Though Ronald Colman had done theatre plays and already appeared in two minor films in England, in 1920 set out for New York in hopes of finding greater fortune there than in war-depressed England. After two years of impoverishment, he was cast in a Broadway hit, "La Tendress", in which film director Henry King spotted him and cast him as Lillian Gish's leading man in this film. His success in the movie led to a contract with Samuel Goldwyn, and his career as a Hollywood leading man was underway. He quickly became a romantic lead and especially thrived in the sound era with his beautiful speaking voice. A decade later, under George Cukor's direction, he received an Academy Award® for his splendid portrayal of a tormented actor in A Double Life (1947).
Filming took place in studios in Rome and outdoor locations in Rome (such as the Villa d'Este in Tivoli) and Naples, with the desert ambush scenes shot in Algeria. Lillian Gish involved herself in all aspects of the production. The Catholic Church provided guidance on religious matters. Gish stated it took 25 hours straight, with a 2½-hour break, to film the scene in which she takes her final vows. The production lasted nearly twice as long as planned, due in part to inadequately equipped studio facilities.
This film is the second of four adaptations of the novel, preceded by a 1915 production The White Sister (1915) and followed by a 1933 sound film The White Sister (1933), starring Helen Hayes and Clark Gable, and a 1960 Mexican production, La hermana blanca (1960).
Lillian Gish turned down a weekly salary of $3500 from Tiffany Pictures and instead signed with Inspiration Pictures for $1500 and a share of the profits. Inspiration had purchased the rights to the novel The White Sister for $16,000.
This film is based on the novel The White Sister by Francis Marion Crawford (New York, 1909) and the play of the same name by Walter C. Hackett and Francis Marion Crawford (New York, 27 Sep 1909).