Costume drama

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A costume drama is a period piece in which elaborate costumes, sets and properties are featured in order to capture the ambience of a particular era.

The term is usually used in the context of film and television. It is an informal, cross-over term that can apply to several genres but is most often heard in the context of historical dramas and romances, adventure films and swashbucklers. The implication is that the audience is attracted as much by the lavish costumes as by the content.

There are two types of costume drama. The most common one is the historical costume drama, both on stage and in movies. This category includes Braveheart, Rob Roy, and Robin Hood. Plays that took place in the 1930s and 1940s, such as, Last Man Standing, may also be placed in this category as well. In a futuristic costume drama, especially one that takes place in the distant future, actors often wore strange, unusual, and sometimes hi-tech costumes to predict on what the clothes of the future might be like. This type of costume drama is mostly shown as a movie or a TV series. Examples of this category include Judge Dredd and The Fifth Element.