East Lynne (1931 film)

East Lynne
Directed byFrank Lloyd
Written byTom Barry
Bradley King
Based onEast Lynne
by Ellen Wood
StarringAnn Harding
Conrad Nagel
Clive Brook
Cecilia Loftus
CinematographyJohn F. Seitz
Edited byMargaret Clancey[1]
Music byRichard Fall
Carli Elinor
Distributed byFox 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
LanguageEnglish

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.[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.
  1. ^ a b "East Lynne (1931)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films.
  2. ^ a b "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.