Svengali (1931)

George Du Maurier’s novel was the source for this (and many other) film’s story about the titled music teaching Maestro played by John Barrymore who hypnotizes a pretty young artist’s model named Trilby O’Farrell played by blonde Marian Marsh into a career as a successful singer. This version was directed by Archie Mayo; J. Grubb Alexander provided the screenplay. Anton Grot received the first of his five unrewarded Academy Award nominations for (his unique sets) Art Direction and Cinematographer Barney McGill received his only Oscar nomination. Both gave this Warner Bros. movie the “look and feel” of a Universal horror film from the same era. Also noteworthy is Barrymore’s posture movement and makeup which includes an outlandishly long beard a (coal) darkened face and hollow (glowing) eyes.

Otherwise there isn’t much to the story or at least this adaptation. Barrymore’s (silent film-like) acting consists largely of staring & scowling Marsh’s “abilities” (beyond her pretty face & legs) aren’t in evidence at all. The other characters are barely defined. Luis Alberni plays Svengali’s servant Gecko. Donald Crisp (The Laird) Lumsden Hare (Monsieur Taffy) and Bramwell Fletcher (Billee) play three artists who warn Trilby about Svengali’s powerful mind – he’s able to control women making them do what he wants even to commit suicide when he’s through with them (as he does to Madame Honori played by Carmel Myers) – but they’re unable to protect or prevent her from falling under the Maestro’s influence. Even blond Billee’s love for her isn’t enough to break the spell until many years later when Svengali is older weaker. “Actor” Fletcher’s Billee does little more than show his face as he follows Trilby’s road show across Europe causing the Maestro to cancel show after show frustrating his concert manager Bonelli (Paul Porcasi) to quit. The extra energy it takes Svengali to control Trilby while Billee doggedly pursues them leads to the Maestro’s demise.

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