East Lynne (1931 film)

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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

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.