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Movies like Parnell (1937)

The best movies like Parnell (1937) are Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), Brooklyn (2015) and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939). If Parnell hooked you with its drama and history, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)

    Bathsheba Everdine, a willful and flirtatious young woman, unexpectedly inherits a large farm and becomes romantically involved with three widely divergent men.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history

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  2. Brooklyn (2015)

    In 1950s Ireland and New York, young Eilis Lacey has to choose between two men and two countries.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history

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  3. The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)

    This period drama frames the tumultuous affair between Queen Elizabeth I and the man who would be King of England.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history

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  4. The Good Earth (1937)

    China, during the rule of the Qing Dynasty. The arranged marriage between Wang Lung, a humble farmer, and O-Lan, a domestic slave, will endure the many hardships of life over the years; but the temptations of a fragile prosperity will endanger their love and the survival of their entire family.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history

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  5. Strangers When We Meet (1960)

    A suburban architect loves his wife but is bored with his marriage and with his work, so he takes up with the neglected, married beauty who lives down the street.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama

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  6. Flamingo Road (1949)

    A stranded carnival dancer takes on a corrupt political boss when she marries into small-town society.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  7. The Lost Husband (2020)

    Trying to put her life back together after the death of her husband, Libby and her children move to her estranged Aunt's goat farm in central Texas.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance

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  8. Peter Ibbetson (1935)

    When his mother dies, young Peter Ibbetson leaves Paris and his best friend, Mary, behind to live with a severe uncle in England. Years later, Peter is an architect with little time for women, until he begins a project with the Duke and Duchess of Towers. When Peter and the duchess become great friends, she reveals that she is Mary — but the duke soon suspects his wife of infidelity and challenges Peter to a duel, threatening the pair's second chance.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  9. The Secret: Dare to Dream (2020)

    A widow with three children hires a handyman to fix her house during a major storm. When not doing home repairs, he shares his philosophy of believing in the power of the universe to deliver what we want.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  10. City Girl (1930)

    A waitress from Chicago falls in love with a man from rural Minnesota and marries him, with the intent of living a better life - but life on the farm has its own challenges.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  11. Lovely, Still (2009)

    A holiday fable that tells the story of an elderly man discovering love for the first time.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance

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  12. Salome (1953)

    In the reign of emperor Tiberius, Gallilean prophet John the Baptist preaches against King Herod and Queen Herodias. The latter wants John dead, but Herod fears to harm him due to a prophecy. Enter beautiful Princess Salome, Herod's long-absent stepdaughter. Herodias sees the king's dawning lust for Salome as her means of bending him to her will. But Salome and her lover Claudius are–contrary to Scripture–nearing conversion to the new religion.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance

  13. They Won't Believe Me (1947)

    On trial for murdering his girlfriend, philandering stockbroker Larry Ballentine takes the stand to claim his innocence and describe the actual, but improbable sounding, sequence of events that led to her death.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance

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  14. Blood and Sand (1941)

    Bullfighter Juan Gallardo falls for socialite Dona Sol, turning from the faithful Carmen who nevertheless stands by her man as he continues to face real danger in the bullring.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance

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  15. Too Close for Christmas (2020)

    When Hayley accepts an invitation to spend Christmas with her sister’s new in-laws, her seemingly perfect holiday takes a turn when Paul, Hayley's brother-in-law's brother, unexpectedly shows up. Still harboring a grudge against Paul for ending her last relationship, Hayley reluctantly spends time with Paul and slowly realizes she may have been too quick a judge on Paul

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama

  16. Northanger Abbey (2007)

    A young woman's penchant for sensational Gothic novels leads to misunderstandings in the matters of the heart.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. Kitty Foyle (1940)

    A hard-working, white-collar girl falls in love with a young socialite, but meets with his family's disapproval.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance

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  18. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

    A married farmer falls under the spell of a slatternly woman from the city, who tries to convince him to drown his wife.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  19. Jane Eyre (1997)

    After a bleak childhood, Jane Eyre goes out into the world to become a governess. As she lives happily in her new position at Thornfield Hall, she meets the dark, cold, and abrupt master of the house, Edward Rochester. Jane and her employer grow close in friendship and she soon finds herself falling in love with him. Happiness seems to have found Jane at last, but could Rochester's terrible secret be about to destroy it forever?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  20. The Sleeping Dictionary (2003)

    In the 1930s, British officer John Truscott journeys to a remote village in colonial Malaysia to educate and Westernize the local Iban population. There, he's introduced to the lovely Selima. In keeping with tradition, Selima is assigned to sleep with Truscott and teach him the native language and customs. But when they fall in love, both colonists and natives object to their plans to marry.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance

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  21. The Secret Call (1931)

    The Secret Call is adapted from The Woman, a play by William C. DeMille (brother of Cecil B.) Peggy Shannon plays Wanda Kelly, the daughter of a disgraced politician. Reduced to working as a switchboard operator, Wanda is privy to the many secrets and indiscretions of the clients of a big-city hotel. She also finds romance in the form of handsome Tom Blake (Richard Arlen). The huge cast of characters comes in handy for the film's multitude of subplots, none of which ever get their wires crossed. Peggy Shannon acquits herself nicely in her first major role, but by the end of the decade her career was in decline.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance

  22. What a Girl Wants (2003)

    American Daphne Reynolds heads to Europe in search of the father she's never met. But instead of finding a British version of her boho mother, she learns the love of her mom's life is an uptight politician. The only problem now is that her long-lost father is engaged to a fiercely territorial social climber with a daughter who makes Daphne's life miserable.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance

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  23. Waking the Dead (2000)

    A congressional candidate questions his sanity after seeing the love of his life, presumed dead, suddenly emerge.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance

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  24. Recount (2008)

    In 2000, the election of the U.S. Presidential boiled down to a few precious votes in the state of Florida — and a recount that would add "hanging chad" to every American's vocabulary.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & history

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  25. Cromwell (1970)

    Disgusted with the policies of King Charles I, Oliver Cromwell plans to take his family to the New World. But on the eve of their departure, Cromwell is drawn into the tangled web of religion and politics that will result in the English Civil War.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & history

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  26. The Devil's Deal (2023)

    Hae-woong an assembly member candidate, is taken out of the running because he became a thorn in the side of a local bigwig, Soon-tae. Hounded by loan sharks, due to defaulting a campaign loan, he decides to get his hands dirty.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  27. Undertaking Betty (2002)

    A politician's wife and the mortician who has secretly loved her for years plan to fake her death so they can run away together.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  28. The Birdcage (1996)

    A gay cabaret owner and his drag queen partner agree to put up a false heterosexual front so that their son can introduce them to his fiancée's conservative parents.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  29. Paa (2009)

    Auro suffers from a progeria like syndrome. Mentally he is 13 but physically he looks 5 times older. In spite of his condition, Auro is a very happy boy. He lives with his mother Vidya, who is a gynaecologist. Amol is young, progressive politician. He is a man with a mission. Auro is Amol's son. Paa is a 'rare' story about a father-son, son-father relationship.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

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  30. Beautiful Joe (2000)

    A bad girl becomes a con artist, gets into trouble with the mob and taps a nice-guy florist for help.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance

Like Parnell and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Parnell?

The closest matches to Parnell are Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), Brooklyn (2015) and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Parnell?

Start with Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), the closest match to Parnell.

What is the highest-rated movie like Parnell?

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927), rated 7.8/10 by 942 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Parnell?

The Devil's Deal (2023) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like Parnell?

Yes: Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), Brooklyn (2015) and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939).

How are movies similar to Parnell chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Parnell, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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