Madeleine Smith (Ann Todd) is well to do, beautiful and highly eligible, but she has yet to say yes to the respectable suitor approved by her stern father (Leslie Banks). Instead, she secretly consorts with an attractive Frenchman (Ivan Desny).

Perhaps the least-known film directed by the great David Lean (Brief Encounter, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago) and ripe for rediscovery, this is a meticulously atmospheric reconstruction of a real-life criminal case that scandalised Victorian society.

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 David Lean
Year 1950
Duration 1h 54m
Language English
Cast Ann Todd, Leslie Banks, Ivan Desny