Forever Amber

A cleaned-up adaptation of Kathleen Winsor's novel about a peasant wench's rise to riches - by means of sexual favours - during the reign of Charles II, this was originally planned as a John Stahl film, with Peggy Cummins in the role of the opportunistic Amber. Stahl, in fact, would probably have been better suited to the lurid emotional melodrama than Preminger, though Darnell - blonde for once but as sultrily sensuous as ever - is fine in the central role, while the supporting cast (notably Sanders as the king) is excellent. It's all lavish enough, beautifully shot in Technicolor by Leon Shamroy, but Preminger's direction lacks the sophisticated lightness of touch that Mitchell Leisen brought to the in some ways similar Kitty.