Drama

East Lynne

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.

Release Date : 1931-03-01

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Fox Film Corporation

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Lady Isabella

Original Name : Ann Harding

Gender : Female

Character Name : Capt. William Levison

Original Name : Clive Brook

Gender : Male

Character Name : Robert Carlyle

Original Name : Conrad Nagel

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cornelia Carlyle

Original Name : Cecilia Loftus

Gender : Female

Character Name : Joyce

Original Name : Beryl Mercer

Gender : Female

Character Name : Lord Mount Severn

Original Name : O. P. Heggie

Gender : Male

Character Name : Barbara Hare

Original Name : Flora Sheffield

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sir Richard Hare

Original Name : David Torrence

Gender : Male

Character Name : William as a Boy

Original Name : Wally Albright

Gender : Male

Character Name : William as a Child

Original Name : Ronnie Cosby

Gender : Male

Character Name : Doctor

Original Name : Eric Mayne

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Claude King

Gender : Male

Character Name : Charity Bazaar Committee

Original Name : May Beatty

Gender : Female

Character Name :

Original Name : Robert Bolder

Gender : Male

Character Name : Charity Bazaar Committee

Original Name : Nora Cecil

Gender : Female

Character Name :

Original Name : J. Gunnis Davis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rev. Hartley

Original Name : Tom Ricketts

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prussian Officer

Original Name : Wilhelm von Brincken

Gender : Male

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2024-02-16

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.