25 Most Underrated Historical Romance Movies of the 90s

These films, with their lush settings and epic love stories, were often overshadowed by the big hitters of the 90s, but they've got a quality that's ageless.

We're talking love in times of turmoil, passion against the backdrop of history – the sort of stuff that might not have raked in millions at the box office but definitely won over hearts.

1. "The Madness of King George" (1994)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%

This is a heartbreaking historical drama based on true events; the movie follows King George III's descent into madness, and the political and familial turmoil that ensues, offering a glimpse into the vulnerability behind his regal façade and the eventual regaining of his sanity.

2. "Mrs. Brown" (1997)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%

After the death of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's intense and controversial relationship with her Scottish servant, John Brown, causes a scandal, reflecting the complexities of grief and the challenges of monarchy.

3. "Ever After: A Cinderella Story" (1998)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%

A reimagining of the Cinderella tale, where Danielle, a spirited and independent young woman, stands up to her wicked stepmother and stepsisters, capturing the heart of Prince Henry with her intellect and charm.

4. "The English Patient" (1996)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 86%

At the close of WWII, a badly burned pilot, known as the English Patient, recounts his tragic love affair with a married woman in North Africa, revealing a tale of love, betrayal, and regret.

5. "The Wings of the Dove" (1997)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%

In early 20th century London, a young woman, Kate, trapped in a financially and socially precarious situation, conspires with her lover, Merton, to seduce a rich, terminally ill American heiress, Millie, with tragic consequences.

6. "An Ideal Husband" (1999)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%

In this witty adaptation of Oscar Wilde's play, Sir Robert Chiltern's perfect life is threatened by his past political corruption, with his wife's friend, Mrs. Cheveley, blackmailing him, and his friend Lord Goring coming to his aid.

7. "Washington Square" (1997)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 81%

In 1850s New York, Catherine Sloper, a plain and timid heiress, falls in love with the charming but penniless Morris Townsend, much to the dismay of her controlling father, who suspects Morris's intentions are purely mercenary.

8. "Indochine" (1992)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 75%

In colonial Vietnam, a French plantation owner, Éliane, adopts a Vietnamese princess, Camille, with their lives intertwining through the complexities of love, colonialism, and the burgeoning Vietnamese nationalist movement.

9. "Beloved" (1998)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 72%

Set in post-Civil War Ohio, this harrowing story follows Sethe, a former slave haunted by her past, particularly the arrival of a mysterious young woman named Beloved, symbolizing the painful legacy of slavery.

10. "A Month by the Lake" (1995)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 71%

In 1937 Italy, Miss Bentley, an English spinster vacationing by Lake Como, finds herself in a romantic rivalry with a young American woman for the affections of a dashing, older Major.

11. "Restoration" (1995)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 71%

In 17th-century England, a young doctor, Robert Merivel, finds himself in the opulent, morally corrupt court of King Charles II, where he rises and falls from favor, discovering love and his true calling in the process.

12. "Dangerous Beauty" (1998)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 70%

In 16th-century Venice, Veronica Franco chooses to become a courtesan to pursue love and influence, facing both the heights of Venetian society and the Inquisition's deadly wrath.

13. "The End of the Affair" (1999)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%

Set in post-World War II London, a passionate and illicit affair between a novelist, Maurice, and the wife of a civil servant, Sarah, ends abruptly, leading Maurice on a quest to discover the complex reasons behind Sarah's decision.

14. "Wide Sargasso Sea" (1993)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 65%

This prequel to "Jane Eyre" delves into the life of Antoinette Cosway, a Creole heiress in 1830s Jamaica, who becomes the tragic Bertha Mason after a tumultuous marriage to the Englishman Mr. Rochester.

15. "The Horseman on the Roof" (1995)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 63%

In 1832 France, during a cholera epidemic, an Italian revolutionary, Angelo, flees Austrian agents, finding an unexpected romance with a married noblewoman, Pauline, as they navigate a world of danger and passion.

16. "Angela's Ashes" (1999)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 52%

Adapted from Frank McCourt's memoir, this film depicts the grim reality of a young boy, Frank, growing up in a severely impoverished Irish Catholic family in Limerick, struggling against adversity and dreaming of a better life.

17. "Anna and the King" (1999)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 52%

In 1860s Siam, Anna Leonowens, a British widow, becomes the schoolteacher for the many children of King Mongkut, with their clashing wills and cultures giving way to mutual respect and an unspoken love.

18. "Moll Flanders" (1996)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 46%

Based on Defoe's novel, this is the tale of Moll Flanders, who, born in prison in 18th century England and determined to rise above her impoverished beginnings, navigates a life of love, desperation, and survival.

19. "The Portrait of a Lady" (1996)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 46%

A young American woman, Isabel Archer, inherits a fortune and travels across Europe, where she becomes entangled in a web of deceit and manipulation, particularly at the hands of the charming but duplicitous Gilbert Osmond.

20. "Firelight" (1997)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 41%

In 1830s England, a governess, Elisabeth, enters into a secret, contractual relationship with a wealthy landowner, Charles Godwin, to bear him a child, leading to a profound and complicated love as she later becomes the child's governess.

21. "Tom & Viv" (1994)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 36%

This biographical drama explores the turbulent and complex marriage between the poet T.S. Eliot and his first wife, Vivienne Haigh-Wood, whose mental health struggles impact their life together.

22. "The House of the Spirits" (1993)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 32%

Spanning generations in Chile, this saga follows the Trueba family – led by the patriarch Esteban, whose tyrannical pursuit of power is tempered by his love for his psychic wife Clara – as they experience love, loss, and political upheaval.

23. "The Man in the Iron Mask" (1998)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 32%

In 17th-century France, the cruel King Louis XIV's secret twin brother is imprisoned in an iron mask; the aging Three Musketeers reunite to replace the king with his compassionate brother, leading to a perilous and dramatic coup.

24. "Jefferson in Paris" (1995)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 31%

Before becoming the third U.S. President, Thomas Jefferson serves as ambassador to France, where his romantic involvement with his slave Sally Hemings and his stance on the French Revolution are explored.

25. "The Scarlet Letter" (1995)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 13%

In a puritanical 17th-century Massachusetts community, Hester Prynne, an adulterous woman, is condemned to wear the scarlet letter 'A' and battles societal judgment, while hiding the identity of her lover, the town's minister.