Fanny by Gaslight
1944 | 107m | English
Popularity: 2 (history)
| Director: | Anthony Asquith |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Aimée Stuart, Doreen Montgomery, Michael Sadleir |
| Staring: |
| Returning to 1870s London after finishing at boarding school, Fanny winesses the death of her father in a fight with Lord Manderstoke. She then finds that her family has for many years been running a bordello next door to their home. When her mother dies shortly after, she next discovers that her real father is in fact a well-respected politician. Meeting him and then falling in love with his young advisor Harry Somerford leads to a life of ups and downs and conflict between the classes. Periodically the scoundrel of a Lord crosses her path, always to tragic effect. | |
| Release Date: | May 08, 1944 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Anthony Asquith |
| Writer: | Aimée Stuart, Doreen Montgomery, Michael Sadleir |
| Genres: | Drama, Romance |
| Keywords | london, england, based on novel or book, infidelity, brothel, 19th century |
| Production Companies | Gainsborough Pictures, J. Arthur Rank Organisation |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Apr 28, 2024 Entered: Apr 28, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| James Mason | Lord Manderstoke |
| Phyllis Calvert | Fanny |
| Stewart Granger | Harry Somerford |
| Jean Kent | Lucy Beckett |
| Wilfrid Lawson | Chunks |
| Margaretta Scott | Alicia |
| John Laurie | William Hopwood |
| Cathleen Nesbitt | Kate Somerford |
| Helen Haye | Mrs. Somerford |
| Nora Swinburne | Mary Hopwood |
| Stuart Lindsell | Clive Seymore |
| Amy Veness | Mrs. Heaviside |
| Ann Wilton | Carver |
| Guy Le Feuvre | Doctor Lowenthal |
| Ann Stephens | Fanny as Child |
| Esma Cannon | Maid (uncredited) |
| Beresford Egan | (uncredited) |
| Helen Goss | Polly (uncredited) |
| Peter Jones | Young Client at 'The Shades' (uncredited) |
| Vi Kaley | Mrs. Joe (uncredited) |
| Virginia Keiley | (uncredited) |
| Beryl Laverick | (uncredited) |
| Joan Rees | (uncredited) |
| Johnnie Schofield | Joe (uncredited) |
| Jack Sharp | Carriage Driver (uncredited) |
| Cyril Smith | Publican (uncredited) |
| John Turnbull | Magistrate (uncredited) |
| Gloria Sydney | Lucy as Child |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| R. E. Dearing | Editor |
| Louis Levy | Music Director |
| Cedric Mallabey | Music |
| B. C. Sewell | Sound Supervisor |
| Arthur Crabtree | Director of Photography |
| Elizabeth Haffenden | Costume Design |
| John Bryan | Art Direction |
| Aimée Stuart | Writer |
| Doreen Montgomery | Writer |
| Anthony Asquith | Director |
| W.T. Partleton | Makeup Artist |
| Michael Sadleir | Novel |
| Arthur Alcott | Production Manager |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Edward Black | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Director | George Cukor | Nominated |
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
| 2024 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 2 |
| 2024 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 2 |
| 2024 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 1 |
| 2024 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Trending Position
An entertaining look at Victorian morals and double-standards as told through the eyes of "Fanny" (Phyllis Calvert) who is the daughter of a seemingly well-to-do family. When her father dies, she discovers that he secretly ran an house of ill repute from the basement and her sheltered, ordered, life ... is turned upside down. She goes to live in the home of successful politician Stuart Lindsell ("Seymore") who confides news that offers her new hope before, again, disaster strikes and she must again fend for herself - though this time with some assistance from his former secretary Stewart Granger ("Somerford") - all the time haunted/stalked by the rather unlikeable "Lord Manderstoke" (James Mason). "Fanny" hasn't her problems to seek in this rather episodic melodrama, but Granger, Lindsell and Margaretta Scott all contribute to this rather fine melodrama that exposes the best and worst of English social hypocrisy well. Mason features sparingly, considerably less frequently than in Saddier's original 1940 novel, which is a bit of a shame as the ending rather depends on the tension his character creates, but it is still a well crafted romantic drama.