''Svengali'' is a 1927 German silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Gennaro Righelli Gennaro Righelli (12 December 1886 – 6 January 1949) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and acting, actor. He directed more than 110 films in Italy and Germany between 1910 and 1947. In 1930, he directed the first Italian sound fil ...

and starring Paul Wegener, Anita Dorris and André Mattoni. It was produced and written by Max Glass, an adaptation of the 1894

George du Maurier George Louis Palmella Busson du Maurier (6 March 1834 – 8 October 1896) was a Franco-British cartoonist and writer known for work in ''Punch (magazine), Punch'' and a Gothic fiction, Gothic novel ''Trilby (novel), Trilby'', featuring the char ...

novel ''

Trilby A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in UK, BritainBernhard Roetzel, Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. B ...

''. This is one of the adaptations of the novel that shifts the focus of the story more to Svengali, since at this time

anti-Semitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

was on the rise in Germany, and Svengali was portrayed as an evil

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

in the film. German actress Anita Dorris appeared in very few other silent films, none of which are well known today. Italian director Righelli on the other hand directed numerous films during his career, although his main claim to fame today is that he was the grandfather of Italian horror film director

Sergio Martino Sergio Martino (born 19 July 1938) is an Italian film director and producer, notable for his contributions to the giallo genre. Martino is the brother of the late producer Luciano Martino (who died in 2013). They collaborated frequently in their ...

. ''Svengali'' was remade in 1931 as a sound film starring John Barrymore.

Plot

A pretty young artist's model named Trilby falls under the spell of a mesmerist named Svengali who turns her into a leading opera singer with no will of her own. German horror film star Paul Wegener plays Svengali, who uses

hypnosis Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychological ...

to enslave the beautiful young Trilby, preventing her marriage to her fiancée even though he cannot make her love him. The strain of controlling her and shaping her into an opera star takes a toll on both of them, and when Svengali dies suddenly, Trilby inexplicably dies with him.

Cast

* Paul Wegener as Svengali * Anita Dorris as Trilby * André Mattoni as Billy (artist) * Teddy Bill as Leard (artist) *

Hans Brausewetter Hans Brausewetter (27 May 1899 – 29 April 1945) was a German stage and film actor of the silent film, silent era. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1922 and 1945. He appeared in the 1923 film ''The Treasure (1923 film), The Treasu ...

as Taffy (artist) *

Paul Biensfeldt Paul Biensfeldt (4 March 1869 – 2 April 1933) was a German-JewishSiegbert Salomon Prawer, ''Between Two Worlds: The Jewish Presence in German and Austrian Film, 1910-1933'', Berghahn Books (2007), p. 213 stage actor, stage and film actor. Sele ...

as Martine (model) * Alexander Granach as Geiger Gecko * Alice Torning as Martine's wife * Hertha von Walther as Sascha (dancer) * Irma Green as Student *

Hermann Picha Hermann Picha (20 March 1865 – 7 June 1936) was a German stage and film actor. Picha was extremely prolific, appearing in over 300 short and feature films during the silent and early sound eras. Picha played a mixture of lead and supporting ...

as Landlord of cafe * Emil Heyse

Production

It was shot at the Terra Studios in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

with sets designed by the

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

Hans Jacoby. ''Svengali'' had previously been filmed in 1914 as an Austrian film directed by Luise Kolm and

Jacob Fleck Jacob Fleck (8 November 1881 in Vienna as Jacob Julius Fleck – 19 September 1953, also in Vienna) was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, film producer and cameraman. He is noted for his long-standing professional partnership with his wife ...

. There were also three notable earlier silent film versions of ''Trilby''... ''Trilby'' (1914 film), ''Trilby'' (1915 film), and again ''Trilby'' (1923 film).

Bibliography

* Isenberg, Noah. ''Weimar Cinema: An Essential Guide to Classic Films of the Era''. Columbia University Press, 2009.

References

External links

*
''Svengali'' at AllMovie
* 1927 films Films of the Weimar Republic German silent feature films German drama films Films directed by Gennaro Righelli Films based on Trilby (novel) Terra Film films 1927 drama films Films about hypnosis German black-and-white films Silent German drama films Films shot at Terra Studios 1920s German films Antisemitic films Antisemitism in Germany Films scored by Walter Ulfig {{1920s-Germany-silent-drama-film-stub