[2] The influence of the films led to other British producers releasing similarly themed works, such as The Seventh Veil (1945), Pink String and Sealing Wax (1945), Hungry Hill (1947), The White Unicorn (1947), Idol of Paris (1948), and The Reluctant Widow (1950) and often with the talent that made Gainsborough melodramas successful.
In 2004, the British Film Institute compiled a list of the 100 biggest UK cinematic hits of all time, based on audience figures, as opposed to gross takings.
[15][18][19] Margaret Lockwood took the honour of "most popular and outstanding British actress during the war years",[15][16] ahead of Phyllis Calvert in second place, and Patricia Roc, who was third.
When the young woman falls in love with a strolling actor, her hopes of eloping to happiness are constantly wrecked by the aristocrat who cares more for the reputation of the family name, and by an old school friend who has designs on marrying her husband.
The film tells the story of a woman who developed dual personalities as a result of having been raped as a young girl, and unbeknownst to her and her loved ones, leads a double life: the first as a respectable wife and mother, the second as the mistress to a jewel thief in the house of the Seven Moons.
[28] The next film in the sequence, A Place of One's Own (1945), was adapted from a novel by Osbert Sitwell, and tells the story of a newly retired elderly couple who purchase a house that has been vacant for many years.
The house is haunted by its previous occupier, who may have died under suspicious circumstances, and now takes possession of the couple's newly employed companion, Annette, who resembles the spirit physically.
[42] Ironically, Arliss's last film credit was as screenwriter for the remake of The Wicked Lady (1983), which was directed by Michael Winner and starred Faye Dunaway.
Following a young aspiring writer's intervention in an attempted robbery of a valuable necklace from its guardian, he agrees to transport the item to its owners in Spain, so that he can earn the money he requires to marry his childhood sweetheart.
Caravan was a notable box office attraction at British cinemas in 1946,[37][39] becoming the sixth most successful film after The Wicked Lady, The Bells of St Marys, Piccadilly Incident, The Captive Heart and Road to Utopia.
The film tells the story of the Italian violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini before he becomes famous, and deals with his determination to attain the admiration that he feels he deserves.
[51] Adapted from the novel of the same name by L. A. G. Strong, the film tells the story of a young orphaned woman, who, after leaving the convent where she was raised from childhood, arrives on the Isle of Skye to become a servant to a clan chief and his two sons.
[1] Adapted from the novel of the same name by Norah Lofts, the film tells the story of a young gypsy woman pursued by superstitious villagers as a witch, due to her being gifted with second sight, and how she is saved from persecution and employed as a housekeeper by the son of a country gentleman and his family.
However, the family has lost their stately country home due to the father's drinking and gambling, and the young woman plans to use her talent to raise her social standing and return the property to the son, whom she loves.
[49] A number of the melodramas encountered problems with the US censor code, which required significant portions of the films to be cut, modified or reshot, and in some cases, this resulted in delays in their US release dates.
On the other hand, the PCA were not so lenient on British or other foreign productions that featured themes of cultural importance, and were more likely to seek changes to the film before it could be viewed by the American public.
[70] Although this was mild in comparison to what other Gainsborough melodramas would encounter, the PCA would become much stricter on language, such as what they deemed to be lines containing a double meaning, and were insinuating sex.
[75] Another act that Madonna of the Seven Moons was adjudged to have violated the Hays code was two people being on a bed with no feet on the ground, as the PCA perceived this indicated sexual intercourse.
And so when Granger and I had the bedroom scene in Madonna of the Seven Moons, we did in fact do it on a bed with all our feet off the ground - but they showed it very dark with just two cigarettes, so the audience wouldn't know where we were.
[78] While the ending of the film complied with the BBFC's code stipulating that criminals should get their comeuppance,[79] it did not go far enough for the PCA, who added that the villain showed no remorse for her crimes and "died as she lived, happy and unrepented".
[78] However, the biggest criticism the PCA had was for the women's dress bodices (appropriate for the era portrayed), which they perceived to be very low-cut, and showing too much cleavage for their Motion Picture Production Code.
This was the first time the word cleavage had been applied in reference to an area of a woman's anatomy; previously, the PCA had utilized the term décolletage when assessing films.
[86] They argued the PCA's double standards when it came to British films, such as The Wicked Lady, Pink String and Sealing Wax (1945), and Bedelia (1946, starring Lockwood), in comparison to American films, such as Double Indemnity (1944), The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944), Scarlet Street (1945), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) and specifically Forever Amber (1947) (which was due to be released) equally contained similar themes of adultery, premeditated murder, suicide, and rape to their British counterparts.
[90] The PCA recommended a toning down of infractions to their code in scenes related to adultery by the character of Vera, the suicide by Charlotte, and the inferred incestuous fantasies Geoffrey harboured towards his eldest daughter Margaret.
[63] The most serious infringement for the PCA was that the marital single beds of Lucy and William were too close to each other,[63] a violation that Lockwood claimed her film The White Unicorn (1947) also incurred.
[98][97][63] Box cited the rulings by Lord Cromer, the then Lord Chamberlain and censor for all theatrical performances in London, in regard to the Windmill Girls show in the Windmill Theatre, and the New York Censor Review Board in relation to the pre-code film Four Frightened People (1934), when arguing for the inclusion of the skinny dipping scene in his film.
[103][94][97] The BBFC were satisfied with Box's explanation, and certified the film with the skinny dipping scene intact,[58] whilst the PCA were not convinced, and demanded it be removed.
[94][63] Other challenges The Brothers (1947) encountered with the PCA before its US release were with its depiction of illicit whiskey manufacturing, and the finale, which culminated in the tragic deaths of two characters.
[104] Despite this, however, Box managed to satisfy the censor by adding some shots in which detectives arrived on the island to break up the whiskey operation, and by filming an ending in which "the good characters" survived, instead of being murdered.
[1] A large number of actors appeared in the films, but they are particularly associated with James Mason,[107] Margaret Lockwood,[108] Phyllis Calvert,[109] Stewart Granger, Patricia Roc, Jean Kent,[110] Anne Crawford, Dennis Price and Dulcie Gray.