''Her Double Life'' is a 1916 American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

J. Gordon Edwards James Gordon Edwards (June 24, 1867 – December 31, 1925) was a Canadian-born film director, producer, and writer who began his career as a stage (theatre), stage actor and stage director. Biography James Gordon Edwards was born in Montreal ...

and starring

Theda Bara Theda Bara ( ; born Theodosia Burr Goodman; July 29, 1885 – April 7, 1955) was an American silent film and stage actress. Bara was one of the more popular actresses of the silent era and one of cinema's early sex symbols. Her femme fatal ...

. It is based on the

Mary Murillo Mary Murillo (born Mary O'Connor; January 22, 1888 – February 4, 1944) was an English actress, screenwriter, and businesswoman active during Hollywood's silent era. Early life Mary was the illegitimate daughter of Sarah Mary Peacock (née Su ...

's story ''The New Magdalen'', who also wrote the scenario. The film is now considered

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

Plot

Mary Doone (

) is a poor British girl who runs away from her adopted family because the father made a pass at her. She lives at a parish house, and at the outbreak of

World War A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...

I, she becomes a

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

nurse. At the front she meets war correspondent Lloyd Stanley (

Stuart Holmes Stuart Holmes (born Joseph Liebchen; March 10, 1884 – December 29, 1971) was an American actor and sculptor whose career spanned seven decades. He appeared in almost 450 films between 1909 and 1964, sometimes credited as Stewart Holmes. Biog ...

). Stanley tries to have his way with her but she is saved when the hospital tent is bombed. To get away from Stanley, she takes on the clothes and identity of an (apparently) dead girl, Ethel Wardley (Madeleine Le Nard). Ethel was on her way to live with Lady Clifford (Lucia Moore), an aunt she has never seen. So that's where Mary goes. There she meets and falls in love with Ethel's cousin Elliott (A.H. Van Buren). They become engaged. But Ethel is not dead and she recovers from her wounds. She and Stanley head to the Clifford estate to blow Mary's cover. It doesn't matter, however, because Mary has already admitted the ruse, and the family has forgiven and accepted her anyhow.

Cast

as Mary Doone * Franklyn Hanna as Doctor *

as Lloyd Stanley * Walter Law as Longshoreman * Carey Lee as Longshoreman's wife * Jane Lee as Naughty girl * Katherine Lee as Longshoreman's daughter * Madeleine Le Nard as Ethel Wardley * Lucia Moore as Lady Clifford * A. H. Van Buren as Elliot Clifford

Brazil

''Her Double Life'' was released in Brazil with the title ''Traição'' on September 25, 1916 at Cinema Iris, situated on Rua da Carioca 49-51,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

. The film was in theaters at Cinema Iris, Avenida (which screened US silent films exclusively), Cine Ideal, and Palais for about seven weeks. Cinema Iris was an enterprise from J. Cruz Junior and the building was close to Cine Ideal at the same street. Cine Ideal belonged to the group Severiano Ribeiro, which still holds in its storehouse old silent films.

Review

From the magazine ''American Cinematography'': :''Traição'' (''Her Double Life''), a production from Fox-Film Corporation. :"The Fox-Film Corporation, a U.S. company which is considered the most important industry of motion picture films in the world, did show yesterday in one of our theaters, one of its most beautiful productions: ''Traição'' (''Her Double Life''), which presents beautiful actress Theda Bara as protagonist. :The impression received by public was magnificent. The poignant drama unfolds in 40 minutes and reaches poignant outcome in a work of value. The interpretation by all Fox -Film artists is, if not flawless, very good. The photographic work is perfect and brings an absolute clarity, being led for a truly artistic way. :The actress Theda Bara, besides excellent artist, is a striking figure of woman. Two children which has been featured in film ( Jane Lee and Katherine Lee) are two lovely, wonderful creatures of naturalness and grace. The mise-en-scene is absolute, revealing us comfort and good taste of the North-American culture. :''Traição'' (''Her Double Life'') goes to provide us, without doubt, a complete success on Fox-Film in Brazil."TRAIÇÃO (Her Double Life) review from ''Jornal do Brasil'' (September 21, 1916)
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References

External links