Her Double Life

• 1916

• Watchlist

Movie "vamp" Theda Bara was more subdued than usual in Her Double Life. The story begins in England, where the orphaned heroine (played as a child by Katherine Lee) is rescued from the slums when adopted by a blue-collar family. Unfortunately, the girl's foster father is hardly a pillar of honor, as she discovers upon reaching adulthood. Escaping a rape attempt perpetrated by her guardian, the girl (now played by Bara) seeks shelter in the home of man-about-town Stuart Holmes -- and when it turns out that he likewise has only One Thing on his mind, she finds a safe harbor in a refuge for homeless girls. When WWI break out, Bara volunteers her services as a Red Cross nurse, and it is in this capacity that she is reacquainted with Holmes, now a war correspondent. Upon realizing that Holmes does not recognize her, Bara endeavors to protect her virtue by posing as the niece of London aristocrat Lady Clifford. Continuing the masquerade, our heroine is invited into Lady Clifford's household, secure in the belief that the genuine niece, likewise a Red Cross nurse, was killed on the battlefields of France. On the verge of marrying Lady C's son, Bara is exposed as an impostor. Imagine her relief when her husband-to-be announces that he still loves her, no matter who she is -- a rare happy ending for Theda Bara, whose screen characters usually came to a sad if well-deserved end.