Fanny by Gaslight (1944)

 

Fanny by Gaslight, also known as Man of Evil in the United States (both terrible titles) is what they tell me is a melodrama, so I must say I am rather embarrassed to admit that I like it. Don't be confused by the title's similarity to the more famous movie 'Gaslight' that came out in the same year, starring Ingrid Bergman. Both are good movies, but I'm here to talk about the one starring Phyllis Calvert today. Now I shall attempt to summarize a pretty complex plot. Also, I hereby warn of spoilers ahead. Ahem:
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Fanny Hopwood has lived apart from her parents at a boarding school since she was a young girl, but now, on her nineteenth birthday, Fanny is returning to her London home. The happy homecoming she expects is horrendously shattered when Fanny's father is pushed into the way of an oncoming carriage and killed during a street brawl. Soon after, Fanny's mother dies, but not before she learns that the Hopwoods are not her biological parents but her foster parents, commissioned to care for her by a man who is her true father. Due to the clandestine nature of Fanny's conception and birth, the girl's real father chose to keep her existence a secret after his unmarried love died. Fanny is quite at a loss as to what to do with her life, her respectability tainted on one hand by her foster father's questionable business affairs regarding the ownership of a house of ill repute, and on the other hand by her true parentage. She continuously searches for her place in life and happiness, but always is dogged by her past and a wicked man who seems to appear everywhere she goes
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The plot to this story twists and turns, a narrative tale with Fanny as the catalyst. She fills her role with a strong resemblance to that of Oliver Twist and David Copperfield. Although Fanny does not have a great deal of character, she is still a sympathetic enough heroine to draw interest and, well, sympathy. And I don't think that she was meant to be chock full of character either. Everything about her seems like it shouldn't be any different, seems comfortable in its place. She just goes trotting through the story so we can see what happens next, and it always happens to her, whatever it is.

From the movie's start, I was always wondering what was going to happen next, and I didn't always get it right. A lot of lower budget films in the 40's and 50's that I have seen (and some higher budget ones too) are predictable to the point of ridiculous. I love certain cliches, but some are just not okay. Of course, this happens in modern movies as well, I just don't watch that many modern movies, so I can't really speak on that. Fanny by Gaslight has many components of a typical melodrama (I wouldn't know of course, because I don't watch melodramas, but if I did...), such as a damsel in distress, a man who impugns her honor, secret love affairs, and a generally sad aura, but it's a very unique film in my opinion. Another point to the movie was that no two characters were alike. Each actor played his or her part to perfection. I was delighted to see Margaretta Scott playing the unloving wife of Fanny's real father. Her name is Alicia Seymour. She plays Mrs. Pumphrey in All Creatures Great and Small! It was amazing to see her so young, and she has a very interesting and layered character indeed. Selfish but not cruel, light-hearted and flighty, but willing to give her heart away and fall hard for a jerk. A jerk who is not her husband, what's more! 

Fanny becomes her maid for a short time, never letting on that she is secretly Mr. Seymour's own daughter. She masquerades as a family servant's niece. 
This proves to cause a great deal of changes in Fanny's life, and around her. Whilst on a little vacation with her father in the countryside, Fanny meets Mr. Somerford. He is played by a young Stewart Granger. Tall, elegant, witty, gentlemanly, what's not to like? I saw a reviewer on the internet dare to say that his performance was wooden. I suppose she meant he was so strong and consistent and trustworthy that he fit the description 'Strong as an oak' so well that she couldn't help but think of him as made of wood. I'm sure that's what she meant. Couldn't be anything else.

Can you see how he's the best??? And now, if you've taken notice of the man to the right in the middle picture, we come to whom many believe to be the toast of the film and the toast of the town in the film, the wickedly evil and notorious Lord Manderstoke, played by the delightfully gross James Mason. I'm not saying James Mason is always delightfully gross, he just does a good job of it when he tries. Lord Manderstoke is not only a man who lives to do nothing but satiate his carnal desires, but he is also the man who pushed Fanny's foster father into the way of the oncoming carriage and caused his death. He was never punished for it. He appears everywhere Fanny goes. He haunts her like a ghost. My favorite thing about this character is that no matter where he is, no matter who he's with, if he sees a woman within ten feet of himself he will try to kiss her. It's honestly repulsive, not gonna lie.

An entertaining movie all 'round, I encourage you - no- I implore you to go watch Fanny by Gaslight, if you so desire. Although not a perfect film, I think overall the makers and actors involved did a splendid job and it should have more recognition. Until we meet again, God Bless you and make sure you watch lots of Victorian melodramas.

~ Irene

A cute picture, in my opinion.