Fanny by Gaslight

Based on a novel by Michael Sadleir set in 1870s Victorian London, Anthony Asquith's film version of FANNY was one of the most popular of the Gainsborough films. The melodramatic story has everything the genre demands--an innocent heroine, a dastardly villain, family secrets, duels, questionable parentage and a handsome hero. Fanny (Phyllis Calvert) is beset by the cruel vicissitudes of life as she tries to make her way in the world after her mother dies and her father is killed in a fight with Lord Manderstoke. James Mason gives a standout performance as Lord Manderstoke, a scoundrel now bound on the seduction of the virtuous Fanny. Stewart Granger, as Harry Somerford, is the staunch hero who tries to save Fanny. (official distributor synopsis)