A Woman There Was (Fox; 5 reels; released June 1919).
Cast: Theda Bara (Zara); Winthrop Davidson (Rev. Charles Stark); Robert Elliott (Pulke); Claude Payton (High Priest); John Ardizoni (Majah).
Directed by J. Gordon Edwards. Written by Adrian Johnson (from a Neje story, Creation's Tears). Photography by John Boyle.
A Woman There Was, scripted from a story by Neje, was a romantic drama of the South Seas in which Theda played the Princess Zara. It was the last Bara movie directed by J. Gordon Edwards or scripted by Adrian Johnson. Her costars were William (or Winthrop) Davidson (1888-1947), Robert Elliott, Claude Payton, and John Ardizoni.
Zara's father over a pearl-fishing kingdom to which a young American missionary comes. The wild Zara decides to marry him, an idea which appeals neither to her intended nor to her savage lovers. There are some natural disasters and she is stabbed by mistake, thus resolving the missionary's problem. It was a very disjointed production which Variety felt "will offend no one [though] it is stupid and unattractive."
Critical Reviews:
none yet collected.
From Allmovie.com:
By mid-1919, Theda Bara's career was on its downslide. The release of A Woman There Was all but killed it. This was a very weak attempt at casting her as something other than a "vampire." The plot was silly and dated -- Bara plays Princess Zara, who lives on a South Seas Island. A handsome young missionary (William B. Davidson) arrives and there is a romance, which is hindered by various complications including a poorly-staged typhoon. Zara is accidentally stabbed and killed, and the missionary goes home to the white girl who is waiting for him in England. Apparently this film no longer exists, but stills for it show Bara looking her worst -- she is overweight and her primitive costumes and wig make her look especially dumpy. It was the last film she made with director J. Gordon Edwards -- a sorry end to what was, overall, a very profitable working relationship. The films Bara and Edwards made together formed the peak of both their careers.
From Silentera.com
Released 1 June 1919.
Survival Status: The film is presumed lost.
