Svengali (1931)
DVD5 | VIDEO_TS | PAL | 4:3 | 720c576 | 5200 kbps | 3.8Gb
Audio: #1 English AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps, #2 Spanish AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps | Subtitles: Spanish
01:21:00 | USA | Drama, Horror
DVD5 | VIDEO_TS | PAL | 4:3 | 720c576 | 5200 kbps | 3.8Gb
Audio: #1 English AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps, #2 Spanish AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps | Subtitles: Spanish
01:21:00 | USA | Drama, Horror
Through hypnotism and telepathic mind control, a sinister music maestro controls the singing voice, but not the heart, of the woman he loves.
Director: Archie Mayo
Cast: John Barrymore, Marian Marsh, Donald Crisp, Bramwell Fletcher, Carmel Myers, Luis Alberni, Lumsden Hare, Paul Porcasi, Ferike Boros, Adrienne D'Ambricourt, Yola d'Avril, Rose Dione, Julia Griffith, Henry Otto, Ellinor Vanderveer
Sinister music maestro Svengali can control the actions of women through hypnotism and his telepathic powers. When a pupil he has seduced announces she has left her husband for him, he uses his powers to cause her suicide and promptly forgets her. He meets a beautiful model, Trilby, and becomes infatuated with her, but she, in turn, falls for a young artist called Billee who also loves her. One day Svengali hypnotizes Trilby to cure her headache, but also examines her upper palate and decides it is an ideal cavity for great singing. He convinces her to fake her suicide, so Billee and friends will forget her, and goes on a singing tour with her. Svengali uses his powers to make her sing wonderfully and Madame Svengali, as Trilby is now known, becomes a sensation throughout Europe. But Billee discovers the ruse and begins to follow the pair, upsetting Svengali enough to have him cancel performances too frequently, so they no longer can perform in Europe. They go to Egypt, but Billee relentlessly follows.
IMDb
The George du Maurier novel Trilby, about a hypnotist who controls a female musician, was originally filmed as Trilby, a 1920s silent. In the 1931 talkie, the emphasis shifts from the music student to the teacher, Svengali. John Barrymore gives a scenery-chewing performance as Svengali, who is originally seen tutoring Honori (Carmel Myers). Trilby (Marian Marsh) is making her living as a nude model, but she wants to use her musical talents to earn money and hopes to settle down with Billee (Bramwell Fletcher). Unfortunately, his upper-class family simply wouldn't approve. Svengali falls for Trilby and starts teaching her music while manipulating her hypnotically. Eventually, she becomes so dependent on him that she can't perform outside of his presence. This film became so well-known that the word "Svengali" became incorporated into the English language, meaning "someone who, with evil intent, tries to persuade another to do what is desired." A British version of the film was released in 1955.
~ All Movie Guide