East Lynne (1931 film)

Last updated

East Lynne
Eastlynne1931.jpg
Directed by Frank Lloyd
Written by Tom Barry
Bradley King
Based on East Lynne
by Ellen Wood
Starring Ann Harding
Conrad Nagel
Clive Brook
Cecilia Loftus
Cinematography John F. Seitz
Edited byMargaret Clancey [1]
Music byRichard Fall
Carli Elinor
Distributed by Fox Film Corporation
Release dates
  • February 20, 1931 (1931-02-20)(New York City) [2]
  • March 31, 1931 (1931-03-31)(U.S.)
Running time
102 minutes, 9,188 ft., or 10 reels [2]
CountryUnited States
Language English

East Lynne is a 1931 American pre-Code film version of Ellen Wood's eponymous 1861 novel, which was adapted by Tom Barry and Bradley King and directed by Frank Lloyd. (The adaptation was sufficiently different from Wood's original novel that the screenplay was in turn novelized for a Grosset and Dunlap Photoplay Edition by Arline de Haas.) The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture but lost to RKO-Radio's Cimarron. East Lynne is a melodrama starring Ann Harding, Clive Brook, Conrad Nagel and Cecilia Loftus.

Contents

Only one print of the film is known to exist, though bootleg DVD copies exist minus the final scene. [1] This print is in good shape, although several frames have an "X" on them, indicating they were to be removed in the film editing stage. One frame has a "crosshairs" on it, while several frames have ink marks. People may view the film at University of California Los Angeles's Instructional Media Lab, Powell Library, after arranging an appointment. The film's copyright was renewed, so will not fall into the public domain until 2027. [3]

The film is the third adaptation of the book produced by Fox. Previous versions are the 1916 release with Theda Bara and the one in 1925 starring Alma Rubens. [4]

Brook and Harding in a scene from the film. Anne Harding Clive Brook East Lynne 1931.jpg
Brook and Harding in a scene from the film.

Plot

The trophy wife of a stodgy man of wealth yearns for a more interesting life. A daughter of a nobleman, her solution leads to scandal, ruin, and an odd denouement.

Cast

Awards

The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1931. [6]

Other filmed versions based on the novel

Related Research Articles

<i>East Lynne</i> 1861 novel by Ellen Wood

East Lynne is an 1861 English sensation novel by Ellen Wood, writing as Mrs. Henry Wood. A Victorian-era bestseller, it is remembered chiefly for its elaborate and implausible plot centering on infidelity and double identities. There have been numerous stage and film adaptations.

<i>The Divorcee</i> 1930 film

The Divorcee is a 1930 American pre-Code drama film written by Nick Grindé, John Meehan, and Zelda Sears, based on the 1929 novel Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott. It was directed by Robert Z. Leonard, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director. The film was also nominated for Best Picture, and won Best Actress for its star Norma Shearer.

<i>A Free Soul</i> 1931 film

A Free Soul is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by Clarence Brown and starring Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard, Lionel Barrymore and Clark Gable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theda Bara</span> American actress (1885–1955)

Theda Bara was an American silent film and stage actress. Bara was one of the more popular actresses of the silent era and one of cinema's early sex symbols. Her femme fatale roles earned her the nickname "The Vamp", later fueling the rising popularity in "vamp" roles based in exoticism and sexual domination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conrad Nagel</span> American actor (1897–1970)

John Conrad Nagel was an American film, stage, television and radio actor. He was considered a famous matinée idol and leading man of the 1920s and 1930s. He was given an Honorary Academy Award in 1940, and three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.

<i>A Fool There Was</i> (1915 film) 1915 American silent film

A Fool There Was is an American silent drama film produced by William Fox, directed by Frank Powell, and starring Theda Bara. Released in 1915, the film was long considered controversial for such risqué intertitle cards as "Kiss me, my fool!"

<i>Camille</i> (1917 film) 1917 film by J. Gordon Edwards

Camille is a 1917 American silent film based on the play adaptation of La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils, first published in French as a novel in 1848 and as a play in 1852. Adapted for the screen by Adrian Johnson, Camille was directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starred Theda Bara as Camille and Albert Roscoe as her lover, Armand.

<i>The Darling of Paris</i> 1917 film by J. Gordon Edwards starring Theda Bara and Glen White

The Darling of Paris is a 1917 American silent romantic drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara and Glen White. It was a very loose film adaptation of the 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo. It was produced by William Fox. The Darling of Paris was later re-edited from six to five reels and re-released by Fox on February 16, 1919. The film is now considered lost.

<i>The Devils Daughter</i> (1915 film) 1915 film

The Devil's Daughter is a lost 1915 American silent drama film directed by Frank Powell and starring Theda Bara. Based on the 1899 play La Gioconda by Italian writer Gabriele D'Annunzio, this updated adaptation portrayed the story of vengeful woman—a "vamp"—who uses her beauty and sensuality to lure a young man to ruin, destroying both his marriage and his career as an artist. The film was produced by Fox Film Corporation and shot at the company's studio in Fort Lee, New Jersey and on location in St. Augustine, Florida.

<i>East Lynne</i> (1916 film) 1916 film

East Lynne is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by Bertram Bracken, starring Theda Bara. Produced by Fox Film Corporation, it is an adaptation of the 1861 novel East Lynne by English author Mrs. Henry Wood. It was shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey. A 16mm print of the film was discovered in 1971 and purchased from Fox by the Museum of Modern Art where it is currently preserved. It is one of the few extant films of Theda Bara.

East Lynne may refer to:

<i>Romeo and Juliet</i> (1916 Fox film) 1916 film

Romeo and Juliet is a 1916 American silent romantic drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara. The film was based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and was produced by the Fox Film Corporation. The film was shot at the Fox Studio in Fort Lee, New Jersey, and is now considered to be lost.

<i>Madame Du Barry</i> (1917 film) 1917 film

Madame Du Barry or Du Barry is a 1917 American silent historical drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara. The film is based on the French novel Memoirs d’un médecin by Alexandre Dumas.

East Lynne is a 1913 British silent drama film directed by Bert Haldane and starring Blanche Forsythe, Fred Paul and Fred Morgan. It is based on the 1861 novel East Lynne by Ellen Wood.

<i>Romeo and Juliet</i> (1916 Metro Pictures film) 1916 silent film by John W. Noble and Francis X. Bushman

Romeo and Juliet is a lost 1916 American silent film based on William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet. John W. Noble is credited as director and Francis X. Bushman and Beverly Bayne star as the lovers. This film was produced in 1916, the 300th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, and was released amongst many other commemorations of his works.

<i>East Lynne</i> (1925 film) 1925 film

East Lynne is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Emmett J. Flynn and starring Alma Rubens, Edmund Lowe, and Lou Tellegen. The film is based on the bestselling 1861 Victorian novel of the same name by Ellen Wood. The scenario was written by Lenore Coffee and the film's director, Emmett J. Flynn.

<i>The Right of Way</i> (1931 film) 1931 film

The Right of Way is a 1931 American pre-Code film directed by Frank Lloyd and produced and distributed by First National Pictures. It stars Conrad Nagel and Loretta Young. The story was filmed previously in 1915 and in 1920.

<i>Little Women</i> (1918 film) 1918 American film

Little Women is a lost 1918 American silent drama film directed by Harley Knoles and written by Anne Maxwell based upon the 1868-69 two-volume novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott. The film stars Isabel Lamon, Dorothy Bernard, Lillian Hall, Florence Flinn, and Conrad Nagel. The film was released on November 10, 1918, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>The Rendezvous</i> (1923 film) 1923 film directed by Marshall Neilan

The Rendezvous is a 1923 American silent adventure melodrama film with comedic overtones directed by Marshall Neilan and starring Richard Travers, Conrad Nagel, Lucille Ricksen, and Syd Chaplin. It was produced and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures.

<i>East Lynne</i> (1921 film) 1921 silent film

East Lynne is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Hugo Ballin and starring Edward Earle, Mabel Ballin and Henry G. Sell. Now considered a lost film, it is one of numerous film versions of Ellen Wood's 1861 Victorian novel East Lynne.

References

  1. 1 2 "East Lynne (1931)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films .
  2. 1 2 "East Lynne (1931) - Overview". TCM.com. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  3. "Catalog of copyright entries. Ser.3 pt.12-13 v.9-12 1955-1958 Motion Pictures". Catalog of Copyright Entries.musical Compositions. 1891.
  4. Barefoot, Guy (2016). Gaslight Melodrama: From Victorian London to 1940s Hollywood. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 78. ISBN   9781474290364.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hall, Mordaunt (February 21, 1931). "THE SCREEN; The Soap Bubble Company". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  6. "The 4th Academy Awards (1931) Nominees and Winners". Oscars.org (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). Archived from the original on October 10, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2019.