isn't active either). Nevertheless, Rabbi Lewis says he is the one to do the job, and over the next eight years, Albom makes several visits back home and even attends some Sabbath services, where the good rabbi is determined to continue working and inspiring his flock even as his health declines.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 575
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: sincere, captivating, psychological, contemplative, spiritual, uplifting, touching, serious, realistic
Similar in 83%
The Elephant Man (1982)
Plot Summary:
A taped version of the stage play about a hideously deformed 19th-century London man and how he managed to triumph over his disease.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 302
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sincere, uplifting, touching, serious, realistic, talky, psychotronic
Similar in 88%
The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)
Plot Summary:
In 1843, Dickens was a literary rock star, but struggling financially after the slow sales of his previous novel, Martin Chuzzlewit. Seized with the vision of a story that would fire the hearts of humanity, Dickens pitched his publishers A Christmas Carol, but they passed. Desperate, Dickens declared he would publish it himself. Slipping into the world of his novel, he spent the next six weeks laughing and arguing with his characters, acting out scenes like a madman on the streets of London for hours on end. With a powerful performance from Dan Stevens, THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS is a film for all ages about the most iconic Christmas story ever written and the genius behind it. The film also stars Christopher Plummer (The Sound of Music) as Ebenezer Scrooge and Jonathan Pryce (Game of Thrones) as John Dickens.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: Ireland, Canada
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: motivational, thought provoking, feel good, humorous, captivating, psychological, mysterious, period piece, costume drama, historical drama
Similar in 90%
Mark Twain and Me (1991)
Plot Summary:
Dorothy Quick, A young girl befriends the famous writer, Samuel "Mark Twain" Clemans during the final years of his life.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 191
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 85%
Sophia Loren: Her Own Story (1980)
Plot Summary:
Dramatization of the life of Italian actress Sophia Loren who plays herself during adulthood and also that of her mother Romilda Villani.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 187
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 150 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 83%
A Quiet Passion (2016)
Plot Summary:
The story of American poet Emily Dickinson from her early days as a young schoolgirl to her later years as a reclusive, unrecognized artist.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: UK, Belgium, Canada, USA
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: historical drama, costume drama, romantic drama, period drama, queer cinema
Similar in 80%
Papa Hemingway in Cuba (2015)
Plot Summary:
In 1959, a young journalist ventures to Havana, Cuba to meet his idol, the legendary Ernest Hemingway who helped him find his literary voice, while the Cuban Revolution comes to a boil around them.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 84%
Man of God (2021)
Plot Summary:
Exiled unjustly, convicted without trial, slandered without cause. Man of God depicts the trials and tribulations of Saint Nektarios of Aegina, as he bears the unjust hatred of his enemies while preaching the Word of God.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Greece
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: realistic, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, spiritual, smart, disgusting, touching
Similar in 90%
Vincent & Theo (1990)
Plot Summary:
The tragic story of Vincent van Gogh broadened by focusing as well on his brother Theodore, who helped support Vincent. Based on the letters written between the two.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: France, Netherlands, UK, Germany, Italy, USA
Duration: 140 min
Plot tags: psychological, touching, scenic, sexy, cult classic, independent film, atmospheric, serious, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 84%
RKO 281 (1999)
Plot Summary:
A film about the making of Citizen Kane. Orson Welles produces his greatest film, Citizen Kane, despite the opposition of the film's de facto subject, William Randolph Hearst.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: talky, historical drama, sentimental, atmospheric, clever, serious, realistic, stylized, tense, light
Similar in 76%
Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story (2011)
Plot Summary:
Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story is a made-for-TV film starring Australian actress Poppy Montgomery. The film, which was shot in B.C. Canada locations altered to look like British locations, details the journey of struggling single mother J. K. Rowling, her bid to become a published author, and her rise to fame that followed the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The film aired on Lifetime on July 18th and was criticized for being too lacklustre (mainly down to the fiercely private author having no say in the production) but it also shed some light on her personal life and featured scenes such as her highly abusive first husband and the death of her mother. The eponymous J.K. Rowling is the world's first billionaire (in terms of US dollars) author and the films inspired by her books have been the highest grossing films of all time. Poppy Montgomery reportedly got blue contact lenses to play the role of the highly influential author.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sentimental, serious, sincere, touching, realistic, inspirational, art film, ridiculous
Similar in 84%
St. Giuseppe Moscati: Doctor to the Poor (2007)
Plot Summary:
Giuseppe Moscati, Doctor saint of Naples, was a doctor of the early twentieth century, from an aristocratic family devoted his career to serving the poor. The film focuses on the human side, partially leaving aside the spiritual part.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 525
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 200 min
Plot tags: touching, inspirational, sincere, uplifting, sentimental, compassionate, spiritual
Similar in 84%
The Elephant Man (1980)
Plot Summary:
A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man being mistreated by his "owner" as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of great intelligence and sensitivity. Based on the true story of Joseph Merrick (called John Merrick in the film), a severely deformed man in 19th century London.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 254000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: emotional, psychological, touching, surreal, poignant, black and white, sad, heartbreaking, cult classic, harsh
Similar in 86%
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994)
Plot Summary:
Dorothy Parker remembers the heyday of the Algonquin Round Table, a circle of friends whose barbed wit, like hers, was fueled by alcohol and flirted with despair.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: intellectual, clever, witty, talky, heartbreaking, serious, captivating, realistic, cynical, independent film