East Lynne

Fallen-woman melodrama set in the 1870s and starring Ana Harding as the tragic wife of the irascible Conrad Nagel, who tosses her out after the birth of their child on the advice of Harding's scheming sister, Cecilia Loftus. Harding falls into the arms of dashing army captain Clive Brook, but she is obsessed with regaining her child. The climax sees Harding finally at the crib of her baby, suddenly being struck blind, and then wandering off to her death over a cliff. Good cast rises above the extravagantly emotional and sentimental material. Filmed as a silent with minimal sound added, the movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, losing to CIMARRO...