Best movies like The Merchant of Venice
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
In 16th century Venice, when a merchant must default on a large loan from an abused Jewish moneylender for a friend with romantic ambitions, the bitterly vengeful creditor demands a gruesome payment instead.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 38000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Italy, Luxembourg, USA
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: sexy, period piece, talky, melancholic, stylized, tense, romantic, political, costume drama, visually stunning
Best tv shows and movies like The Merchant of Venice (2004):
Similar in 83%
Othello (1981)
Plot Summary:
Iago and a comrade-in-arms are outside the Venice home of Desdemona's father, who does not yet know that she has eloped with Othello. Iago confides to his friend -- who had hoped to marry Desdemona -- that he serves Othello to further his own ends. Venice needs Othello to protect its commercial interests in Cyprus where the Turkish fleet is headed. Desdemona insists on going to Cyprus, too. In Cyprus, Iago plots to convince Othello that Desdemona has betrayed him with Cassio. A lot more than political ambition seems to be motivating Iago.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 480
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 195 min
Plot tags: depressing, atmospheric, rough, serious, emotional, realistic
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Similar in 77%
The Royal Siren (2010)
Plot Summary:
Constance, 1410. Marie, daughter of the richest bourgeois of the city, is on the eve of marrying a prestigious lawyer, son of an earl. Although the compromise fills with pride the girl's father, anxious to ennoble, Marie is not just convinced about her fiancé, who she has only seen twice. Her suspicions are confirmed tragically on the eve of the wedding when, after signing the marriage contract, a stranger breaks into the house ensuring that Marie has slept with other men in exchange for gifts, like a vile harlot. From that moment, the life of the girl will give a terrible unexpected turnaround. Alone, with his reputation ruined, she will have no choice to survive than partnering with a prostitute and lying on the roads.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 839
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Germany, Austria, Hungary
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: serious, sincere, suspense, captivating, disturbing, sexy, period piece, realistic, period drama
Similar in 81%
I Capture the Castle (2003)
Plot Summary:
A love story set in 1930s England that follows 17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain, and the fortunes of her eccentric family, struggling to survive in a decaying English castle. Based on Dodie Smith's 1948 novel with the same name.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: touching, atmospheric, stylized, lyrical, semi serious, romantic, period piece, colorful, intense, sex comedy
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Similar in 79%
The Taming of the Shrew (1967)
Plot Summary:
Baptista, a rich Paduan merchant, announces that his fair young daughter, Bianca, will remain unwed until her older sister, Katharina, a hellish shrew, has wed. Lucentio, a student and the son of a wealthy Pisan merchant, has fallen in love with Bianca. He poses as a tutor of music and poetry to gain entrance to the Baptista household and to be near Bianca. Meanwhile, Petruchio, a fortune-hunting scoundrel from Verona, arrives in Padua, hoping to capture a wealthy wife. Hortensio, another suitor of Bianca, directs Petruchio's attention to Katharina. When Hortensio warns him about Katharina's scolding tongue and fiery temper, Petruchio is challenged and resolves to capture her love. Hortensio and another suitor of Bianca, Gremio, agree to cover Petruchio's costs as he pursues Katharina.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Italy, USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: costume drama, clever, humorous, witty, funny, retro, artsy, cult classic, feel good, realistic
Similar in 89%
Twelfth Night or What You Will (1996)
Plot Summary:
Shakespeare's comedy of gender confusion, in which a girl disguises herself as a man to be near the count she adores, only to be pursued by the woman he loves.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Ireland, UK
Duration: 134 min
Plot tags: period piece, stylized, light, feel good, humorous, witty, colorful, cult classic, independent film, realistic
Similar in 90%
Stage Beauty (2004)
Plot Summary:
Humble Maria, who outfits top London theater star Ned Kynaston, takes none of the credit for the male actor's success at playing women. And because this is the 17th century, Maria, like other females, is prohibited from pursuing her dream of acting. But when powerful people support her, King Charles II lifts the ban on female stage performers. And just as Maria aided Ned, she needs his help to learn her new profession.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, USA, Germany
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: period piece, stylized, humorous, semi serious, romantic, costume drama, historical drama, clever, witty, sexual
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Similar in 81%
Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
Plot Summary:
In this Shakespearean farce, Hero and her groom-to-be, Claudio, team up with Claudio's commanding officer, Don Pedro, the week before their wedding to hatch a matchmaking scheme. Their targets are sharp-witted duo Benedick and Beatrice -- a tough task indeed, considering their corresponding distaste for love and each other. Meanwhile, meddling Don John plots to ruin the wedding.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 51000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: romantic, period piece, costume drama, sweet, melancholic, talky, romantic comedy, feel good, humorous, touching
Similar in 82%
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Plot Summary:
Young Shakespeare is forced to stage his latest comedy, "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter," before it's even written. When a lovely noblewoman auditions for a role, they fall into forbidden love -- and his play finds a new life (and title). As their relationship progresses, Shakespeare's comedy soon transforms into tragedy.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 232000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, History, Romance
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: romantic, inspirational, sweet, sexy, period piece, costume drama, feel good, funny, romantic comedy, sentimental
Similar in 82%
Lorna Doone (2000)
Plot Summary:
The year is 1675. England is threatened by religious and political rivalries. King Charles II's Catholic brother, James, is next in line for the throne, but many Protestants put their faith in Charles' illegitimate son, The Duke of Monmouth. On the king's death, conflict is inevitable... Over seven days journey from London, Exmoor is a primitive and lawless area. Here, farmer Jack Ridd lives with his wife Sarah, son John, and two daughters. The only shadow over their simple life is cast by the notorious outlaw family the Doones. The aristocratic Doones were banished from their ancestral lands and now live through looting, theft, and murder. Their brutality is legendary.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: emotional, realistic, serious, captivating, stylized, period piece, costume drama, historical drama, historical romance, epic
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Similar in 77%
Hamlet (2000)
Plot Summary:
Modern day adaptation of Shakespeare's immortal story about Hamlet's plight to avenge his father's murder in New York City.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: meditative, intense, psychological, cynical, serious, atmospheric, clever, fairy tale, spiritual, sweet
Similar in 88%
Othello (1995)
Plot Summary:
The evil Iago pretends to be friend of Othello in order to manipulate him to serve his own end in the film version of this Shakespeare classic.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, melancholic, tense, costume drama, cynical, cult classic, serious, realistic, erotic, light
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Similar in 90%
The Wings of the Dove (1997)
Plot Summary:
Kate is secretly betrothed to a struggling journalist, Merton Densher. But she knows her Aunt Maude will never approve of the match, since Kate's deceased mother has lost all her money in a marriage to a degenerate opium addict. When Kate meets a terminally ill American heiress named Millie traveling through Europe, she comes up with a conniving plan to have both love and wealth.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: sexy, atmospheric, period piece, serious, costume drama, romantic, visual, visually stunning, stylized, retro
Similar in 79%
A Little Chaos (2014)
Plot Summary:
A landscape gardener is hired by famous architect Le Nôtre to construct the grand gardens at the palace of Versailles. As the two work on the palace, they find themselves drawn to each other and are thrown into rivalries within the court of King Louis XIV.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: romantic, light, period piece, melancholic, costume drama, colorful, talky, compassionate, captivating, stylized
Similar in 85%
Restoration (1995)
Plot Summary:
An aspiring young physician, Robert Merivel found himself in the service of King Charles II and saves the life of someone close to the King. Merivel joins the King's court and lives the high life provided to someone of his position. Merivel is ordered to marry his King's mistress in order to divert the queens suspicions. He is given one order by the king and that is not to fall in love. The situation worsens when Merivel finds himself in love with his new wife. Eventually, the King finds out and relieves Merivel of his position and wealth. His fall from grace leaves Merivel where he first started. And through his travels and reunions with an old friend, he rediscovers his love for true medicine and what it really means to be a physician.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: factual, costume drama, intense, serious, captivating, emotional, visually appealing, period piece, sexy, erotic
Similar in 85%
Hamlet (1996)
Plot Summary:
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother remarrying the murderer, his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 242 min
Plot tags: stylized, costume drama, atmospheric, captivating, serious, period piece, epic, fairy tale, sad, visually appealing
Similar in 85%
Hamlet (1990)
Plot Summary:
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, finds out that his uncle Claudius killed his father to obtain the throne, and plans revenge.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA, UK, France
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, realistic, compassionate, bleak, psychological, serious, disturbing, costume drama, fairy tale, stylized
Similar in 84%
Wuthering Heights (1992)
Plot Summary:
Young orphan Heathcliff is adopted by the wealthy Earnshaw family and moves into their estate, Wuthering Heights. Soon, the new resident falls for his compassionate foster sister, Cathy. The two share a remarkable bond that seems unbreakable until Cathy, feeling the pressure of social convention, suppresses her feelings and marries Edgar Linton, a man of means who befits her stature. Heathcliff vows to win her back.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: romantic, gothic, atmospheric, emotional, period piece, heartbreaking, touching, melancholic, costume drama, romantic drama
Similar in 88%
Great Expectations (1998)
Plot Summary:
Loosely based on the Charles Dickens' classic novel, "Great Expectations" is a sensual tale of a young man's unforgettable passage into manhood, and the three individuals who will undeniably change his life forever. Through the surprising interactions of these vivid characters, "Great Expectations" takes a unique and contemporary look at life's great coincidences.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 56000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: romantic, heartbreaking, emotional, sexy, touching, light, melancholic, serious, realistic, erotic
Similar in 82%
Romeo and Juliet (1968)
Plot Summary:
Director Franco Zeffirelli's beloved version of one of the most well-known love stories in the English language. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet fall in love against the wishes of their feuding families. Driven by their passion, the young lovers defy their destiny and elope, only to suffer the ultimate tragedy.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 34000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Italy
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: romantic, sweet, colorful, period piece, emotional, costume drama, atmospheric, erotic, sad, romantic drama
Similar in 87%
Romeo & Juliet (2013)
Plot Summary:
In Verona, bad blood between the Montague and Capulet families leads to much bitterness. Despite the hostility, Romeo Montague manages an invitation to a masked ball at the estate of the Capulets and meets Juliet, their daughter. The two are instantly smitten but dismayed to learn that their families are enemies. Romeo and Juliet figure out a way to pursue their romance, but Romeo is banished for his part in the slaying of Juliet's cousin, Tybalt.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Italy, Switzerland, USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: romantic, dramatic, touching, emotional, realistic, sentimental, disturbing, fairy tale, gothic, sweet
Similar in 84%
Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Plot Summary:
In director Baz Luhrmann's contemporary take on William Shakespeare's classic tragedy, the Montagues and Capulets have moved their ongoing feud to the sweltering suburb of Verona Beach, where Romeo and Juliet fall in love and secretly wed. Though the film is visually modern, the bard's dialogue remains.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 241000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Mexico, Australia
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: romantic, stylized, visual, sexy, emotional, period piece, visually stunning, atmospheric, tense, depressing
Similar in 86%
The Winslow Boy (1999)
Plot Summary:
Early 20th century England: while toasting his daughter Catherine's engagement, Arthur Winslow learns the royal naval academy expelled his 14-year-old son, Ronnie, for stealing five shillings. Father asks son if it is true; when the lad denies it, Arthur risks fortune, health, domestic peace, and Catherine's prospects to pursue justice.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: costume drama, period piece, christian film, clever, witty, talky, sweet, sincere, atmospheric, serious
Similar in 84%
Northanger Abbey (2007)
Plot Summary:
A young woman's penchant for sensational Gothic novels leads to misunderstandings in the matters of the heart.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA, Ireland
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: romantic, costume drama, feel good, realistic, period piece, gothic, psychological, humorous, historical drama, heartbreaking
Similar in 85%
The Age of Innocence (1993)
Plot Summary:
Tale of 19th century New York high society in which a young lawyer falls in love with a woman separated from her husband, while he is engaged to the woman's cousin.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 66000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: touching, costume drama, atmospheric, stylized, period piece, sexy, romantic, emotional, talky, intense
Similar in 80%
Howards End (1992)
Plot Summary:
A saga of class relations and changing times in an Edwardian England on the brink of modernity, the film centers on liberal Margaret Schlegel, who, along with her sister Helen, becomes involved with two couples: wealthy, conservative industrialist Henry Wilcox and his wife Ruth, and the downwardly mobile working-class Leonard Bast and his mistress Jackie.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 35000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Japan, USA
Duration: 142 min
Plot tags: romantic, costume drama, emotional, period piece, stylized, light, melancholic, talky, compassionate, realistic
Similar in 77%
The Portrait of a Lady (1996)
Plot Summary:
Ms. Isabel Archer isn't afraid to challenge societal norms. Impressed by her free spirit, her kindhearted cousin writes her into his fatally ill father's will. Suddenly rich and independent, Isabelle ventures into the world, along the way befriending a cynical intellectual and romancing an art enthusiast. However, the advantage of her affluence is called into question when she realizes the extent to which her money colors her relationships.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 144 min
Plot tags: psychological, intellectual, period piece, costume drama, talky, atmospheric, serious, romantic, stylized, historical drama
Similar in 87%
Maurice (1987)
Plot Summary:
In 1909, Maurice Hall (James Wilby) enters Cambridge, where he befriends wealthy Clive Durham (Hugh Grant). Clive confesses he is sexually attracted to Maurice, who realizes he is a homosexual when he begins to return Clive's feelings. The two embark on an intense but chaste affair to avoid tarnishing Clive's reputation, but eventually the relationship ends, and Clive marries Anne (Phoebe Nicholls). While visiting Clive, Maurice is drawn toward his friend's servant, Alec Scudder (Rupert Graves).
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 140 min
Plot tags: homoerotic, sexy, melancholic, scenic, costume drama, erotic, romantic, period piece, touching, lgbt cinema
Similar in 90%
Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
Plot Summary:
Dangerous Liaisons is the film based on the novel of the same name by Choderlos de Laclos set in 18th century France. Marquise de Merteuil’s asks her ex-lover Vicomte de Valmont to seduce the future wife of another ex-lover of hers in return for one last night with her. Yet things don’t go as planned in this love triangle drama.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 74000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: sexy, costume drama, period piece, sexual, erotic, historical drama, sensual, romantic, atmospheric, suspense
Similar in 86%
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 78%
The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
Plot Summary:
A sumptuous and sensual tale of intrigue, romance and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in European history: two beautiful sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn, driven by their family's blind ambition, compete for the love of the handsome and passionate King Henry VIII.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 119000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: romantic, sexy, costume drama, period piece, stylized, atmospheric, factual, historical drama, sexual, sad