AllMovie

Mrs. Henry Wood's war-horse novel and play East Lynne has been filmed so often that we've lost count. This 1916 version was the first American adaptation. Theda Bara is cast as Lady Isabel, whose past indiscretions (including running off with a murderer) eventually catch up with her. Under an assumed name, Lady Isabel takes a job as a governess to be near her own little son, now dying of consumption. Unfortunately, this adaptation of East Lynne no longer exists, so nobody knows how well the usually vampish Bara portrayed a sympathetic character.