Movies and TV shows like Great Expectations 1989
If you like "Great Expectations" you are looking for atmospheric, gothic and melancholic movies or TV shows about / with charles dickens, victorian england, coming of age, social class, literary, unrequited love and ambition themes of Drama genre shot in USA or UK.
Find your next favorite and similar movies in two steps:
1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below).
2. Look for them in the presented list.
Great Expectations (1989)
502
Genre: Drama
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 303 min.
TV show
Story:
Phillip Pirrip, known as Pip, meets a convict or two in a graveyard and sets into motion a series of events that lead him from a comfortable life in his brother-in-law's forge to a mysterious inheritance and his acquaintance with the eerie Miss Havisham, her beautiful ward Estella, and the unusual lawyer Jaggers.
Style:
atmospheric, gothic, melancholic, psychological, bleak, historical drama, period drama, nostalgic
Plot:
charles dickens, victorian england, coming of age, social class, literary, unrequited love, ambition, identity, character study, madness, betrayal, tragedy, haunting, manor, revenge, cemetery, redemption, slow burn, orphan, rags to riches, inheritance, adoption, literature, dialogue driven, costume
Time:
19th century, victorian era, victorian
Place:
london
Most similar movies to Great Expectations
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out period drama, costume drama, historical drama and serious films and TV series with plots about victorian england, costume, literary, society, inheritance, charles dickens and orphan mostly in Drama, History and Crime genres. Some movies like Great Expectations: Our Mutual Friend (1998), The Hardacres (2024), Oliver Twist (1985), The Barchester Chronicles (1982), David Copperfield (1999). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 88 min.
TV show
Story:
Intertwining tales of love, greed, and secret identities in Charles Dickens's 1860s London.
Style:
costume drama, period piece, historical drama, realistic, serious ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
victorian england, charles dickens, inheritance, love, unrequited love, makeover, betrayal, dishonesty, lifestyle, life is a bitch, society, love and romance ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, 1800s, 1860s
Place:
britain, london, england, europe
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
TV show
Story:
The sweeping rags to riches story of the Hardacres, a working-class family in 1890s Yorkshire who strike it rich and move from a grimy fish dock to a vast estate.
Style:
family saga, historical drama, emotional, costume drama, period drama
Audience:
adult
Plot:
working class, rags to riches, domestic drama, class conflict, social climbing, manor, moral dilemma, slow burn, family secret, inheritance, class system, country estate ...
Time:
1890s, victorian era, 19th century
Place:
yorkshire
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story:
'Great Expectations' opens with Pip as a boy (played as an young man by newcomer Douglas Booth, 'The Pillars of the Earth') on the marshes near his home, where he encounters the desperate escapee Magwitch (Winstone). Pip is ...
Style:
historical drama, gothic, atmospheric, costume drama, period piece ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
victorian england, lovers, charles dickens, generosity, destiny, rags to riches, convict, orphan, stranger, society, obsession, hopes ...
Time:
19th century, 1820s, regency period, victorian era
Place:
england, britain, london
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min.
TV show
Story:
Mini-series based on the novel by Charles Dickens.
Style:
atmospheric, gothic, sad, period drama, tragic
Plot:
charles dickens, victorian england, class conflict, coming of age, adaptation, literary, identity, madness, unrequited love, betrayal, ambition, haunting ...
Time:
victorian era, 19th century
Place:
london
Similarity:
66%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama, History
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 55 min.
TV show
Story:
The coming-of-age story of Pip, an orphan who yearns for a greater lot in life, until a twist of fate and the evil machinations of the mysterious and eccentric Miss Havisham shows him a dark world of possibilities. Under the great expectations ...
Style:
period piece, serious, captivating, dramatic, exciting ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
coming of age, orphan, life, literary, social class, traumatic childhood, high society, childhood, grownups, transformation, ambition, identity ...
Time:
1810s, 19th century, victorian era
Place:
london
Similarity:
37%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 360 min.
TV show
Story:
Adaptation of the novel by Charles Dickens.
Style:
bleak, grim, emotional, suspenseful, dark ...
Plot:
charles dickens, literary, poverty, social criticism, justice, identity, class struggle, inheritance, corruption, rescue, kindness, child protagonist ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, 1830s
Similarity:
37%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 385 min.
TV show
Story:
When a crusade against the Church of England's practice of self-enrichment misfires, scandal taints the cosy community of Barchester when their local church becomes the object of a scathing, investigative report.
Style:
costume drama, historical drama, reflective, atmospheric, intellectual ...
Plot:
literary, cathedral, scandal, power struggle, hypocrisy, manipulation, moral dilemma, scheming, family conflict, social satire, corruption, ambition ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era
Place:
britain
Similarity:
35%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 93 min.
TV show
Story:
Charles Dickens' haunting semi-autobiographical tale of a boy who is sent away by his stepfather after his mother dies but manages to triumph over incredible adversities.
Style:
costume drama, period piece, captivating, realistic, serious ...
Audience:
family friendly
Plot:
charles dickens, coming of age, child abuse, stepfather stepson relationship, step parent, manic, orphan, youth, literary, victorian england, rise to the top, life is a bitch ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, 1830s, edwardian era
Place:
england, london, europe, dover england
Similarity:
35%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 300 min.
TV show
Story:
Adaptation of the Dickens novel.
Style:
sentimental, lyrical, historical drama, period drama, wistful
Audience:
adult
Plot:
charles dickens, coming of age, literary, family conflict, social class, character study, friendship, english countryside, bittersweet, resilience, empathy, dialogue ...
Time:
victorian era, 19th century
Similarity:
33%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 196 min.
TV show
Story:
Adaptation of Thomas Hardy's novel.
At a country fair, young hay-trusser Michael Henchard quarrels with his wife Susan, and in a drunken fit decides to auction off his wife and baby to a sailor for five guineas. The next day, realising his ...
Style:
costume drama, captivating, serious, emotional, realistic ...
Plot:
victorian england, tragic hero, haunted by the past, redemption, social relations, rise and fall, family problems, hidden truth, society, betrayal, dishonesty, mayor ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, 1800s
Place:
britain, england
Similarity:
33%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 385 min.
TV show
Story:
Martin Chuzzlewit is an old man with a large fortune and an even larger set of family and friends. A portrait of greed and selfishness, this magnificent adaptation of Dickens' comic masterpiece features an all-star cast.
Style:
costume drama, serious, realistic, captivating, stylized ...
Plot:
charles dickens, victorian england, inheritance, blackmail, literary, tribe, social climbing, social relations, self involved, family relations, dishonesty, intrigue ...
Time:
19th century, 1830s, victorian era
Place:
britain, england, usa
Similarity:
32%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story:
An adaptation of the 1848 novel by William Makepeace Thackeray.
Style:
stylized, atmospheric, costume drama, period piece, historical drama ...
Plot:
social differences, life philosophy, social climbing, british, rise to the top, dysfunctional family, life turned upside down, napoleonic era, female protagonist, unrequited love, heir, time machine ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, georgian era, regency period
Place:
england, britain, london
Similarity:
31%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
TV show
Story:
Chronicles the lives of four generations of an upper-class family of stockbrokers, set against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving late-Victorian world.
Style:
family saga, costume drama, melancholic, tense, bleak ...
Plot:
obsession, jealousy, rejection, character study, gender roles, possessiveness, manipulation, literary, aristocracy, repression, attorney, adaptation ...
Time:
victorian era, 20th century, edwardian era
Place:
london, england
Similarity:
31%
Genre: Drama
Country: Russia
Duration: 55 min.
TV show
Story:
TV miniseries of the Dostoevsky novel.
Style:
atmospheric, serious, costume drama, psychological, realistic ...
Plot:
love triangle, love affair, literary, character study, madness, aristocracy, naivete, scandal, passion, mental illness, moral ambiguity, jealousy ...
Time:
19th century
Place:
russia
Similarity:
30%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 330 min.
TV show
Story:
Adaptation of the Dickens novel.
Style:
tense, costume drama, sentimental, period drama, whimsical
Plot:
charles dickens, social injustice, literary, social satire, child abuse, boarding school, redemption, obese woman, injustice, embezzlement, director, simpleton ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era
Place:
london
Similarity:
28%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min.
TV show
Story:
Adaptation of Catherine Cookson's novel. Set in the 1830s, the film tells the story of 16-year-old Cissie Brodie after the death of parents, and the repossession of the family home. She finds a barren place to live and care for her younger ...
Style:
bleak, melancholic, costume drama, tense, period piece ...
Plot:
pregnancy, baby, rape, orphan, poverty, coming of age, female protagonist, victorian england, aristocracy, class conflict, resilience, siblings ...
Time:
1830s, 19th century, victorian era, georgian era
Place:
britain
Similarity:
28%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story:
London, 1886. Soho shopkeeper Verloc is paid by the Russian Embassy to spy on an anarchist cell. The Russians demand that Verloc orchestrates a bomb attack that will be blamed on the anarchists and provoke a British crackdown
Style:
historical drama, suspenseful, tense, atmospheric, serious ...
Plot:
anarchism, espionage, political intrigue, spy thriller, undercover agent, double life, political manipulation, conspiracy, moral ambiguity, slow burn, urban decay, fatalism ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, 1880s
Place:
london, england
Similarity:
28%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 168 min.
TV show
Story:
Adele Gereth has taken young Fleda Vetch under her wing. Adele is intensely houseproud, and sees a potential future mistress of the house in Freda, and an inheritor of her life's work.
Style:
melancholic, art house, period drama
Plot:
victorian england, country house, domestic drama, materialism, intimate, inheritance, legacy, adaptation, relic, literary, obsession, class differences ...
Time:
victorian era, 1870s
Place:
britain, england
Similarity:
27%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story:
He Knew He Was Right was a 2004 BBC TV adaptation of the Anthony Trollope novel He Knew He Was Right. The mini-series portrays the failure of a marriage caused by the unreasonable jealousy of a husband exacerbated by the stubbornness of a wilful ...
Style:
serious, realistic, stylized, period piece, historical drama ...
Audience:
date night, girls' night
Plot:
victorian england, inheritance, marriage, broken engagement, dishonesty, couple relations, newlyweds, gossip and rumors, diplomat, gossip, insecurity, piano ...
Time:
victorian era, 19th century, 1860s
Place:
britain, england, london, alps
Similarity:
26%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 168 min.
Story:
A young boy called Pip stumbles upon a hunted criminal who threatens him and demands food. A few years later, Pip finds that he has a benefactor. Imagining that Miss Havisham, a rich lady whose adopted daughter Estella he loves, is the benefactor, ...
Style:
period piece, costume drama, serious, emotional, captivating ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
couple relations, charles dickens, social differences, society, rise to the top, hopes, power relations, generosity, passionate love, rags to riches, victorian england, napoleonic era ...
Time:
victorian era, 19th century
Place:
england, london
Similarity:
26%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story:
Set during the final days of slavery in 19th century Jamaica, we follow the trials, tribulations and survival of plantation slave July and her odious mistress Caroline.
Style:
costume drama, disturbing, psychological, captivating, historical drama ...
Plot:
slave girl, plantation, slavery, love affair, maid, black, social problems, male female relationship, relationship problems, female protagonist, victorian england, black man ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, 1830s, regency period
Place:
jamaica
Similarity:
25%
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 200 min.
TV show
Story:
John Simm stars in this adaptation of Dostoyevsky's tragic masterpiece - a profound drama of redemption and a thrilling detective story of the soul.
Style:
philosophical, period piece, captivating, psychological, disturbing ...
Plot:
murder, redemption, guilt, literary, moral dilemma, existentialism, criminal, murderer, crime and punishment, poverty, isolation, ethics ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, turn of the century
Place:
st. petersburg russia, russia
Similarity:
25%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 48 min.
TV show
Story:
The story of the penniless Mary Thorne, who grows up with her rich aunt/cousins at Greshamsbury Park estate.
Style:
costume drama, period piece, historical drama, captivating, cynical ...
Plot:
aristocrat, english countryside, family drama, ward, physician, family relations, victorian england, social differences, couples, society, intrigue, love and romance ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, 1850s, 1840s
Place:
england, britain
Similarity:
25%
Genre: Drama, History
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 35 min.
TV show
Story:
Oliver is born into poverty and misfortune - the son of an unmarried mother, who dies shortly after his birth. He is soon delivered to the workhouse, where the cruel Mr. Bumble oversees children tormented by starvation and suffering. When Oliver ...
Style:
costume drama, touching, sentimental, sincere, captivating ...
Plot:
victorian england, orphan, child's point of view, child abuse, street kid, friendship, social decay, danger, society, life is a bitch, youth, injustice ...
Time:
victorian era, 19th century, 1830s
Place:
england, london, europe
Similarity:
24%
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 30 min.
TV show
Story:
A suspenseful tale about the injustices of the 19th Century English legal system.
Style:
costume drama, period piece, serious, bleak, historical drama ...
Plot:
charles dickens, estate, inheritance, aristocracy, orphan, secret, investigation, uncover truth, abbey, social differences, injustice, society ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, turn of the century
Place:
england, britain, london, europe
Similarity:
24%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 75 min.
TV show
Story:
Elizabeth Gaskell's enchanting tale of romance, scandal, and intrigue in a gossipy English town comes to Masterpiece Theatre in a lavish four-part production of Wives and Daughters, adapted by celebrated screenwriter Andrew Davies.Davies, who ...
Style:
period piece, costume drama, uplifting, serious, historical drama ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
prejudice, aristocrat, family relations, estate, love and romance, aristocracy, parent child relationship, secret marriage, marriage, gossip, sibling relationship, parents and children ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, 1820s, 18th century, 1800s ...
Place:
england, europe, london, britain, africa
Similarity:
24%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 413 min.
TV show
Story:
Elderly Kate Blackwell looks back at her family's life beginning with her Scottish father Jamie McGregor's journey to South Africa to make his fortune in diamonds. The family history is littered with revenge, lust, betrayal, manipulation, ...
Style:
family saga, historical drama, costume drama, captivating, serious ...
Plot:
betrayal, manipulation, family secret, revenge, wealth, ambition, murder, scheming, power struggle, dynasty, matriarchy, lust ...
Time:
19th century
Place:
south africa
Similarity:
23%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, USA, Ireland
Duration: 59 min.
TV show
Story:
Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, the story follows sisters Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March on their journey from childhood to adulthood. With the help of their mother, Marmee, and while their father is away at war, the girls navigate ...
Style:
costume drama, period piece, touching, sentimental, romantic ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
family bonds, civil war, sibling relationship, first love, coming of age, christmas, sister, friendship, sister sister relationship, women, everyday life, parent child relationship ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, 1860s
Place:
usa, new england, massachusetts
Similarity:
23%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 540 min.
TV show
Story:
Young Nicholas Nickleby sets out to make his fortune in order to prevent his mother and sister from depending upon his uncle, Ralph Nicklby. But he finds his first job as master at a Yorkshire school to be cruel, and runs away with one of the ...
Style:
realistic, serious, touching, sentimental, emotional ...
Plot:
charles dickens, adoption, single parent, boarding school, family relations, down on your luck, dysfunctional family, boarding school life, friendship, social differences, family in danger, rich and poor ...
Time:
victorian era, 19th century, 1830s
Place:
england, europe, yorkshire
Similarity:
23%
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 53 min.
TV show
Story:
Based on a little known 1848 novel by Anne Bronte, Tara Fitzgerald stars as an enigmatic young woman who moves to 19th Century Yorkshire with a young son. Distancing herself from everyone in the village and their prying questions, she remains ...
Style:
costume drama, period piece, historical drama, gothic, realistic ...
Plot:
english countryside, victorian england, mathematics, literary, domestic abuse, happy ending, new beginning, troubled marriage, mansion, downfall, unfulfillment, dishonesty ...
Time:
victorian era, 19th century, 1820s
Place:
britain, england, yorkshire
Similarity:
23%
Related movie lists