“You are beautiful, my manufactured love, but it is only Svengali talking to himself again.”
Maestro Svengali (John Barrymore) is a singing teacher, a hypnotist and perpetually poor. His latest student tells him that she has left her husband to be with him. He does not take the news very well. His intense stare drives her to commit suicide. Her body is later found floating in the Seine.
Unconcerned Svengali goes to the apartment of The Laird (Donald Crisp), Taffy (Lumsden Hare) and Billee (Bramwell Fletcher), three artists that he has sponged off before, looking for a handout. While they are out their model, a local milkmaid named Trilby O’Farrell (Marian Marsh), stops by. Svengali hears her singing and becomes infatuated with the young girl.
Trilby and Billee fall in love and become engaged. Svengali appears at the artists’ apartment and, using the pretext of curing her headache, hypnotizes Trilby. Late at night Svengali mentally calls her to him. Using his mind Svengali controls everything the young model does. He convinces her that Billee is too good for her and that she should never see him again. He has her pretend that she committed suicide by jumping in the Seine and whisks her out of Paris.
Five years later Trilby is now married to Svengali and he has transformed her into a famous singer. Her performances are standing room only throughout Europe. At their Paris début Taffy, The Laird and Billee are on hand to see the Maestro conduct. When Billee sees that Svengali married Trilby and that she is really alive he goes into a tail spin. Billee realizes that Trilby is under Svengali’s spell and is determined to break it.
“Svengali” was released in 1931 and was directed by Archie Mayo. It is an American pre-code film. It was nominated for two Academy Awards, one for Best Art Direction by Anton Grot, and one for Best Cinematography by Barney McGill. The film is in the public domain.
It is a pre-code film but it is not without controversy. Trilby’s nude modeling scene features a teenage Marian Marsh. She appears to be naked in the film; however, she wore a body stocking for the scene. Also, a body double was used for the long shot where Trilby runs from the room. John Barrymore was 49 during filming and Marian Marsh was only 17.
Svengali is based on George du Maurier's 1894 gothic horror novel “Trilby”. The film shows a definite Rasputin influence in the make-up of the Svengali character. Gregori Rasputin was the Russian monk that had a heavy influence on the Tsarina Alexandria until he was murdered in 1916. Even though the character and his appearance may have been influenced by the mad monk Svengali is far more complex. It appears that Svengali actually loved Trilby and wanted her to love him of her own free will. She couldn’t since she still loved Billee so he could only have her by hypnotizing her. Hence the comment about manufactured love.
Barrymore’s portrayal of the larger than life con artist is intense but not without a certain depth to the character. He may have power over Trilby, but she also has power over him. His perverted love has also affected his health. Years of keeping Trilby in her trance of make believe worship may have bolstered his ego but it also brought about his downfall. By the end of the film Svengali is no longer strong and masterful but bent over and hollow eyed. Each time he feels pain it is in his heart. For a love ‘em and leave ‘em guy, Svengali ended up being the slave as much as Trilby.
The movie is, needless to say, excellent and care has been taken with the film to preserve it so we get to see it in all its classic splendor.