Forever Amber

Set in seventeenth-century England, Forever Amber follows Amber St. Clair, a young woman orphaned during the Civil War and raised by farmers. Determined to escape her humble origins, she leaves for London with a group of cavaliers and sets out to climb the social ladder. Her ambition is complicated by her love for Bruce Carlton, a nobleman who departs suddenly, leaving her pregnant and in debt. Imprisoned over what she owes, she escapes, gives birth to her son in poor circumstances in London, and gradually works her way back up, later becoming a stage actress and marrying the elderly Lord Radcliffe, who brings her to court. There King Charles II takes notice of her. A plague outbreak in London changes her plans again when she learns Bruce has returned.

The film was directed by Otto Preminger, the third of the sixteen features he made, following Fallen Angel and preceding Where the Sidewalk Ends. Jerome Cady, Philip Dunne and Ring Lardner, Jr. wrote the screenplay, and William Perlberg produced it for 20th Century Fox. Linda Darnell plays Amber, with Cornel Wilde as Bruce Carlton, George Sanders as Charles II, Richard Greene, Glenn Langan and Richard Haydn among the credited cast of twenty. Made for about six million dollars, it returned roughly sixteen million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.5 out of 10 from around 1,900 votes, and on TMDB 6 out of 10 from a much smaller number of votes.