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East Lynne

15 votes

The refined Lady Isabel Carlisle, after leaving her family and enduring nearly a decade of hardships, learns that her son has fallen ill. Despite being nearly blinded as the result of an explosion, she returns home to see her son again.

Status: Released

Released Date: 1931-03-01

Runtime: 102 mins

Director: Frank Lloyd

Writer: Bradley King, Tom Barry

Spoken language: English

Genres: Drama

Original title: East Lynne

Production Companies: Fox Film Corporation

Production Countries: United States of America

Cast

Lady Isabella

Ann Harding

Capt. William Levison

Clive Brook

Conrad Nagel

Cecilia Loftus

Beryl Mercer

O. P. Heggie

Flora Sheffield

David Torrence

Wally Albright

Ronnie Cosby

Eric Mayne

Claude King

Charity Bazaar Committee

May Beatty

Robert Bolder

Reviews

Geronimo1967

Much is made of the physical history of this film. The fact that it's only decent copy lies safely in the vaults of UCLA but I wonder if maybe that's not the best place for this rather unremarkable melodrama? The story centres around "Isabella" (Ann Harding) who marries "Sir Robert" (Conrad Nagel) who accepts her son but his sister "Cornelia" (Cecilie Loftus) doesn't. She now gets up to a bit of manipulation and stirring and that ends up driving the mother away, and to Paris where she makes a new life for herself - never forgetting the child she was forced to leave behind. When it turns out that the encroaching Prussians are going to upset her apple cart and an explosion puts her in the care of physicians who advise that that a darkened room is needed if she is to save her sight, she decides she must return to Britain and see her young lad whilst she still can. There are one or two scenes here where the dialogue is suitably robust for Harding to deliver well, especially when facing down her meddling sister-in-law, but for the most part this is really nothing special. The story follows a fairly predicable path of woe and merriment and more woe and try as I did, I just couldn't really get invested in the affairs of "Isabella" or her predicament - even if her treatment by the men in her life was at best indifferent, at worst cruel and possessive. The photography's fine and all in all it's an adequate drama, but one I think I'll only ever watch once.

2024-02-16

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