Bella Donna (1934)
That old theatrical war-horse Bella Donna (previously filmed in America by Alla Nazimova) was resurrected by Britain's Twickenham Studios in 1934. Conrad Veidt stars as sinister Egyptian Mahmoud Baroundi, who even before the film gets under way has left a long trail of ruined women behind him. His latest victim is American girl Mona Chepstow (Mary Ellis), whom Baroundi treats like dirt and makes her like it. The plot centers around a murder by poison, as evidenced by the film's deliberately exotic title. Critics in 1934 praised newcomer Mary Ellis for underplaying her role, but many film fans preferred Nazimova's arm-waving histrionics in the earlier version.
Director: Robert Milton
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 91 min
Release Date: December 11, 1934
Cast
- Mary Ellis - Mary Chepstow Amine
- John Stuart - Nigel Armine
- Cedric Hardwicke - Dr. Meyer Isaacson
- Conrad Veidt - Mahmoud Baroudi
- Jeanne Stuart - Lady Zoe Harwich
- Rodney Millington - Ibrahim Achmed
- Eve South - The Dancing Girl
- Michael Shepley - Dr. Baring-Hartley
Screenplay
Music: W.L. Trytel
Cinematography: Sydney Blythe, William Luff
Production: Julius Hagen Productions
Language: English
Original Language: en
Keywords
egypt, cairo, poison, extramarital affair
More Films by Director: Robert Milton
More Films in Genre: Drama
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Bella Donna about?
- That old theatrical war-horse Bella Donna (previously filmed in America by Alla Nazimova) was resurrected by Britain's Twickenham Studios in 1934. Conrad Veidt stars as sinister Egyptian Mahmoud Baroundi, who even before the film gets under way has left a long trail of ruined women behind him. His latest victim is American girl Mona Chepstow (Mary Ellis), whom Baroundi treats like dirt and makes her like it. The plot centers around a murder by poison, as evidenced by the film's deliberately exotic title. Critics in 1934 praised newcomer Mary Ellis for underplaying her role, but many film fans preferred Nazimova's arm-waving histrionics in the earlier version.
- Who directed Bella Donna?
- Bella Donna was directed by Robert Milton.
- Who stars in Bella Donna?
- Bella Donna stars Mary Ellis, John Stuart, Cedric Hardwicke, Conrad Veidt, Jeanne Stuart, Rodney Millington.
- How long is Bella Donna?
- Bella Donna has a runtime of 1h 31m (91 minutes).
- What genre is Bella Donna?
- Bella Donna is a Drama film.