The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders

The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders
British cinema poster for The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders
Directed by	Terence Young
Starring	Kim Novak Richard Johnson Angela Lansbury Vittorio De Sica Leo McKern George Sanders Lilli Palmer
Music by	John Addison
Edited by	Frederick Wilson
Production company	Winchester Productions
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	1965 (1965)
Running time	126 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Box office	$2,000,000 (US/ Canada rentals)

The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders is a 1965 British historical comedy film directed by Terence Young and starring Kim Novak, Richard Johnson and Angela Lansbury. It is based on the 1722 novel Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe.

In the 18th century, an orphan, Moll Flanders, grows up to become a servant for the town's mayor, who has two grown sons. Moll is seduced and abandoned by one, then marries the other, a drunken sot who dies, making her a young widow.

Moll is employed by Lady Blystone to be a servant. She meets a bandit, Jemmy, who mistakes her for the lady of the house and begins to woo her, pretending to be a sea captain. Moll rebuffs the advances of Lady Blystone's actual lover, the Count, only to be sacked from her job when they are spotted together.

A banker marries Moll but quickly loses her when a gang of thieves spirits her away. Moll ends up in jail and finds Jemmy there as well. Their execution is at hand when the banker, finding her there, dies of a sudden heart attack. Now a wealthy widow, Moll buys freedom for herself and her true love, and she and Jemmy have a shipboard wedding.

Kim Novak took a three-year break from motion pictures after this film, returning to the screen in 1968's The Legend of Lylah Clare. Co-stars Novak and Richard Johnson married in March 1965. The lead role was originally considered for Diane Cilento, who had gathered critical acclaim from her role in Tom Jones, but she had other commitments. Had Cilento appeared in the film, Sean Connery would have played the male lead.

The productions filmed in Kent at Chilham - the square doubles as the village where Moll grew up, Chilham Castle features as the Mayor’s House and St Mary’s Church is used for the scenes where Moll marries Younger Brother.