''East Lynne'' is a 1931 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

film version of Ellen Wood's eponymous 1861 novel, which was adapted by Tom Barry and Bradley King and directed by

Frank Lloyd Frank William George Lloyd (2 February 1886 – 10 August 1960) was a British-born American film director, actor, scriptwriter, and producer. He was among the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and was its preside ...

. (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 Ann Harding (born Dorothy Walton Gatley; August 7, 1902 – September 1, 1981) was an American theatre, motion picture, radio, and television actress. A regular player on Broadway and in regional theater in the 1920s, in the 1930s Harding was ...

Clive Brook Clifford Hardman "Clive" Brook (1 June 1887 – 17 November 1974) was an English film actor. After making his first screen appearance in 1920, Brook emerged as a leading British actor in the early 1920s. After moving to the United States ...

Conrad Nagel John Conrad Nagel (March 16, 1897 – February 24, 1970) 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 Academy Honorary Award in 1940 and ...

and

Cecilia Loftus Cecilia Loftus (born Marie Cecilia Loftus Brown; 22 October 1876 – 12 July 1943) was a Scottish actress, singer, mimic, vaudevillian, and music hall performer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Early life Loftus was born in Glasgow, ...

. Only one print of the film is known to exist, though bootleg DVD copies exist minus the final scene. 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 The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

'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. The film is the third adaptation of the book produced by Fox. Previous versions are the 1916 release with

Theda Bara Theda Bara ( ; born Theodosia Burr Goodman; July 29, 1885 – April 7, 1955) 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 fatal ...

and the one in 1925 starring

Alma Rubens Alma Rubens (born Alma Genevieve Reubens; February 19, 1897 – January 21, 1931) was an American film actress and stage performer. Rubens began her career in the mid 1910s. She quickly rose to stardom in 1916 after appearing opposite Douglas F ...

Anne Harding Clive Brook East Lynne 1931

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

as Lady Isabella *

as Captain William Levison *

as Robert Carlyle (name changed from Archibald Carlyle in the book) *

as Cornelia Carlyle *

Beryl Mercer Beryl Mercer (August 13, 1882 – July 28, 1939) was a Spanish-born American actress of stage and screen who was based in the United States. Early years Beryl Mercer was born to British parents in Seville on 13 August 1882. Her father wa ...

as Joyce *

O.P. Heggie Oliver Peters Heggie ( Otto Peters Heggie; 17 September 1877 – 7 February 1936), billed as O. P. Heggie, was an Australian film and theatre actor best known for portraying the hermit who befriends the Monster in the film ''Bride of Frankenstei ...

as Lord Mount Severn * Flora Sheffield as Barbara Hare * David Torrence as Sir Richard Hare *

J. Gunnis Davis James Gunnis Davis (21 December 1873 – 23 March 1937) was a British-born American actor and director who had a career in films in the US. Early life He was born as Joseph Gunnis Davis on 21 December 1873 in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, Sun ...

as Dodson, the Butler (uncredited) *

Eric Mayne Eric Mayne (April 28, 1865 – February 10, 1947) was an American actor. Mayne was born in Dublin and was a star on stage in London in the early 20th century, at the London Lyceum and at Drury Lane. He appeared in the films ''The New York Peaco ...

as Doctor * Ronnie Cosby as William as a child * Wallie Albright as William as a boy

Awards

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

Other Filmed Versions Based on the Novel

* 1912 ''East Lynne'' – Short Film - Directed by

Theodore Marston Theodore Marston (August 10, 1868 in Minnesota – October 2, 1920 in Los Angeles, California, United States) was an American silent film director and writer during the early silent period. He directed films including '' Aurora Floyd'' in 19 ...

- with

Florence La Badie Florence La Badie (born Florence Russ; April 27, 1888 – October 13, 1917) was an American-Canadian actress in the early days of the silent film era. She was a major star between 1911 and 1917. Her career was at its height when she died a ...

and

James Cruze James Cruze (born James Cruze Bosen; March 27, 1884 – August 3, 1942) was a silent film actor and film director. Early years Cruze's middle name came from the battle of Vera Cruz. He was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

* 1913 '' East Lynne'' - British Film - Directed by Bert Haldane - with

Blanche Forsythe Blanche Forsythe was a British actress of the silent era. She was born in Islington in the mid-1880s and died in Middlesex in 1953 - aged 80. Selected filmography * ''Sixty Years a Queen'' (1913) * ''East Lynne (1913 film), East Lynne'' (1913)

and

Fred Paul Fred Paul (1880–1967) was a Swiss-born British actor and film director. Paul was born in Lausanne in 1880 but moved to Britain at a young age. He was a prolific actor and director in the 1910s and 1920s, but his career dramatically declined with ...

* 1915 ''East Lynne'' – Short Film - Directed by Travers Vale - with Louise Vale and Alan Hale * 1916 '' East Lynne'' – Directed by Bertram Bracken - with

and Ben Deeley * 1921 ''East Lynne'' – Directed by

Hugo Ballin Hugo Ballin NA (March 7, 1879 – November 27, 1956) was an American artist, muralist, author, and film director. Ballin was a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters and the National Academy of Design. Biography Ballin was born in ...

- with

Mabel Ballin Mabel Ballin (née Croft; January 1, 1885 – July 24, 1958), was an American motion-picture actress of the silent film era. Early life and career Mabel Croft was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 1, 1885. Some sources give 1887 as h ...

and

Edward Earle Edward Earle (16 July 1882 – 15 December 1972) was a Canadian-American stage, film and television actor. In a career which lasted from the 1910s to 1966, he appeared in almost 400 films between 1914 and 1956. He was born in Toronto and died ...

* 1922 '' East Lynne'' - Australian Film - Directed by Charles Hardy - with Ellen Jerdan and Don McAlpine * 1925 '' East Lynne'' – Directed by Emmett J. Flynn - with

and

Edmund Lowe Edmund Dantes Lowe (March 3, 1890 – April 21, 1971) was an American actor. His formative experience began in vaudeville and silent film. Biography Lowe was born in San Jose, California. His father was a local judge. His childhood home was a ...

* 1930 '' Ex Flame'' - Directed by

Victor Halperin Victor Hugo Halperin (August 24, 1895 in Chicago, Illinois – May 17, 1983 in Bentonville, Arkansas) was an American stage actor, stage director, film director, producer, and writer. The majority of his works involved romance and horror. His ...

- with Neil Hamilton and

Marian Nixon Marian Nixon (born Marja Nissinen; October 20, 1904 – February 13, 1983) was an American film actress. Sometimes credited as Marion Nixon, she appeared in more than 70 films. Career Born in Superior, Wisconsin, to parents of Finnish descent, ...

* 1976 ''East Lynne'' – British Television Series - directed by Barney Colehan - with

Polly James Polly James (born 8 July 1941) is an English actress with a career in theatre, film, television and radio. Career Pauline James was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, under the name Pauline Devaney. After graduating from RADA, her TV career began ...

and Christopher Cazenove * 1982 ''East Lynne'' – British Television Film - directed by David Green - with

Lisa Eichhorn Lisa Eichhorn (born February 4, 1952) is an American actress, writer and producer. She made her film debut in 1979 in the John Schlesinger film '' Yanks'', for which she received two Golden Globe nominations. Her international career has includ ...

and

Tim Woodward Timothy Oliver Woodward (born 24 April 1953) is an English actor. Tim Woodward was born in Kensington, London, England, the son of actors Edward Woodward and Venetia Barrett. He was educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College. He is pr ...

References

External links

Bestpictureby.blogspot.com

Tcm.com
* *
Novelization
of the screenplay {{Frank Lloyd , state=collapsed 1931 films 1931 drama films Fox Film films Adultery in films American drama films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Films based on British novels Films directed by Frank Lloyd Films set in England 1930s American films