"Upstairs, Downstairs" (1971-75): (above) Spy games and sordid love affairs bring disorder to the house in this edgy phenomenon based on the maid's memoirs that inspired "Downton."

"Brideshead Revisited" (1981): Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud popped by to add class to this adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's novel.

"A Room With a View" (1985): James Ivory and Ismail Merchant took on E.M. Forster's novel about women trying not to melt under repression and the snobbish airs of Daniel Day-Lewis.

"The Remains of the Day" (1993): Anthony Hopkins makes Mr. Carson look downright progressive as a loyal butler. The film was nominated for eight Oscars.

"Manor House" (2003): Hoping to capitalize on the rising popularity of reality TV, this British export challenged an upper-class family and volunteer servants to imagine life in an Edwardian mansion.