Theda Bara (July 29, 1885 – April 13, 1955), born
Theodosia Burr Goodman, was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
silent filmA silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially spoken dialogue. The idea of combining motion pictures with recorded sound is nearly as old as film itself, but because of the technical challenges involved, synchronized dialogue was only made practical in the late 1920s with...
actressAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. Bara was one of the most popular screen actresses of her era, and was one of cinema's earliest
sex symbolA sex symbol is a famous person of either gender, typically an actor, musician, model, teen idol, or sports star. The celebrity "star system"—the tabloid papers, paparazzi, and gossip talk shows—play an important role in creating and sustaining the public perception of which stars are viewed as...
s. Her
femme fataleA femme fatale is an alluring and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetypal character of literature and art...
roles earned her the nickname "The Vamp" (short for
vampireVampires are legendary creatures said to subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, generally by drinking their blood. Although typically described as undead, some minor traditions believed in vampires that were living people....
). The term "vamp" soon became a popular
slangSlang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's dialect or language. It is often used as a way to say words that are not appropriate, and is not often found in the standard dictionary for the language...
term for a sexually predatory woman. Bara, along with Broadway turned film actress Valeska Suratt, and the
FrenchFrench people can refer to:* The legal residents and citizens of France, regardless of ancestry. For a legal discussion, see French nationality law.* People whose ancestors lived in France or the area that later became France....
film actress
MusidoraMusidora was the stage name of Jeanne Roques, a popular French silent film actress. She became famous for her vamp roles in such film serials as Les Vampires and Judex, in which she developed a persona comparable to that of Theda Bara...
, popularized the vamp persona in the early years of silent film and was soon imitated by rival actresses such as
Louise GlaumLouise Glaum was an American actress. Best-known for her role as a femme fatale in silent movie dramas, she was credited with giving one of the best characterizations of a vamp. She appeared in over 110 movies in the early 20th century.-Early life and stage career:She was born near Baltimore,...
,
Nita NaldiNita Naldi . was an American silent film actress. One of the most successful actresses in Hollywood during the "Roaring Twenties", she was often cast in the role of the "femme fatale"/"vamp", a persona first popularized by actress Theda Bara.-Early life:Born Nonna Dooley in New York City into a...
and
Pola NegriPola Negri was a Polish film actress who achieved notoriety as a femme fatale in silent films between 1910s and 1930s.-Personal life:...
.
Birth
Theodosia Burr Goodman was born in 1885 in the Avondale section of Cincinnati,
OhioOhio is a Midwestern state of the United States. The thirty-fourth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the seventh-most populous with nearly 11.5 million residents...
. Her father was Bernard Goodman (1853–1936), a prosperous Jewish tailor born in Poland. Her mother, Pauline Louise de Coppett (1861–1957), was born in
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
and was also Jewish. Bernard and Pauline married in 1882.
Theda's brother and sister were Marque (1888–1954) and Esther (1897–1965), who also became a film actress under the name
Lori Bara and married Francis W. Getty of London in 1920.
The origin of Bara's stage name is somewhat murky;
The Guiness Book of Movie Facts and Feats says it came from director
Frank PowellFrank E. Powell was a stage and silent film actor, screenwriter, and director in the United States. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada....
, who learned Theda had a relative named Barranger. At the time, many thought the name was taken from an
anagramAn anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place. Someone who creates anagrams is called an anagrammatist...
of "Arab Death".
In 1917 the Goodman family legally changed its surname to "Bara".
Education
She attended Walnut Hills High School from 1899 to 1903 and lived at 823 Hutchins Avenue. After attending the
University of CincinnatiThe University of Cincinnati is a coeducational public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, part of the University System of Ohio. The 2007 rankings from The Center at Arizona State University place the University of Cincinnati as a "Public University Ranking in the Top 25 among Publics," tied...
for two years, she worked in theater productions mainly but did explore other projects, moving to New York City in 1908. She made her Broadway debut in
The Devil (1908).
Career
Theda Bara made more than 40 feature films between 1914 and 1926. Complete prints of only six of these films still exist. Most of Bara's films were produced by
William FoxWilliam Fox , born Wilhelm Fried , was a pioneering American motion picture executive who founded the Fox Film Corporation in 1915 and the Fox West Coast Theatres chain in the 1920s...
, beginning with
A Fool There Was (1915) and ending with
The Lure of Ambition (1919). The phenomenal success of
A Fool There Was gave William Fox the money to found Fox Film Corporation, while the ensuing films helped to make Fox a successful studio.
At the height of her fame, Bara was making $4,000 per week for her film performances. She was one of the most famous movie stars, ranking behind only
Charlie ChaplinSir Charles Spencer Chaplin, KBE was an English comedic actor and film director. Chaplin became one of the most famous actors as well as a notable filmmaker, composer and musician in the early to mid Classical Hollywood era of American cinema.Chaplin acted in, directed, scripted, produced and...
and
Mary PickfordMary Pickford was a Canadian motion picture actor, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Known as "America's Sweetheart," "Little Mary" and "The girl with the curls," she was one of the first Canadian...
in popularity. Bara's best-known and most popular roles were as "vamp" characters, although she attempted to avoid being typecast by playing more wholesome heroines in films such as
Under Two Flags and
Her Double Life. She also appeared as Juliet in a version of
ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's
Romeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young "star-cross'd lovers" whose untimely deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet and Macbeth, is...
. Although Bara took her craft seriously, she was too successful as an exotic "wanton woman" to develop a more versatile career.
Most of Bara's early films were shot on the East Coast, primarily at the Fox studio in
Fort Lee, New JerseyFort Lee is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 35,461.Fort Lee was formed by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 29, 1904, from the remaining portions of Ridgefield Township. With the creation of Fort Lee,...
. Bara lived with her mother and siblings in New York City during this time. The rise of Hollywood as the center of the American film industry forced her to relocate to Los Angeles to film the epic
CleopatraCleopatra was directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starred Theda Bara in the title role. Fritz Leiber, Sr. played Julius Caesar and Thurston Hall played Mark Antony....
(1917). This film became one of Bara's biggest hits. No known prints of
Cleopatra exist today, but numerous photographs of Bara in costume as the Queen of the Nile have survived.
Between 1915 and 1919, Bara was promoted heavily by Fox, and was the studio's biggest star. When the studio lessened their support, her career suffered. Bara, tired of being typecast as a vamp, allowed her five-year contract with Fox to expire. Her final film for Fox was
The Lure of Ambition (1919). She left Fox and did not make another film until
The Unchastened Woman (1925) for Chadwick Pictures Corporation. Bara retired after making only one more film, the short comedy
Madame MysteryMadame Mystery is a film starring Theda Bara, Oliver Hardy, and James Finlayson, directed and co-written by Stan Laurel, and produced by Hal Roach.-Cast:* Theda Bara - Madame Mysterieux* Tyler Brooke - Hungry artist...
(1926), made for
Hal RoachHarold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
, in which she parodied her vamp image.
Theda Bara is most famous for having a higher percentage of lost films than any other actor/actress with a Hollywood star on the Walk of Fame. A 1937 fire at Fox's nitrate film storage vaults in New Jersey destroyed most of that studio's silent films. Out of her 40 films, 3 remain completely intact.
Cleopatra (almost completely lost, 40 seconds remain),
Du Barry,
Carmen,
Salome, and
Camille are among the lost. Fortunately,
A Fool There Was is preserved in a complete print.
Madame Mystery is preserved in a 9.5 mm print which runs 21 minutes, which may be an abridged version for home viewing.
She is also one of the most famous completely silent stars.
Charlie ChaplinSir Charles Spencer Chaplin, KBE was an English comedic actor and film director. Chaplin became one of the most famous actors as well as a notable filmmaker, composer and musician in the early to mid Classical Hollywood era of American cinema.Chaplin acted in, directed, scripted, produced and...
and
Mary PickfordMary Pickford was a Canadian motion picture actor, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Known as "America's Sweetheart," "Little Mary" and "The girl with the curls," she was one of the first Canadian...
, although mostly silent, were filmed in sound, and none of their sound films have been lost. Bara was never filmed in sound, lost or otherwise.
Sex symbol
Bara is often cited as the first
sex symbolA sex symbol is a famous person of either gender, typically an actor, musician, model, teen idol, or sports star. The celebrity "star system"—the tabloid papers, paparazzi, and gossip talk shows—play an important role in creating and sustaining the public perception of which stars are viewed as...
of that era, and in a number of her films appeared in risqué transparent costumes that left little to the imagination. Such outfits were banned from Hollywood films after the
Production CodeThe Motion Picture Production Code was the set of industry censorship guidelines which governed the production of the vast majority of United States motion pictures released by major studios from 1930 to 1968. It was originally popularly known as the Hays Code, after its creator, Will H...
started in 1930, and then was more strongly enforced in 1934.
Bara was photographed in several sittings in skimpy Oriental-themed costumes. It was popular at that time to promote an actress as mysterious and elusive, with an exotic background. The studios promoted Bara with a massive publicity campaign, billing her as the Egyptian-born daughter of a French actress and an Italian sculptor. They claimed she had spent her early years in the Sahara Desert under the shadow of the
SphinxA sphinx is a zoomorphic mythological figure which is depicted as a recumbent lion with a human head. It has its origins in sculpted figures of Old Kingdom Egypt, to which the ancient Greeks applied their own name for a male monster, the "strangler", an archaic figure of Greek mythology...
, then moved to France to become a stage actress. (In fact, Bara had never even been to Egypt or France.) They called her the "Serpent of the
NileThe Nile is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world....
" and encouraged Bara to discuss mysticism and the occult in interviews. Some film historians point to the excessive handling of Bara, with its over-the-top misrepresentations about the star, as the birth of two new Hollywood phenomena: the studio publicity department and the press agent, which would later evolve into the
public relations person.
At the height of Bara's fame, her vamp image was notorious enough to be referred to in popular songs of the day. The lyrics of "Red-Hot Hannah" said: "I know things that Theda Bara's just startin' to learn / Make my dresses from asbestos, I'm liable to burn...." The song, "Rebecca Came Back From Mecca", contains the lyrics "She's as bold as Theda Bara / Theda's bare but Becky's bare-er", The song "If I had a man like
ValentinoRudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, sex symbol, and early pop icon. Known as the "Latin Lover", he was one of the most popular stars of the 1920s, and one of the most recognized stars from the silent film era. He is best known for his work in The Sheik and The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse...
" contains the chorus lyric, "Theda Bara sure would die / She would never roll another eye".
Marriage and retirement
Bara married British-born American film director
Charles BrabinCharles J. Brabin was an American film director and screenwriter. He was active during the silent era, then pursued a short-lived career in talkies....
(1883–1957) in 1921. Her film career soon began to slow down, finally ending with the comedy
Madame MysteryMadame Mystery is a film starring Theda Bara, Oliver Hardy, and James Finlayson, directed and co-written by Stan Laurel, and produced by Hal Roach.-Cast:* Theda Bara - Madame Mysterieux* Tyler Brooke - Hungry artist...
made for
Hal RoachHarold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
in 1926. The following year, Bara made a successful but much maligned appearance on Broadway in
The Blue Flame.
Though she subsequently expressed interest in returning to the stage or screen, her husband did not consider it proper for his wife to have a career. She did make at least three interview appearances on radio from Hollywood: on the June 8, 1936 broadcast of
Lux Radio TheaterLux Radio Theater, a long-run classic radio anthology series [NBC Blue Network ; CBS ; NBC ] which first adapted Broadway stage works, and then films to hour-long radio programs performed live before studio audiences...
; as a guest on
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
's
For Men Only on March 7, 1939; and on
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
, November 8, 1939.
Bara spent the remainder of her life as a hostess in Hollywood and New York, in comfort and relative wealth. Producer Buddy DeSylva and
Columbia PicturesColumbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
expressed interest in 1949 in making a movie biography of her life, to star
Betty HuttonBetty Hutton was an American stage, film, and television actress and singer.-Early life:Hutton was born as Elizabeth June Thornburg, a daughter of railroad foreman Percy E. Thornburg and his wife, the former Mabel Lum...
, but the project never materialized.
Death
Bara died of stomach cancer in 1955 in Los Angeles, California, and was interred as Theda Bara Brabin in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in
Glendale, CaliforniaGlendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It lies at the eastern end of the San Fernando Valley, is bisected by the Verdugo Mountains, and is a suburb in the Greater Los Angeles Area...
. Her death certificate incorrectly listed her birthdate as "July 22, 1892."
Legacy
Theda Bara has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of FameThe Hollywood Walk of Fame is a sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA, that serves as an entertainment museum...
and in 1994, she was honored with her image on a
United States postage stamp designed by caricaturist
Al HirschfeldAlbert "Al" Hirschfeld was an American caricaturist best known for his simple black and white satirical portraits of celebrities and Broadway stars.-Personal life:Born in St...
. In June 1996, two biographies appeared, Ron Genini's
Theda Bara: A Biography (McFarland) and
Eve GoldenEve Golden is a biographer whose work focuses on American silent film, theater and early twentieth century actresses. She was born and raised near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Bibliography:* Platinum Girl: The Life and Legends of Jean Harlow...
's
Vamp (Emprise). In October 2005 TimeLine Films of Culver City premiered a film biography,
Theda Bara: The Woman With the Hungry Eyes. A film by British video artist
Georgina StarrGeorgina Starr is an English artist and one of the Young British Artists.Georgina Starr was born in Leeds and now lives and works in London. She attended the Slade School of Art and the Rijksakademie Van Beelende Kunst, Amsterdam .She works with found and collected objects to construct...
titled
Theda based around Bara's lost films premiered in London in November 2006.
The Fort Lee Film Commission dedicated Main Street and Linwood Avenue in
Fort Lee, New JerseyFort Lee is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 35,461.Fort Lee was formed by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 29, 1904, from the remaining portions of Ridgefield Township. With the creation of Fort Lee,...
, as "Theda Bara Way" in May 2006 to honor Bara, who made many of her films at the Fox Studio on Linwood and Main.
Theda Bara's image has been the symbol of the
Chicago International Film FestivalThe Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival that is presented by Cinema/Chicago which was founded by Michael Kutza in 1964. First held in 1965, it is one of North America's oldest film events....
. A stark, black and white close up of her eyes set as repeated frames in a strip of film serves as the logo for the nonprofit festival.
Of silent stars Theda Bara is usually cited as an example of someone with a high percentage of lost films. Only 4 of her features exist including
The Stain (
1914The year 1914 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The 3,300-seat Strand Theater opens in New York City.* February 2 - Charlie Chaplin's first film, Making a Living is released.* May 8 - Paramount Pictures is formed....
),
A Fool There Was (
1915The year 1915 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*June 18 : The Motion Picture Directors Association was formed by twenty-six film directors in Los Angeles, California.*The Allan Dwan directed film David Harum is released...
),
East LynneEast Lynne is a 1916 silent drama film directed by Bertram Bracken and starring Theda Bara. It is based on the novel of the same name. A print of this film survives in the film archive of the Museum of Modern Art.-Cast:...
(
1916The year 1916 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 17 - A Daughter of the Gods released - first US production with a million dollar budget also credited with first ever nude scene by a major star....
),
The Unchastened Woman (
1925-Top grossing films :-Films released in 1925:*El Húsar de la muerte, starring and directed by Pedro Sienna.*The Battleship Potemkin*Ben-Hur, starring Ramon Novarro....
), and 2 short comedies for Hal Roach. In addition to these a few of her films remain in fragments including
Cleopatra (just a few seconds of footage),
The Soul of Buddah, and a few other unidentified clips featured in a french documentary,
Theda Bara et William Fox (2001). Most of the clips can be seen in the documentary
The Woman with the Hungry Eyes (2006).
Filmography
Note: Extant films are indicated by a
‡
| Year |
Film |
Role |
Notes |
| 1914 The year 1914 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The 3,300-seat Strand Theater opens in New York City.* February 2 - Charlie Chaplin's first film, Making a Living is released.* May 8 - Paramount Pictures is formed....
|
The Stain The Stain is a 1914 silent drama film directed by Frank Powell and featuring Theda Bara in her onscreen debut. A print of the film was discovered in Australia in the 1990s...
‡ |
Gang moll |
A print of the film was discovered in Australia in the 1990s. |
| 1915 The year 1915 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*June 18 : The Motion Picture Directors Association was formed by twenty-six film directors in Los Angeles, California.*The Allan Dwan directed film David Harum is released...
|
A Fool There Was ‡ |
The Vamp |
|
| The Kreutzer Sonata |
Celia Friedlander |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| The Clemenceau Case The Clemenceau Case is a 1915 silent drama film directed by Herbert Brenon and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost. -Cast:* Theda Bara - Iza* William E. Shay - Pierre Clemenceau* Mrs. Allen Walker - Marie Clemenceau...
|
Iza |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| The Devil's Daughter The Devil's Daughter is a 1915 silent drama film directed by Frank Powell and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost. -Cast:* Theda Bara - La Gioconda* Paul Doucet - Lucio Settala* Victor Benoit - Cosimo Daldo...
|
La Gioconda |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
Lady Audley's SecretLady Audley's Secret is a sensation novel by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, written in 1862. It was originally produced in three volumes along with a serialized magazine version and, later, a single volume edition....
|
Helen Talboys |
|
| The Two Orphans The Two Orphans is a silent drama film directed by Herbert Brenon and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be a lost film....
|
Henriette |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| Sin Sin is a 1915 silent drama film directed by Herbert Brenon and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost. -Cast:* Theda Bara - Rosa* William E. Shay - Luigi* Warner Oland - Pietro* Henry Leone - Giovanni* Louise Rial - Maria...
|
Rosa |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| Carmen Carmen is a 1915 silent drama film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost. -Cast:* Theda Bara - Carmen* Einar Linden - Don Jose* Carl Harbaugh - Escamillo* James A. Marcus - Dancaire...
|
CarmenCarmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
|
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| The Galley Slave The Galley Slave is a 1915 silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost. -Cast:* Theda Bara - Francesca Brabaut* Stuart Holmes - Antoine Brabaut* Claire Whitney - Cecil Blaine...
|
Francesca Brabaut |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| Destruction Destruction is a 1915 silent drama film directed by Will S. Davis and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost. -Cast:* Theda Bara - Fernade* J. Herbert Frank - Dave Walker* James A. Furey - John Froment...
|
Fernade |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| 1916 The year 1916 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 17 - A Daughter of the Gods released - first US production with a million dollar budget also credited with first ever nude scene by a major star....
|
The Serpent The Serpent is a 1916 silent drama film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost. -Cast:* Theda Bara - Vania Lazar* James A...
|
Vania Lazar |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| Gold and the Woman Gold and the Woman is a 1916 silent drama film directed by James Vincent and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost. -Cast:* Theda Bara - Theresa Decordova* Alma Hanlon - Hester* H. Cooper Cliffe - Col. Ernest Dent...
|
Theresa Decordova |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| The Eternal Sapho The Eternal Sapho is a 1916 silent drama film directed by Bertram Bracken and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* Theda Bara - Laura Bruffins* James Cooley - Billy Malvin...
|
Laura Bruffins |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| East Lynne East Lynne is a 1916 silent drama film directed by Bertram Bracken and starring Theda Bara. It is based on the novel of the same name. A print of this film survives in the film archive of the Museum of Modern Art.-Cast:...
‡ |
Lady Isabel Carlisle |
A print of this film survives in the film archive of the Museum of Modern Art. |
| Under Two Flags Under Two Flags is a 1916 silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost. -Cast:* Theda Bara - Cigarette* Herbert Heyes - Bertie Cecil* Stuart Holmes - Chateauroye...
|
Cigarette |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| Her Double Life Her Double Life is a 1916 silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost. -Cast:* Theda Bara - Mary Doone* Franklyn Hanna - Doctor* Stuart Holmes - Lloyd Stanley...
|
Mary Doone |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet is a 1916 silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* Theda Bara - Juliet* Harry Hilliard - Romeo* Glen White - Mercutio* Walter Law - Friar Laurence...
|
JulietRomeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young "star-cross'd lovers" whose untimely deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet and Macbeth, is...
|
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| The Vixen The Vixen is a 1916 silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost. -Cast:* Theda Bara - Elsie Drummond* Herbert Heyes - Knowles Murray* Mary Martin - Helen Drummond...
|
Elsie Drummond |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| 1917 The year 1917 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Foundation of Universum Film AG , as a propaganda film company, in Berlin.*Technicolor System 1, a two-color process, is introduced...
|
The Darling of Paris The Darling of Paris is a silent film starring Theda Bara, one of the first sex symbols of the early 20th century. This is a very loose adaptation of the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. The film is now considered to be lost...
|
EsmeraldaEsmeralda, or La Esmeralda , born Agnes, is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame . She is a French gypsy girl . She constantly attracts men with her seductive dances, and is rarely seen without her clever goat Djali...
|
A very loose adaptation of the novel Notre Dame de ParisThe Hunchback of Notre-Dame is a novel by Victor Hugo published in 1831.-Background:...
by Victor HugoVictor-Marie Hugo was a French poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| The Tiger Woman The Tiger Woman is a 1917 silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and George Bellamy and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost. -Cast:* Theda Bara - Princess Petrovitch* Edward Roseman - Prince Petrovitch...
|
Princess Petrovitch |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| Her Greatest Love Her Greatest Love is a 1917 silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost. -Cast:* Theda Bara - Hazel* Marie Curtis - Lady Dolly* Walter Law - Prince Zuoroff* Glen White - Lord Jura...
|
Hazel |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| Heart and Soul Heart and Soul is a 1917 silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* Theda Bara - Jess* Edwin Holt - John Croft* Claire Whitney - Bess* Walter Law - Drummond...
|
Jess |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| Camille Camille is a film based on the 1852 novel and play La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils. It was adapted by Adrian Johnson and directed by J. Gordon Edwards. It stars Theda Bara as Marguerite Gauthier. The film is now considered to be lost...
|
Marguerite Gauthier The Lady of the Camellias is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils, first published in 1848, that was subsequently adapted for the stage. The Lady of the Camellias premiered at the Théâtre du Vaudeville in Paris, France on February 2, 1852. An instant success, Giuseppe Verdi immediately set about to...
|
The film is considered lost. |
CleopatraCleopatra was directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starred Theda Bara in the title role. Fritz Leiber, Sr. played Julius Caesar and Thurston Hall played Mark Antony....
|
Cleopatra |
Approximately 40 seconds exist at George Eastman House |
| The Rose of Blood The Rose of Blood is a 1917 silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost...
|
Lisza Tapenka |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| Madame Du Barry Madame Du Barry is a 1917 silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost. -Cast:* Theda Bara - Jeanne Vaubernier* Charles Clary - Louis XV* Fred Church - Cossé-Brissac...
|
Jeanne VaubernierJeanne Bécu, comtesse du Barry was the last Maîtresse-en-titre of Louis XV of France and one of the victims of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.-Early life:...
|
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| 1918 The year 1918 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Following litigation for anti-trust activities, the US Supreme Court orders the Motion Picture Patents Company to disband....
|
The Forbidden Path The Forbidden Path is a 1918 silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost. -Cast:* Theda Bara - Mary Lynde* Hugh Thompson - Robert Sinclair* Sidney Mason - Felix Benavente...
|
Mary Lynde |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| The Soul of Buddha The Soul of Buddha is a 1918 silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost. -Cast:* Theda Bara - Priestess* Victor Kennard - Ysora* Florence Martin - Romaine's wife* Tony Merlo - M...
|
Priestess |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| Under the Yoke Under the Yoke is a 1918 silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost. -Cast:* Theda Bara - Maria Valverda* G. Raymond Nye - Diablo Ramirez...
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Maria Valverda |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| Salome Salomé is a silent film produced by William Fox and starring actress Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost. Henri Langlois, a French film preservationist, said he had the opportunity to buy this film but dismissed it as Fox, Theda Bara, and American spectacle...
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SalomeSalome , the Daughter of Herodias , is known from the New Testament...
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The film is now considered to be lost. |
| When a Woman Sins When a Woman Sins is a 1918 silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost. -Cast:* Theda Bara - Lilian Marchard / Poppea* Josef Swickard - Mortimer West...
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Lilian Marchard / Poppea |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| The She Devil The She Devil is a 1918 silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost. -Cast:* Theda Bara - Lorette* Alan Roscoe - Maurice Taylor * Frederick Bond - Apollo...
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Lorette |
The film is now considered to be lost. |
| 1919 The year 1919 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 5 - Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith launch United Artists...
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The Light |
Blanchette Dumond, aka Madame Lefresne |
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| When Men Desire |
Marie Lohr |
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| The Siren's Song |
Marie Bernais |
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| A Woman There Was |
Princess Zara |
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| Kathleen Mavourneen |
Kathleen Cavanagh |
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| La Belle Russe |
Fleurett Sackton / La Belle Russe |
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| The Lure of Ambition |
Olga Dolan |
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| 1925 -Top grossing films :-Films released in 1925:*El Húsar de la muerte, starring and directed by Pedro Sienna.*The Battleship Potemkin*Ben-Hur, starring Ramon Novarro....
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The Unchastened Woman ‡ |
Caroline Knollys |
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| 1926 -Events:*August - Warner Brothers debuts the first Vitaphone film, Don Juan. The Vitaphone system used multiple 33⅓ rpm disc records developed by Bell Telephone Laboratories and Western Electric to play back audio synchronized with film....
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Madame Mystery Madame Mystery is a film starring Theda Bara, Oliver Hardy, and James Finlayson, directed and co-written by Stan Laurel, and produced by Hal Roach.-Cast:* Theda Bara - Madame Mysterieux* Tyler Brooke - Hungry artist...
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Madame Mysterieux |
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| 45 Minutes from Hollywood 45 Minutes From Hollywood is a two reel silent film released by Pathé Exchange. At the time, it was known as a Glenn Tryon vehicle, but today it's best remembered as the second instance of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy appearing in the same film together -- although they do not share any scenes --...
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Herself |
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Further reading
- Shakespeare on Silent Film: An Excellent Dumb Discourse by Judith Buchanan. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009. Chapter 6. ISBN 0-521871999.
- The First Female Stars: Women of the Silent Era by David W. Menefee. Albany: Bear Manor Media, 2007. ISBN 0-275-98259-9.
- Famous Juliets. By Jerome Hart, in Motion Picture Classic, March, 1923.
- A Million and One Nights. By Terry Ramsaye. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1926.
External links