Costume dramas have been a staple of British cinema, especially during the 1940s when the Gainsborough melodramas resulted in some of the successful and popular films of the period. The best examples of the genre mix sumptuous film-making artistry with propulsive narratives. Stars include James Mason, Margaret Lockwood, Phyllis Calvert, Patricia Roc, Stewart Granger, Dennis Price and Jean Kent in films such as The Wicked Lady, The Man In Grey, Fanny By Gaslight, Madonna Of The Seven Moons and The Magic Bow