The story was told in the old-fashioned way. What makes this worth remaking was the lovely color photography this has. I haven't seen any other versions of the tale, so I'm not sure if it improves on earlier versions in other departments.

It certainly feels a bit out of time for the '60s, but that's part of its charm. It seems like the only time Hollywood makes "out of date" movies these days is for novelty ("The Artist") or irony ("Far From Heaven").

It was a remake of a 1929 film
http://www.imdb.com/board/10020126/
which was a great hit for Ruth Chatterton and was first made in 1937
http://www.imdb.com/board/10029179/
which wasn't as big a hit probably because the lead, Gladys George, was never a box office draw. Producer Ross Hunter had great success remaking a bunch of old 1930's melodramas in glossy color and oversized emotions and today most of these movies - MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION, BACK STREET, IMITATION OF LIFE - are better known than the originals. It's too bad he didn't make MADAME X about five years earlier - I think he and Lana would have had another blockbuster in 1961 but in 1966 the era of this type of film had definitely passed and the movie proved to be Lana's last major film.