Complete Filmography: Theda Bara

Yes this is a bit of an 'easy' one. Poor Theda has some of the poorest film 'survival' rates of any Silent star ever. But we gotta start somewhere! Besides Theda was just awesome. She's my hero. Except for that marrying Charles Brabin part...she coulda done better.

Like all 'lost films' we can never really fully declare them 'lost'. Maybe someday some of her films will show up. But for now this is the Complete Filmography of Theda Bara.

Surviving Films:

*The Stain
1914. A 35mm print exists at the George Eastman House but has not been released on VHS or DVD. This was Theda's film debut and its uncertain what part she played. She was likely either a Nun or a Phone call maker...but she was not a star in the film.

*A Fool there was
1915. The only Theda film released on DVD and exists in pretty good condition. Kino Films released it in 2002. Click here to purchase.

*East Lynne
1916. A 35 and 16mm print both exist at the Museum of Modern Art. So far it has not been released on DVD or VHS. Supposedly a very laughable and dated film, because it was of the 'theatre to screen' school of early film.

*Unchastened Woman
1925. Exists in 16mm at the George Eastman House as well as a few other private collectors. Did make its way on to VHS and was released by Film Faktorie/White Circle on DVD alongside 'A fool there was'...but is now out of print and hard to find. The prints that survive are apparently in very good condition, but the VHS/DVD prints were of poor quality. Silents Please has released it on DVD.

*Madame Mystery
1926. Most people think this a one reeler but it is actually a two reeler (about 20 mins running time). Both reels exist in a 16mm at the Library of Moving Images as well as the UCLA Film and Television Archive. The print was preserved well but the print itself was in poor scratchy quality and a few scenes are missing towards the end. The one reel version is available on a Laurel and Hardy DVD collection, click here to purchase.

*45 Minutes from Hollywood
1926. 8mm and 16mm prints both still exist. Theda's scene is either an extra scene or an outtake from Madame Mystery but it marks her last screen appearance (which lasts all of 2 seconds). The short has been released on DVD as part of a Laurel and Hardy collection by Image Entertainment. Click here to purchase.

Surviving Fragments:

*Cleopatra
1917. Only a few seconds of this legendary film, literally 2 shots in which Theda turns slightly, still exists. A private collector as well as the George Eastman House own the fragments. Hugh Munro Neely created a documentary about Theda titled "The Woman With The Hungry Eyes" which has yet to be released on DVD. The documentary contains the entire fragmented clips. I viewed them, and its just a head turn. But its still amazing.

*Madame Du Barry
1917. It's rumored Cinematheque Francais has some footage from this film, though its in poor condition. However they are really secretive about it, and claim its the Pola Negri version and was just 'mislabeled'. However insiders say that they just don't want the hassle, and it is likely the Theda version.  

*Theda Bara et William Fox
This French Documentary contains 2 unidentified clips from Theda's films. It also contains clips of A Fool There Was, The Unchastened Woman and Madame Mystery. One of the clips is rumored to be from The

Soul of Buddah (1918). The unidentified clips show Theda stirring her coffee, and being serenaded by a servant. Click here to watch these snippets!


*The Woman With The Hungry Eyes
2006 documentary. This film contains the Cleopatra fragments, as well as 2 newsreel clips. In both Theda is basically waving and smiling. They also have a 1925 clip from 'Screen Snapshots' which shows Theda standing with with Norma Talmadge and talking with a couple of men at a Marion Davies party. 

Lost Films:

*Carmen
1915. It's been rumored time and time again this film has been rediscovered or clips exist. However so far no proof exists and its still counted as lost.

*Under Two Flags
1916. It's also been rumored this one exists as well, but again no proof. 

*Camille
1917. Was rumored to have been rediscovered but film historian Bob Birchard discovered it was a mislabeled Clara Kimball Young tin. Theda's version is still lost.

*The Soul of Buddah
1918. A clip from this MAY exist in Theda Bara et William Fox...no one is sure. 

Other Films

*Stars of Yesterday

1931. Prints of this film still exist at both Pacific Film Archives California and the UCLA Film and Television Archives. Contains the children scaring scene from "A Fool there Was", plus the family scene, and then another unrelated movie that has nothing to do with Theda what so ever. Click here to read about it.

*Unidentified Clip

UCLA Film and Television Archives had an 'unidentified Theda Bara clip' which was said to be in terrible condition. Unfortunately it was mistaken identity and the clip itself perished long ago.

The Complete Theda Bara Filmography List
Purple means fully exists
Blue means partially exists or a clip exists
Pink means lost * means released on DVD or VHS


1914:
The Stain

1915:
*A Fool There was
The Kreutzer Sonata
The Clemenceau Case
The Devil's Daughter
Lady Audley's Secret
The Two Orphans
Sin
Carmen
The Galley Slave
Destruction

1916:
The Serpent
Gold and the Woman
The Eternal Sapho
East Lynne
Under Two Flags
Her Double Life
Romeo and Juliet
The Vixen

1917:
The Darling of Paris
The Tiger Woman
Her Greatest Love
Heart and Soul
Camille
Cleopatra
The Rose of Blood
Madame Du Barry

1918:
The Forbidden Path
The Soul of Buddah
Under the Yoke
Salome
When a Woman Sins
The She Devil

1919:
The Light
When Men Desire
The Siren's Song
A Woman There Was
Kathleen Mavourneen
La Belle Russe
The Lure of Ambition

1925:
*The Unchastened Woman

1926:
*Madame Mystery
*45 Minutes from Hollywood

Documentaries:
Theda Bara et William Fox (2001)
The Woman with the Hungry Eyes (2006)

I'd like to give some thanks to this awesome site. They provided me with a lot of this great info.

Why the Low Survival Rate?

Because Theda was unlucky. Seriously. A lot of silent films became lost when random studio vaults broke out in flames. Theda Bara's films were part of Fox and shot on the East Coast. Many of them were stored at the Fox Studio in Fort Lee, New Jersey. In 1937 the vault caught on fire and most of Fox's silent films were completely destroyed. Of Theda's 43 films only 6 complete films survive for sure!!! How crazy is that?

Stat wise 6 films (3 feature and 3 shorts) full survive, 5 fragments or clips are around and 34 films are lost; thus giving Theda a 24% survival rate.  This is better than Miriam Cooper and Valeska Surrat, but not very good overall.

A sad but neat bonus: footage of the Fox Film Vault fire in 1937. Very sad indeed.