man and his muse

i imagine some very early films did their best to appear as natural as possible. however, some of them are intentionally theatrical with stunning sets that are far from realistic. in the hands of brilliant stage designers, the further from reality the better. in 1931, the story of music teacher/hypnotist 'svengali' was filmed with sets that will shock you, not because they are so 'unreal' but because they are so effective.

'svengali' is considered a horror/drama. when actor john barrymore, as the music teacher 'svengali' has his female pupils 'look into his eyes', it is terrifying. 

john barrymore was a handsome devil who seemed to relish this role of the very creepy hypnotist. you get the feeling he has not bathed for a decade. when he does 'freshen up', he simply dampens the tip of his dirty handkerchief and wipes his eyes.

for the role of 'trilby', the girl of the novel this film is based on, barrymore chose 17 year old marion marsh, who has possibly the sweetest face in cinema. 'trilby' is a delightfully open young woman who poses for artists and displays no repugnance toward svengali when they first meet. one day, out of the blue, svengali hears her merrily singing away and her incredible voice hits him like a thunderbolt. he plots a scheme, with hopes for this little songbird to be his ticket away from wealthy, tone deaf women who pay him for lessons. 

putting 'trilby' under his spell had it's advantages, but ultimately 'svengali' suffered much from knowing her love for him was the result of a trick. the two actors float through the sets of this sad and poetic story.