Forever Amber (1947) DVD

17th Century romantic adventure stars Linda Darnell as the amorous courtesan who is able to conquer any man ...except the one she wants.

Amber, a village maid, is abandoned pregnant and penniless by Bruce Carlton (Cornel Wilde), a gallant adventurer whom she desperately loves. Amber uses her wits, beauty and courage to sleep her way to the highest position a woman could achieve in Restoration England; that of favourite mistress of the Merry Monarch himself, Charles II (George Sanders), all in the hope that Bruce will return. From whores and highwaymen to courtiers and noblemen, from the Great Plague to the Fire of London, Amber experiences it all. But throughout her sexual escapades, her heart remains true to only one man.

With its dazzling reproduction of the Restoration, it's convincing swordplay, court drama and war, Otto Preminger's grand swashbuckler is based on the racy novel by Kathleen Winsor.