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Svengali

Play trailer Poster for Svengali Released May 1, 1931 1h 16m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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80% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 81% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
With his powers of hypnosis, the cruel music teacher Svengali (John Barrymore) is able to control women. When he sets his sights on the beautiful Trilby O'Farrell (Marian Marsh), she falls under his spell -- but her true love, Billee (Bramwell Fletcher), won't be taken easily out of the picture. Though Svengali gets the golden-voiced Trilby to fake her death, and then brings her on a tour of Europe, Billee uncovers the deception and sets out to wrest her from Svengali's clutches.

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Svengali

Critics Reviews

View All (5) Critics Reviews
Fernando F. Croce CinePassion A peculiar, affecting ode to the tragic lecher Mar 9, 2013 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Vintage old-fashioned psychological melodrama about the evil use of mind-control. Rated: B- Mar 24, 2006 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Jun 29, 2005 Full Review Ken Hanke Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) One of the best -- and most overlooked -- early talkie horror films. Barrymore is magnetic in the lead. Rated: 5/5 Mar 29, 2004 Full Review Scott Weinberg Apollo Guide Movies this old seem to come from another planet. Rated: 55/100 Mar 16, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (30) audience reviews
Valerii Ege D Besides John Barrymore's magnificent acting, the movie actually has a good story. What makes it good is that even though Svengali can turn people into anything he wants with his power, he knows it is not real. Like, Love. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/13/23 Full Review Andy F More comedic than you might expect (apparently at the lead actor's request). Nonetheless John Barrymore's Svengali is a stunning portrayal and the film dazzles with its visuals. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/01/23 Full Review StephenPaul C The greatest 01 hour: and 16 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/19/23 Full Review Louisa E I got a bit bored in this one. I didn't love the plot. I liked how it portrayed mind control and how much of a narcissist this character was, but I didn't feel connected enough to any of the characters to feel anything for them. The acting wasn't great. Marian Marsh was ok. Barrymore was pretty good, but the make-up let him down. There was no connection between Marsh and Barrymore, and this could be because she was still a teenager while he was almost 50. I get that it is a tale of a man taking advantage of a young girl, but something about it fell flat. The songs are not to my taste. I liked the use of contact lenses to make Barrymore's eyes look freaky, and the costumes were pretty good. There were some good design choices, and the cinematography had some lovely moments. But overall, I didn't enjoy this movie very much. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/08/23 Full Review David K This pre-code entry is odd. Early on, it bears some resemblance to German expressionism as it veers into horror. The last third, though, is fairly traditional pre-code stuff. The affair between a 50-year old grizzled, manipulative hypnotist and an 18-year old beauty that occurs only because of his spell on her is the driving force. Well worth a watch only because you may have never seen anything like it. Barrymore is at his best. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Based on Trilby an 1894 novel, did not perform well at the American box office. There's much debate as to whether or not this is a horror film. The film is creeping, intense, human and at times believable. John Barrymore was brilliant in the role and the production was elaborate. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Svengali

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Movie Info

Synopsis With his powers of hypnosis, the cruel music teacher Svengali (John Barrymore) is able to control women. When he sets his sights on the beautiful Trilby O'Farrell (Marian Marsh), she falls under his spell -- but her true love, Billee (Bramwell Fletcher), won't be taken easily out of the picture. Though Svengali gets the golden-voiced Trilby to fake her death, and then brings her on a tour of Europe, Billee uncovers the deception and sets out to wrest her from Svengali's clutches.
Director
Archie Mayo
Production Co
Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 1, 1931, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 11, 2016
Runtime
1h 16m
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