Svengali (1931)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Archie Mayo

Writers:

J. Grubb Alexander (writer)
George L. Du Maurier (novel)

Release Date:

22 May 1931 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Tagline:

All Paris desired her, but Svengali owned her!

Plot:

Through hypnotism and telepathic mind control, a sinister music maestro controls the singing voice, but not the heart, of the woman he loves.

Plot Keywords:

Hypnotism | Mind Control | Artist | Model | Villain Played By Lead Actor

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

John Barrymore	...	Svengali
Marian Marsh	...	Trilby O'Farrell
Donald Crisp	...	The Laird
Bramwell Fletcher	...	Billee
Carmel Myers	...	Madame Honori
Luis Alberni	...	Gecko
Lumsden Hare	...	Monsieur Taffy
Paul Porcasi	...	Bonelli

Runtime:

81 min | Belgium:72 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Vitaphone

Certification:

USA:Approved | Spain:13

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Goofs:

Continuity: When Svengali and Billie at having champagne at the café in Cairo, Svengali drains his glass. They exchange a few more words as Svengali is being introduced, then when he stands his glass is somehow full again.

Quotes:

Svengali: Svengali will go to London himself! Where he will be all alone on a platform. And Princesses. And Countesses. And serene Highnesses will fling him their jewels, and applaud, and invite him to their palaces. And he will take you with him. I never look at them. Ah, we could be so happy. Look at me, in the eyes. Open your eyes.
Trilby O'Farrell: Oh, I do love you!
Svengali: Close your eyes.
Trilby O'Farrell: I love...
Svengali: Ah, don't say it! You are beautiful, my manufactured love. But it is only Svengali talking to himself again.

Movie Connections:

Featured in When the Talkies Were Young (1955)

Fantastic design and Barrymore in his prime.

The remark of an earlier commentator below caught my eye when he stated that the change in perspective from comedy to serious drama in this film didn't work for him. I've found this to be a most striking feature of the film as well, but I always thought it very effective in giving the film, and the characters, more scope than the average uniform, by-the-book comedy, thriller, horror film, drama, etc. A bit like real life, no?

Anyway, I've always been a fan of this film, and I don't think the acting is at all hokey for its era or genre. The stylized acting of the time, which appears artificial by today's standards, seems to me to go well with the weird expressionist set design in evoking a fantastic world where fantastic things can occur. Also, the chance to see Barrymore ham it up in grand style as Svengali is, in my view, a rare treat, like experiencing a bit of show biz history. I bristled a bit at the review of this film by Scott Weinberg of the Apollo Movie Guide (see "external reviews" link). He states that in 1931 you could entertain people by showing 75 minutes of an airport runway, and that his being born in the 70s may explain why this film put him to sleep. Maybe so. I myself was born in the 50s and also did not grow up with this style of filmmaking, though I probably saw more of it on TV than he did. That doesn't preclude my appreciation of it, any more than it precludes my appreciation for films of the 70s, the 80s, or the 20s for that matter. Good film is good film, and having no appreciation for the first 3 decades of cinema and some of its greatest innovators seems a severe handicap for anyone who writes about film, but at least he was honest about it.

I'm not saying that this film is on a par with the work of Murnau or Eisenstein, but I do think it's a fascinating and stylish look into a bygone era of cinema, and can be appreciated as such.