Trilby (1915)

Director:

Maurice Tourneur

Writers:

George L. Du Maurier (novel), E. Magnus Ingleton (scenario),

Stars:

Wilton Lackaye, Clara Kimball Young, Paul McAllister

Cast

Credited cast:
Wilton Lackaye	...	Svengali
Clara Kimball Young	...	Trilby O'Ferral
Paul McAllister	...	Gecko
Chester Barnett	...	Billie
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
D.J. Flanagan
Phyllis Neilson-Terry
James Young

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel | based on play | character name in title

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 September 1915 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Equitable Motion Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

59 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of Svengali (1931)

User Reviews

Really good for 1915....only okay today.

In 1915, full length films were still relatively new. Up until about a decade before, movies lasted only a couple minutes in most cases. Now in the 1910s, longer and more involved scripts began to become the norm--though the films still weren't nearly as polished and professional as they'd be in the 1920s. It's because of this that I cut "Trilby" a lot of slack. Sure, compared to later silents it's only fair, for the time period in which it appeared, it was pretty good stuff.

This is the often told story of the evil Svengali who is able to use s magical form of hypnosis to control poor impressionable Trilby. He is able to elicit marvelous singing performances from her and he becomes rich. However, Trilby's old fiancé is determined to find her and take her from Svengali's clutches.

The film's strengths are its nice sets and costumes as well as a decent story. Unfortunately, some of acting is ridiculously overdone--especially Svengali. And, the resolution to the tale seems amazingly ordinary. For huge fans of silents and cinephiles, it's a good film to see. But, for the casual viewer, the film's limitations and the lousy print by Alpha Video make this a poor bet--better to see some of the better silents first.