Bella Donna ( Pauline Frederick ) a beautiful seductive woman, with a scandalous past, snares Hon. Nigel Armine, ( Thomas Holding ) a rather unsophisticated man, into marriage because she thinks he will inherit a fortune. Nigel doesn't heed his friend Dr. Isaacson's ( Eugene Ormonde ) warnings and takes his ravishing bride to Egypt to live. She soon tires of the simple-minded Nigel and begins an affair with wealthy Baroudi ( Julian L'Estrage ) whose brutal manner attracts her . As the intensity of the affair increases, Bella agrees with Baroudi's suggestion of slowly poisoning her hapless husband. Day by day she watches him grow weaker, then Dr.Isaacson arrives on the scene saving Nigel, the doctor soon discovers that Bella is the cause of Nigel's condition. He denounces her to her husband, but the naive Nigel orders him out of the house and tells Bella he believes her innocence, but Bella becomes enraged and admits the truth, she goes to Baroudi where she finds him with another woman and he tells her, she is too dangerous for him and the door is shut in her face. Stunned, she goes back to her husband, only to be confronted at the door by Dr. Isaacson. Now with no where to go now, she wanders out into the desert and into oblivion.
Famous Players brought the stage play to screen in five reels, with Pauline Frederick playing the wicked Bella Donna, with a review from Variety expressing; Women going to see this photo-play will be interested in the vast quantity of dresses which Miss Frederick is called upon to wear. Variety also noted; A fine "touch" was created at the finish. After showing Bella Donna's body in the sands there was a momentary "cut in" of a jackal, suggesting the ultimate disposition of her carcass. A review from Moving Pictures declared there was pronounced applause from a great house at the Strand Monday afternoon at the conclusion of "Bella Donna"--by no means an every-day occurrence.
Tragically this film is lost, and sadly one cannot appreciate the powerful experience of watching a classic silent drama as this film was described as a Class A Feature.
Famous Players brought the stage play to screen in five reels, with Pauline Frederick playing the wicked Bella Donna, with a review from Variety expressing; Women going to see this photo-play will be interested in the vast quantity of dresses which Miss Frederick is called upon to wear. Variety also noted; A fine "touch" was created at the finish. After showing Bella Donna's body in the sands there was a momentary "cut in" of a jackal, suggesting the ultimate disposition of her carcass. A review from Moving Pictures declared there was pronounced applause from a great house at the Strand Monday afternoon at the conclusion of "Bella Donna"--by no means an every-day occurrence.
Tragically this film is lost, and sadly one cannot appreciate the powerful experience of watching a classic silent drama as this film was described as a Class A Feature.
