1931: Greatest year for horror ever? It certainly produced some of the most iconic films of the genre, such as "Dracula," "Frankenstein," "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," "M," and, much further down the list, "Svengali." Despite its reputation, "Svengali" isn't really a horror movie. The story resides squarely in the world of Gothic melodrama. George du Maurier's novel "Trilby" was as much about the bohemian scene of 1850s France as it was about the wicked hypnotist and his attempt to manipulate the beautiful but tone-deaf Trilby into being his personal diva. There's some of that in the movie, with awkward comic relief coming from the other tenets of the apartment. As you'd expect, Svengali is only one corner of a love triangle. Before coming under the hypnotist's influence, Trilby is in love with some guy named Billie. Billie is an ineffective hero and does little beside react to those around him. The romance still works, thanks to Marian Marsh's charming performance. A scene between the two involving a pie is especially memorable.
The horrific content is negligible but "Svengali" does pile on some impressive black-and-white atmosphere. A sequence about forty minutes in seriously impresses. The camera spins around Svengali's room. His eyes have gone completely white, deep in hypnotic trance. We pan out of the apartment, across the city, to Trilby's home. This visually illustrates the man's influence over her. It's also extremely creepy, the wind blowing and a church bell ominously chiming being the only sounds during the scene. It's hard to tell how much of an influence "Dracula" had on this film but the close-ups on John Barrymore's eyes glowing as he works his powers seem to purposely recall similar shots of Lugosi in the same year's film.
Which brings us to the second thing the movie has going for: John Barrymore's performance. Barrymore establishes the character's sinister intent early. After seducing another music student, and discovering she's not as rich as she let on, Svengali hypnotizes her into suicide. However, we only see Barrymore looming over the girl, his back to the camera. He cuts an intimidating figure. His manipulation of Trilby plays out in an especially cruel manner, like in a scene where he reminds her of her promiscuous past. However, he's not a heartless monster. Svengali legitimately loves her. After hypnotizing her into being his wife, he finds the charade unfulfilling. Mesmerizing the girl takes a great physical toll on the man and eventually cost him his life, his subconscious guilt manifesting itself.
The ending is surprisingly downbeat. The hero proves how useless he is by failing to rescue his lady. Even as he lay dying, Svengali reaches out to his true love. While a little thin, "Svengali" is a moody character study, well shot and with an impressive lead performance. It might not be as strong as some of 1931's other classics but I liked it all the same.
The horrific content is negligible but "Svengali" does pile on some impressive black-and-white atmosphere. A sequence about forty minutes in seriously impresses. The camera spins around Svengali's room. His eyes have gone completely white, deep in hypnotic trance. We pan out of the apartment, across the city, to Trilby's home. This visually illustrates the man's influence over her. It's also extremely creepy, the wind blowing and a church bell ominously chiming being the only sounds during the scene. It's hard to tell how much of an influence "Dracula" had on this film but the close-ups on John Barrymore's eyes glowing as he works his powers seem to purposely recall similar shots of Lugosi in the same year's film.
Which brings us to the second thing the movie has going for: John Barrymore's performance. Barrymore establishes the character's sinister intent early. After seducing another music student, and discovering she's not as rich as she let on, Svengali hypnotizes her into suicide. However, we only see Barrymore looming over the girl, his back to the camera. He cuts an intimidating figure. His manipulation of Trilby plays out in an especially cruel manner, like in a scene where he reminds her of her promiscuous past. However, he's not a heartless monster. Svengali legitimately loves her. After hypnotizing her into being his wife, he finds the charade unfulfilling. Mesmerizing the girl takes a great physical toll on the man and eventually cost him his life, his subconscious guilt manifesting itself.
The ending is surprisingly downbeat. The hero proves how useless he is by failing to rescue his lady. Even as he lay dying, Svengali reaches out to his true love. While a little thin, "Svengali" is a moody character study, well shot and with an impressive lead performance. It might not be as strong as some of 1931's other classics but I liked it all the same.