After Fanny Hopwood’s father dies, she goes to live with a benefactor who turns out to be her real dad. But Fanny keeps running into the caddish Lord Manderstoke. The British studio Gainsborough became identified with costume melodrama during the war years, making some of the most popular escapist romances of the day.

The critics may have sniffed, but the public loved them! Phyllis Calvert, James Mason, Stewart Granger and Jean Kent form the classic Gainsborough line-up in this bosom-heaving bodice-ripper, directed by prime minister’s son Anthony Asquith.

Film Studies - Gaslight Melodramas: Murderous Men and Persecuted Women!

Curated and delivered by Dr Sheldon Hall, this series of four classic films and accompanying lectures dives into the realm of the 40's murder melodrama. Presented in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University.

Explore Film Studies - Gaslight Melodramas

Too Much: Melodrama on Film

Running from October - December 2025, Too Much: Melodrama on Film is a UK wide programme supported by BFI and BFI FAN which celebrates the visual excess and dramatic potency of a form of cinema which champions emotional intensity over propriety and ‘good taste’. This autumn, we're presenting live events and classic titles, to make you swoon, weep and make a scene!

Explore Too Much: Melodrama on Film

Director Anthony Asquith
Year 1944
Duration 1h 47m
Language English
Cast Phyllis Calvert, James Mason, Stewart Granger