Svengali

Svengali (1931), starring John Barrymore as the malevolent maestro who uses telepathic powers to transform a beautiful model (Marian Marsh) into a great singer, won Oscar nominations for the striking art direction of Anton Grot and the black-and-white cinematography of Barney McGill. This film version of the George du Maurier novel Trilby helped the word "Svengali" enter the English language with the Webster definition of "a person who attempts to dominate another, usually with evil or selfish intentions." Barrymore, a notorious drinker who had appeared to be under the influence of alcohol in his previous film, Moby Dick (1930), suffered an illness before beginning work on Svengali that may actually have benefited his work in the latter movie. With an ulcer causing severe gastric hemorrhaging, he was forced into a regimen of abstinence and bland food. According to Margot Peters in her biography The House of Barrymore, "His performance, blurred in Moby Dick, is now in sharp focus." Costar Marsh remembered Svengali as a pleasant experience: "These were happy days for Jack Barrymore. He was on his best behavior, I might add; he was happily married to Dolores Costello, and he wasn't drinking." Marsh further recalled that when the Barrymores' infant daughter, Dolores Ethel, visited the set she protested when her father kissed her because the beard he wore as Svengali tickled her. Peters considers that the key to Barrymore's "sexual power" in Svengali lies in - his nose! "His own long, quivering nose was phallic. Svengali'nose is an exaggeration of that symbol, rapacious and sensual." Barrymore received some excellent notices for his portrayal, with the New York Times declaring that his "fine performance surpasses anything he has done for the screen." There was some surprise when Barrymore failed to win even a nomination for an Oscar for his performance. Ironically, the winner of the Best Actor award for the 1930-31 season was John's brother, Lionel Barrymore, for A Free Soul (1931). There had been numerous silent-film versions of du Maurier's story from various countries. Sound versions of Svengali also include a 1955 British version starring Donald Wolfit and a 1983 cable-TV version starring Peter O'Toole that was updated to the world of rock music. Director: Archie Mayo Screenplay: J. Grubb Alexander, from novel Trilby by George du Maurier Cinematography: Barney McGill Art Direction: Anton Grot Film Editing: William Holmes Cast: John Barrymore (Maestro Svengali), Marian Marsh (Trilby O'Farrell), Donald Crisp (The Laird), Bramwell Fletcher (Billee), Carmel Myers (Madame Honori), Luis Alberni (Gecko), Lumsden Hare (Monsieur Taffy). BW-81m. by Roger Fristoe