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East Lynne (1931 film)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox film
| name = East Lynne
| image = Eastlynne1931.jpg
| caption =
| director = Frank Lloyd
| producer =
| writer = Tom Barry
Bradley King
| starring = Ann Harding
Conrad Nagel
Clive Brook
Cecilia Loftus
| music = Richard Fall and Carli Elinor
| cinematography = John F. Seitz
| editing = Margaret Clancey
| distributor = Fox Film Corporation
| released =
| runtime = 102 minutes, 9,188 ft., or 10 reels
| country = United 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.
Only one print of the film is known to exist, though bootleg DVD copies exist minus the final scene.[http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=5339 The AFI Catalog of Feature Films:'..East Lynne'] 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.
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.
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
*Ann Harding as Lady Isabella
*Clive Brook as Captain William Levison
*Conrad Nagel as Robert Carlyle (name changed from Archibald Carlyle in the book)
*Cecilia Loftus as Cornelia Carlyle
*Beryl Mercer as Joyce
*O.P. Heggie as Lord Mount Severn
* Flora Sheffield as Barbara Hare
*David Torrence as Sir Richard Hare
* J. Gunnis Davis as Dodson, the Butler (uncredited)
* Eric Mayne 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 - with Florence La Badie and James Cruze
* 1913 'East Lynne' - British Film - Directed by Bert Haldane - with Blanche Forsythe and Fred Paul
* 1915 'East Lynne' Short Film - Directed by Travers Vale - with Louise Vale and Alan Hale
* 1916 'East Lynne' Directed by Bertram Bracken - with Theda Bara and Ben Deeley
* 1921 'East Lynne' Directed by Hugo Ballin - with Mabel Ballin and Edward Earle
* 1922 'East Lynne' - Australian Film - Directed by Charles Hardy - with Ellen Jerdan and Don McAlpine
* 1925 'East Lynne' Directed by Emmett J. Flynn - with Alma Rubens and Edmund Lowe
* 1930 'Ex Flame' - Directed by Victor Halperin - with Neil Hamilton and Marian Nixon
* 1976 'East Lynne' British Television Series - directed by Barney Colehan - with Polly James and Christopher Cazenove
* 1982 'East Lynne' British Television Film - directed by David Green - with Lisa Eichhorn and Tim Woodward
References
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