Barry Lyndon. Shot by daylight and candlelight for a look I've never seen in any other film. Slow-paced as befits the period, but once you slow down your internal clock to match the film, well worth the time.

Warner Bros.' Robin Hood, though it's as much a period fantasy as a period adventure.

Griffiths' Intolerance, if just for that famous massive Babylonian set.

Monty Python & the Holy Grail -- no, I'm not kidding -- the first movie I ever saw about the middle ages that showed the dirt, piss and grime that was all over everything, instead of cleaning it up all bright & shiny for delicate American sensibilities! "Must be a king." "How do you know?" "He hasn't got **** all over'im."

a series of period paintings come to astonishing life

Barry Lyndon.

The Duellists.

"Gone with the Wind" tops my list, too .. what I like about that one is that every period detail is perfect (unlike "Musketeers" ... isn't that the one where Raquel Welch had her own costumer, whose job was to create dresses that drew the focus to her boobs? Not even remotely accurate.)

I also love "Elizabeth and Essex" with Bette Davis and Errol Flynn, and costumes by Orry-Kelly, and the fabulous "Camille" and "Queen Christina" both starring Garbo, costumed by the incredible Adrian (who also designed "The Wizard of Oz", btw, and this, with art direction by Sir Cedric Gibbons. Look at the length of the cast!).

And finally, "My Fair Lady" by Cecil Beaton, for the black and white racing scene alone.

Gandhi (1982) - The loincloth that won an Oscar.

The Last Emperor (1987) - Never has silk looked so damned luscious.

Gladiator (2000) - Russell Crowe as General Maximus, wearing what I believe is a wolf draped over his shoulders; Richard Harris resplendent in purple and gold, Joaquin Phoenix in white, eggshell, ivory, and cream…

Saturday Night Fever (1977) - Took polyester out of the closet into the mainstream.

A Man For All Seasons / Shakespeare in Love / Henry V / Romeo and Juliet - Essentially the same film, all make you want to run out and drape yourself in gold chains, fur, stockings and doublets.

Star Wars 1 through 6 (1977-2005) - Ok, so the first one was pretty much off-the-rack, except for that vain fashion-place Darth Vader; but by the end it’s clear that most of the budget was going toward the costumes - Natalie Portman’s jaw dropping over-the-top-omfg-they-didn’t gowns being the highlights of the series.

Excalibur (1981) - Shiniest. Armor. Ever.

And the absolute best ever costume picture:

The Ten Commandments (1956) - The headpieces! The robes! The skirts! The sandals! The jewelry!

And that was just Yul Brynner.

Bonus: The 2008 Republican National Convention

They may sound crazy, but thanks to the $300,000 outfits, they looked great.

I was gonna mention "The Last Emperor." But I think you're really on the money about the RNC.

The Ten Commandments (1956) - The headpieces! The robes! The skirts! The sandals! The jewelry!
And that was just Yul Brynner.

Hahahahahahaha!!!!

Ah yes, all those Egyptian-Roman epics ... "Cleopatra"! Liz never looked better.

Bladerunner

Well, if you're talking Raquel Welch period costume dramas, there's always 1,000,000 BC!

Mephisto

One of the great things about these Listomanias is they make me think about movies in ways I otherwise wouldn't. So ... putting aside all the problems with The Last Samurai, & just looking at the costumes -- my verdict is: man, they looked great to me.

Lord Of The Rings - (all 3 parts) - wholly realized worlds/races - from elves to furry-footed hobbits to scruffy Viggo (who *did* clean up rather nicely in the 3rd installment) and all the orcs and monsters.

Elizabeth I - (Helen Mirren's tour de force) - love it, love it, love it.

Old story re: Barry Lyndon. NASA was so pleased by the positive PR from 2001 that they told Kubrick, if ever came the day he could use their help, all he had to do was whistle. And he knew how to whistle, he just put his lips together and blew.

Sez Stan to the NASA folk: I want your best lenses and cameras, for to shoot by candlelight. Hey babe, sez NASA, you got 'em. And thus the astoundingly lit night scenes with Marisa and Ryan.

Dangerous Liaisons - Costumes by James Acheson, who also did The Last Emperor and Brazil

Swann in love - Like Age of Innocence, I grew so bored I found myself staring at the costumes, the furniture, the wallpaper... I remember especially a shot of Ornella Muti lounging on a settee, looking incredibly beautiful.

How about the first Pirates of the Caribbean? Particularly the uniforms of the Brit naval officers.

The other mentioned choices are excellent as well. SW Ep I with Natalie Portman in a new outfit in every scene, no matter how ridiculous the cirucmstance. Carrie Fisher has commented on how much is sucks that she's stuck in white all the time...