Films

These films show the world of the period of Mathematical Intentions (the 17th century and part of the 18th century.) Some 16th century films are included for historical background.

The documentary films are serious history. The feature films, on the other hand, mostly have fictional plots; they were chosen for this list for their accurate portrayal of the look or social history of the period. Some of these films have historically accurate plots, as well; many do not (beware!)

Most of the descriptions are from Netflix.

Documentary Films

The Ascent of Man

(especially relevant are episodes 5-8 : "Music of the Spheres." "Starry Messenger,"  "Majestic Clockwork" and "Drive for Power.")

1972 NR 5 discs

Narrated by mathematician and biologist Jacob Bronowski, this landmark BBC series traces human development from the dawn of evolution and the creation of rudimentary tools to the rise of technology and the computer age. Along the way, the 13-part documentary covers the history of the sciences and touches on humanity's contributions to art, warfare, empire-building, agriculture, music, architecture, mathematics, medicine, industry and politics.

Cast: Jacob Bronowski, Joss Ackland, Roy Dotrice

Director:  Mick Jackson, Adrian Malone

Civilisation: The Complete Series

1969  NR

Originally conceived as a definitive examination of the historical influences on Western European culture, this BBC series may seem dated now, but it was considered revolutionary when it first aired in 1969. Why? For one thing, it was filmed over a two-year period. And for another, the series made stops in more than 100 locations in 13 different countries. Extras include Sir David Attenborough's memories about the making of a TV classic.

Cast: Kenneth Clark

Director: Michael Gill

Genius: Galileo

2000 NR 50 minutes

A brilliant Italian physicist, astronomer and philosopher of the 17th century, Galileo caused a scientific revolution with his controversial work in astronomy, physics and mathematics. Daring to challenge the accepted teachings of his day, Galileo insisted that the Earth revolved around the sun, incurring the wrath of the Inquisition. With dramatic re-creations and expert commentary, this fascinating program explores Galileo's life and work.

Genius: Leonardo da Vinci

2000 NR 50 minutes

A brilliant mind of the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci was a gifted painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, anatomist and inventor. His legacy includes famous paintings such as the "Mona Lisa," a rich collection of sketches and scores of notebooks containing his ideas. Through da Vinci's art and notes, expert commentary and graphics to explain his theories and designs, this fascinating program explores the life and work of the protean genius.

Feature Films Set in the 16^th Century

A Man for All Seasons

1966 G 120 minutes

When Henry VIII (Robert Shaw) seeks approval from the English aristocracy to divorce his wife and marry commoner Anne Boleyn, Sir Thomas More (Paul Scofield) finds himself caught between a murderous king and the powerful Roman Catholic Church. Richly crafted with a fine supporting cast, director Fred Zinnemann's period drama swept the 1966 Oscars, winning six golden statuettes, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director.

Cast: Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Robert Shaw, Orson Welles, Susannah York, John Hurt

Director: Fred Zinnemann

Elizabeth I

2005 TV-MA 2 discs

Helen Mirren earned a pair of Emmy and Golden Globe awards for her impassioned portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in this HBO miniseries that explores the effect of the monarch's public role on her private life. Unable to wed the man she loves (Jeremy Irons, in an Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning role), Elizabeth flirts with the idea of marrying a French prince and later sets her sights on the earl's stepson.

Cast:Helen Mirren, Hugh Dancy, Jeremy Irons, Patrick Malahide, Toby Jones, Barbara Flynn, Ian McDiarmid, Jeremie Covillault, Diana Kent, Geoffrey Streatfield, John McEnery, Martin Savage

Director:Tom Hooper

Queen Margot

(La Reine Margot)

1994 R  144 minutes

To cement a partnership between Protestants and Catholics in France, Margot de Valois (Isabelle Adjani) agrees to an arranged marriage to Henri of Navarre (Daniel Auteuil). Although she's a staunch supporter of Henri, she is not a loyal wife and takes up with a Protestant lover (Vincent Perez). During the St. Bartholomew's Night Massacre, she helps her lover escape, setting off a chain of events that alters their lives and the course of history.

Cast: Isabelle Adjani, Daniel Auteuil, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Vincent Perez, Virna Lisi, Dominique Blanc, Pascal Greggory, Claudio Amendola, Miguel Bosé, Asia Argento

Director:Patrice Chéreau

Language: French

The Merchant of Venice

2004  R  131 minutes

Lacking money to woo an heiress (Lynn Collins), smitten Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes) turns to his merchant friend, Antonio (Jeremy Irons), whose cash is tied up. But he secures a loan from Shylock (Al Pacino) on the condition that if Antonio defaults, he'll literally pay with a pound of flesh. Michael Radford directs this lush adaptation of William Shakespeare's incendiary drama about passion and justice amid an anti-Semitic atmosphere.

Cast: Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes, Lynn Collins, Zuleikha Robinson, Kris Marshall, Charlie Cox, Mackenzie Crook, Heather Goldenhersh, John Sessions, Gregor Fisher, Ron Cook, Allan Corduner

Director: Michael Radford

Dangerous Beauty

1998  R  112 minutes

Prevented from marrying her nobleman lover (Rufus Sewell) because of her commoner status, real-life historical heroine Veronica Franco (Catherine McCormack) is left with two choices: join a convent or become a courtesan. Following in mother's (Jacqueline Bisset) footsteps, she chooses the latter. Set in 16th-century Venice, this biographical drama follows Franco as she rises to power and fearlessly fights off accusations of witchcraft.

Cast: Jacqueline Bisset, Oliver Platt, Catherine McCormack, Rufus Sewell, Fred Ward

Director: Marshall Herskovitz

Feature Films Set in the 17^th Century

Artemisia

1997  R  95 minutes

Based on actual events, Agnes Merlet's film shows that the 17th century is no place for a budding female artist -- even for Artemisia Gentileschi (Valentina Cervi), the teenage daughter of one of the most revered Italian painters. Barred from fully practicing her art, she finds a tutor -- and a lover -- in painter Agostino Tassi (Miki Manojlovic), who was later tried for her rape. The film received a Golden Globe nod for Best Foreign Language Film.

Cast: Valentina Cervi, Michel Serrault, Miki Manojlovic, Luca Zingaretti, Emmanuelle Devos, Maurice Garrel, Frederic Pierrot

Director:Agnes Merlet

Language: French

Tous Les Matins Du Monde

(All the Mornings of the World)

1991  NR  105 minutes

Racked with grief after his wife's untimely death, gifted viola da gamba player Monsieur de Sainte Colombe (Jean-Pierre Marielle) moves into a small house in his garden to keep himself and his two young daughters (Anne Brochet and Carole Richert) safe from the outside world. But their solitude is broken when a young musician comes calling (played by Gerard Depardieu's son, Guillaume, and later by Depardieu himself) in search of a lesson.

Cast: Anne Brochet, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Gérard Depardieu, Guillaume Depardieu, Carole Richert, Michel Bouquet, Jean-Claude Dreyfus, Myriam Boyer, Yves Lambrecht, Philippe Duclos

Director: Alain Corneau

Language: French

The Taking of Power by Louis XIV

(La Prise de Pouvoir par Louis XIV)

1966  NR  94 minutes

Jean-Marie Patte stars as the flamboyant Louis XIV, the "Sun King" of 17th-century France, in this historical drama from acclaimed director Roberto Rossellini. When chief minister Cardinal Mazarin (Silvagni) perishes, young Louis begins his ascent to power. Filled with tales of intrigue, betrayal and decadence, this biographical film co-stars Raymond Jourdan, Katharina Renn, Dominique Vincent and Françoise Ponty.

Cast: Jean-Marie Patte, Raymond Jourdan, Silvagni, Katharina Renn, Dominique Vincent, Pierre Barrat, Fernand Fabre, Françoise Ponty, Joelle Laugeois

Director: Roberto Rossellini

Restoration

1995 R

After saving the life of someone close to King Charles II (Sam Neill), Robert Merivel (Robert Downey Jr.), a young 17th-century physician, is invited to join King Charles's court. Everything changes, however, when the king orders Merivel to marry his mistress (Polly Walker). The situation worsens when Merivel finds himself actually falling in love with his new wife, and the king finds out. Hugh Grant, Ian McKellen and Meg Ryan also star.

Cast: Meg Ryan, Robert Downey Jr., Hugh Grant, Sam Neill, Ian McKellen, David Thewlis, Polly Walker

Director: Michael Hoffman

The Draughtsman's Contract

1982  NR  103 minutes

In 17th-century England, aristocratic Mrs. Herbert (Janet Suzman) commissions handsome draughtsman Mr. Neville (Anthony Higgins) to produce a dozen sketches of the family estate to surprise her absent husband. Neville accepts the project … in exchange for 12 sexual favors. The exceedingly smug Neville is in control till Mrs. Herbert's daughter (Anne Louise Lambert) -- who has her own agenda -- outfoxes the arrogant artist.

Cast: Anthony Higgins, Neil Cunningham, Hugh Fraser, David Hill, Anne-Louise Lambert, Janet Suzman

Director: Peter Greenaway

Nightwatching

2007  R  135 minutes

Against his better judgment, famed painter Rembrandt van Rijn (Martin Freeman) succumbs to his wife Saskia's (Eva Birthistle) demands and agrees to paint a portrait of the Amsterdam Musketeer Militia, a wealthy group of obnoxious merchants who pretend to be soldiers. Director Peter Greenaway examines how Rembrandt's decision to depict these merchants in an unflattering light proved to be a major turning point in the master painter's career.

Cast: Martin Freeman, Emily Holmes, Jodhi May, Eva Birthistle, Toby Jones, Jonathan Holmes, Michael Teigen, Kevin McNulty, Agata Buzek, Natalie Press, Anna Antonowicz

Director:Peter Greenaway

Rembrandt's J'accuse

2008  NR  100 minutes

Filmmaker Peter Greenaway's essayistic documentary brings art to life by meticulously examining Rembrandt's group portrait "Night Watch," searching for clues to murder and the motives of the 34 characters depicted. Beginning at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Greenaway weaves in the social history of the 17th-century city as he unravels secret messages never noticed before and a conspiracy that involves everyone in the painting.

Cast: Martin Freeman, Eva Birthistle, Jodhi May, Emily Holmes, Jonathan Holmes, Michael Teigen, Natalie Press, Peter Greenaway

Director:Peter Greenaway

Girl with a Pearl Earring

2003 PG-13 99 minutes

In this cinematic adaptation of Tracy Chevalier's best-selling historical fiction novel, Scarlett Johansson stars as Griet, the young housemaid with a hidden appreciation for art who becomes the muse of Dutch master painter Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth). Vermeer is famous for capturing the luminosity and grace of women in domestic settings. But his proud wife (Essie Davis) would be furious if she knew the pretty Griet was his latest subject.

Cast:  Scarlett Johansson, Colin Firth, Tom Wilkinson, Judy Parfitt, Cillian Murphy, Essie Davis, Joanna Scanlan, Alakina Mann, David Morrissey, Anna Popplewell

Director: Peter Webber

Caravaggio

1986 NR 90 minutes

Avant-garde filmmaker Derek Jarman imagines the life of Italian Baroque painter Caravaggio (Nigel Terry) in this award-winning drama. As Caravaggio's health fades, he reflects on his life, art, loves and the tragic twists of fate that led to murder. When Caravaggio asks young couple Lena (Tilda Swinton) and Ranuccio (Sean Bean) to model, a bisexual love triangle develops and unbridled passions lead to the painter's final years on the run.

Cast: Nigel Terry, Sean Bean, Garry Cooper, Dexter Fletcher, Spencer Leigh, Tilda Swinton, Nigel Davenport, Robbie Coltrane, Michael Gough

Director:  Derek Jarman

The Three Musketeers

1993  PG  105 minutes

"All for one and one for all" is the motto of the three loyal swordsmen in this rousing adventure. Athos (Kiefer Sutherland), Porthos (Oliver Platt) and Aramis (Charlie Sheen) band together to protect their king from the evil schemes of Cardinal Richelieu (Tim Curry). An eager novice, D'Artagnan (Chris O'Donnell), joins forces with the legendary trio in hopes of following in his father's footsteps and becoming a Musketeer.

Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Chris O'Donnell, Charlie Sheen, Oliver Platt, Tim Curry, Rebecca De Mornay, Gabrielle Anwar, Julie Delpy, Michael Wincott, Paul McGann

Director:Stephen Herek

The Musketeer

2001  PG-  13105 minutes

In Peter Hyams's adaptation of the famous Alexander Dumas story The Three Musketeers, the young D'Artagnan (Justin Chambers) seeks to join the legendary musketeer brigade and avenge his father's death -- but he finds that the musketeers have been disbanded. Propelled by an excellent cast, which features Catherine Deneuve, Tim Roth and Mena Suvari, this fast-moving adventure boasts fight sequences choreographed by Chinese action expert Xin Xin Xiong.

Cast: Justin Chambers, Catherine Deneuve, Nick Moran, Stephen Rea, Tim Roth, Steven Spiers, Mena Suvari

Director: Peter Hyams

The Man in the Iron Mask

1998  PG-13  131 minutes

Years have passed since the Three Musketeers, Aramis (Jeremy Irons), Athos (John Malkovich) and Porthos (Gerard Depardieu), have fought together with their friend, D'Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne). But with the tyrannical King Louis (Leonardo DiCaprio) using his power to wreak havoc in the kingdom while his twin brother, Philippe (also DiCaprio), remains imprisoned, the Musketeers reunite to abduct Louis and replace him with Philippe.

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, John Malkovich, Jeremy Irons, Gérard Depardieu, Gabriel Byrne, Anne Parillaud, Judith Godreche, Peter Sarsgaard

Director: Randall Wallace

Vatel

2000  PG-13   103 minutes

An upcoming visit from Louis XIV (Julian Sands) could bring great political and financial reward to a poor, gout-stricken prince, who entrusts his meticulous and versatile steward, Vatel (Gérard Depardieu), to plan three days of festivities for the king's stay. Co-starring Uma Thurman as the king's mistress, this period drama features Oscar-nominated art direction, witty dialogue from Tom Stoppard and a sumptuous score from Ennio Morricone.

Cast: Gérard Depardieu, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Julian Glover, Julian Sands, Timothy Spall, Arielle Dombasle, Richard Griffiths, Feodor Atkine, Murray Lachlan Young, Hywel Bennett, Marine Delterme, Tom Stoppard

Director: Roland Joffé

To Kill a King

(Cromwell and Fairfax)

2003   NR  102 minutes

It's 1645 and King Charles I (Rupert Everett) has been deposed from the throne in the English Civil War. Gen. Thomas Fairfax (Dougray Scott) and his austere deputy Oliver Cromwell (Tim Roth) disagree on how they should rebuild their shattered England. Their complex friendship is put to the test, especially when Cromwell suspects Fairfax's wife (played by Olivia Williams) of sympathizing with the imprisoned yet still raucous former monarch.

Cast:Tim Roth, Dougray Scott, Olivia Williams, James Bolam, Corin Redgrave, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Adrian Scarborough, Jeremy Swift, Rupert Everett

Director:Mike Barker

Cromwell

1970  G  139 minutes

Richard Harris stars as heroic commoner Oliver Cromwell, who single-handedly waged bloody battle against King Charles I in a civil war that pitted the Puritan middle class against the decadent English aristocracy during the 17th century. Cromwell, against daunting odds, eventually emerged victorious, while King Charles I suffered the loss of his head. Timothy Dalton, Alec Guinness, Robert Morley and Dorothy Tutin co-star.

Cast: Richard Harris, Alec Guinness, Robert Morley, Dorothy Tutin, Frank Finlay, Timothy Dalton, Patrick Magee, Patrick Wymark, Nigel Stock, Charles Gray, Michael Jayston, Anna Cropper, Michael Goodliffe

Director: Ken Hughes

The Crucible

1996  PG-13  123 minutes

Playwright Arthur Miller's parable of the 1950s anti-communist crusade (thinly veiled here as the Salem, Mass., witch trials of 1692) receives lush treatment in this Oscar-nominated film adaptation from director Nicholas Hytner. After being spurned by her married lover (Daniel Day-Lewis), young Abigail Williams (Winona Ryder) stirs up a frenzy of hysteria and fear with accusations of witchcraft. Joan Allen earned an Oscar nod for her role.

Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder, Paul Scofield, Joan Allen, Bruce Davison, Rob Campbell, Jeffrey Jones, Peter Vaughan, Karron Graves, Charlayne Woodard, Frances Conroy, Elizabeth Lawrence, George Gaynes, Mary Pat Gleason

Director: Nicholas Hytner

Feature Films Set in the 18^th Century

Longitude

2000  TV-PG  2 discs

In the 18th century, the British Parliament offers a substantial sum to anyone who can devise a means for calculating longitude at sea. Soon clockmaker John Harrison (Michael Gambon) begins experiments to build an accurate timepiece unaffected by sea travel. In a parallel story, a retired World War I naval officer (Jeremy Irons) attempts to locate and restore Harrison's clocks. The two men's struggles are linked across a span of 200 years.

Cast: Jonathan Coy, Christopher Hodsol, Jeremy Irons, Peter Cartwright, Michael Gambon

Director: Charles Sturridge

The Madness of King George

1994  PG-13  107 minutes

The dementia of King George III -- the English monarch who lost the war to keep the American colonies -- ignites a flurry of political and familial treachery in this comical biopic that earned Nigel Hawthorne and Helen Mirren a pair of Oscar nods. Based on Alan Bennett's play, the film provides insight into the primitive medical practices of the time and co-stars Ian Holm, Rupert Graves and Rupert Everett.

Cast: Nigel Hawthorne, Helen Mirren, Ian Holm, Rupert Graves, Amanda Donohoe, Rupert Everett, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Julian Wadham, Jim Carter, Geoffrey Palmer, Charlotte Curley, Anthony Calf, Matthew Lloyd Davies, Adrian Scarborough, Paul Corrigan, John Wood

Director: Nicholas Hytner

Amadeus

1984  PG  160 minutes

F. Murray Abraham earned a Best Actor Oscar for his imperious performance as Antonio Salieri, a mediocre composer whose churlish young rival, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce), wins immortality with his musical genius. Not happy to see his talent eclipsed, Salieri dons a disguise and deviously plots revenge, obsessed with muffling Mozart's maddening laughter. Milos Forman's masterful drama also won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director.

Cast:  F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Simon Callow, Roy Dotrice, Christine Ebersole, Jeffrey Jones, Charles Kay, Cynthia Nixon

Director: Milos Forman

Barry Lyndon

1975  PG  184 minutes

Based on William Makepeace Thackeray's novel, this gorgeously painted tale yields a slow-moving portrait of a young Irishman (Ryan O'Neal) who moves up the social ladder through soldiering, spying and a marriage to a wealthy countess (Marisa Berenson). Although this Stanley Kubrick-directed film was a box office flop, it was eventually recognized as a masterpiece, winning four Academy Awards (including Best Cinematography).

Cast: Marisa Berenson, Diana Koerner, Hardy Kruger, Patrick Magee, Ryan O'Neal, Leon Vitali

Director: Stanley Kubrick

The Last of the Mohicans

1992  R  122 minutes

When rugged frontiersman Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis) saves the Munro sisters -- two newly arrived English settlers -- from a Huron ambush, he ends up in the midst of the battle between the British and the French for control of the American colonies. Director Michael Mann's first-rate production also stars Madeleine Stowe as the Munro sister who wins Hawkeye's heart, and Wes Studi as the Huron warrior who has a score to settle with her father.

Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Russell Means, Eric Schweig, Jodhi May, Steven Waddington, Wes Studi, Maurice Roëves, Patrice Chéreau, Edward Blatchford, Terry Kinney, Tracey Ellis, Justin M. Rice, Dennis Banks, Pete Postlethwaite, Colm Meaney, Mac Andrews, Malcolm Storry, David Schofield

Director: Michael Mann

The Affair of the Necklace

2001  R  117 minutes

When she and her family have their royal titles stripped by the crown, 18th-century French countess Jeanne de la Motte Valois (Hilary Swank) schemes with her lover (Simon Baker), her husband (Adrien Brody) and a mysterious Italian count (Christopher Walken) to obtain a diamond necklace worth millions. Joely Richardson co-stars as French queen Marie Antoinette in this period drama that earned an Oscar nod for its lavish costumes.

Cast: Hilary Swank, Simon Baker, Adrien Brody, Jonathan Pryce, Joely Richardson, Christopher Walken, Brian Cox, Hayden Panettiere

Director: Charles Shyer

Farinelli

(Farinelli: il castrato)

1994  R  110 minutes

Gérard Corbiau directs this lush, Golden Globe-winning drama, based on the life of 18th-century castrato Farinelli (Stefano Dionisi) -- born Carlo Broschi -- and his tumultuous relationship with his brother and manager, Riccardo (Enrico Lo Verso), a composer of average abilities. The two share everything, but when Farinelli sets his sites on new artistic terrain, Riccardo is left behind. Jeroen Krabbé co-stars as composer George Frideric Handel.

Cast: Stefano Dionisi, Enrico Lo Verso, Elsa Zylberstein, Jeroen Krabbé

Director:  Gerard Corbiau

The Duchess

2008PG-13109 minutes

Keira Knightley stars as Georgiana Spencer, a young duchess who indulges in extravagant vices and begins a scandalous affair with politician Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper) to balance her unhappy marriage to the duke of Devonshire (Golden Globe–nominated Ralph Fiennes). Director Saul Dibb's lavish adaptation of Amanda Foreman's novel about the real-life 18th-century femme fatale received an Oscar for Best Costume Design.

Cast:  Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper, Simon McBurney, Hayley Atwell, Aidan McArdle, Richard McCabe, Angus McEwan, Mercy Fiennes Tiffin, John Shrapnel, Alistair Petrie, Patrick Godfrey, Michael Medwin, Justin Edwards, Calvin Dean, Hannah Stokely

Director:  Saul Dibb