Apparently this is the tenth(!) screen version of George Du Maurier's "Trilby" but only the second one I have watched myself thus far – the other being the classic 1931 John Barrymore version from Warner Brothers entitled SVENGALI, of course. Presently, I will also be getting to the similarly-titled modernized TV version of 1983 starring Peter O'Toole and Jodie Foster but, for the record, there are two more adaptations I am most interested in, which are Maurice Tourneur's Silent original TRILBY (1915; which is available on DVD from Alpha!) and the "BBC Play Of The Month" TV version from 1976 with Alan Badel. Anyway, back to the version at hand: apart from the truly wretched copy I got saddled with (comprising constant combing and intermittent freezing issues!), I quite liked this handsomely-mounted and literate (if clearly stage-bound and clumsily edited) adaptation that benefits greatly from two excellent central performances: albeit a last-minute replacement for the ailing Robert Newton and clearly overweight for the role of the insufferable Svengali, Donald Wolfit's bizarrely effective combination of Bela Lugosi's looks and Frankie Howerd's voice earned him a nod at the British Film Awards; on the other hand, the overage but beautiful Hildegarde Neff is suitably moving as the innocently sensual gamine Trilby. The rest of the notable cast includes Terence Morgan (as Little Billy), David Kossoff (as Gecko), Noel Purcell (as Trilby's father), Michael Hordern (as Morgan's disapproving minister uncle) and, as starving Parisian painters, Alfie Bass, Harry Secombe and Michael Craig!
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Bunuel197623 January 2010
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Leofwine_draca11 October 2015SVENGALI is a British-made version of the classic story about the evil hypnotist who creates a famous singer out of a young and untalented girl. In essence this tale is Rasputin in the music world, and it's quite a fun and eventful storyline.
The main reason to enjoy this film is the performance of Donald Wolfit (BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE) in the title role. He seems to be channelling Bela Lugosi in both look and voice throughout the movie, and his hammy style of acting is a lot of fun; the other actors in the production feel flat by comparison.
The film as a whole isn't perfect - there's a little too much sappy romance going on, and events are never as exciting or dramatic as the producers would hope for - but the lush colours and costumes of the mid 1950s give this the look and feel of an early Hammer Horror outing. Hildegard Knef (later of Hammer's THE LOST CONTINENT) is fine as the youthful protégé, and it's fun to see Terence Morgan (CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB) before he got typecast as the bad guy. -
One of several big screen adaptations of du Maurier's TRILBY, this was notable for utilising the author's original illustrations in costume, and to some extent, settings. It also had the benefit of a characteristically flamboyant and forceful performance from the great Donald Wolfit. He's able to engender a small degree of sympathy for the grubby and boorish Svengali (including his frustration, as a classical musician, with Trilby's continual rendering of a rather wan little ditty, 'Alice, Where Art Though?' later to form the aptly dowdy signature tune to OPEN ALL HOURS). He's compelling whenever the film focuses on him, despite more than a touch of Frankie Howerd in places. Unfortunately it concentrates rather too much in the early stages on the ageing English art students, and not helped by some crude editing, the story doesn't grip as it should. Hildegarde Neff brings beauty, intelligence and a sense of vulnerability to Trilby, but she comes over as about as Irish as Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, whose sublime lyric soprano tones are heard on the soundtrack. Terence Morgan can make little impact as Billy, and despite being good to look at, with the colour and atmosphere of the early Hammer horrors, the whole enterprise is lacking in drive, with too many short scenes on cramped sets. The finale at Covent Garden where Svengali dramatically relinquishes his hold on Trilby is especially disappointingly handled, with the director failing to build any tension or sense of occasion, then allowing what remains to fall flat.
One of those films that has its moments, but falls firmly into the 'could have been so much better' category. -
sandra-16817 October 2005Both the Svengali films (1931, 1954) differ from the Trilby novel, especially in the endings. In the book, after Svengali died Trilby was left in a weak psychological state that led to physical illness from which she never recovered. A mysterious painting of Svengali in a military uniform arrived by courier to symbolize his return to take her. She uttered his name three times and died shortly after. Billy also died not too long after that. Mrs. Bagot forgave Trilby and actually admired her for her humility and good nature. Taffy eventually married Billy's sister and they lived a happy life.
The films dwelt heavily on the hypnotic trance that Svengali used to control Trilby. In the earlier film, Trilby never awoke as she immediately followed Svengali to her own death. In the later film, it was implied that she awoke from the trance to start a new life with Billy after Svengali died. Both of the accounts are creative departures from the novel, and the later film is even misleading. -
Tinlizzy21 September 1999Donald Wolfit gets my vote as Best Animated Cartoon character of 1955. He cracks his fingers before 'playing' the piano, just like Bugs Bunny!
I think this Svengali dies of overacting.
There is a special bonus in this film: an uncredited (and very young) Jeremy Brett appears as a very happy art student in two sequences. He has a few lines and some nice closeups, and even gets to sing along with Harry Secombe on "Alice Where Art Thou". A curious concept.
Hildegarde Knef is very beautiful and the film is nicely art directed, except when she wears the Dior gowns. And the 'art' is pure Fifties kitsch. Some of the dialogue is so hilarious you will be yelling along with it, ROCKY HORROR-SHOW style. -
richardchatten16 November 2020Several masterpieces have been transformed because the female lead became pregnant. A less select band emerged quite differently because the director or one of the actors fell off the wagon while the film was being made (Derek Bond, who here plays The Laird, was himself himself summoned a few years later to replace Dennis Price when he showed up legless at the start of shooting 'Wonderful Life'). Robert Newton's replacement in the title role by Donald Wolfit probably made the film duller, but Wolfit was far scarier than the charming old soak would have been.
Since Frederick Pusey's sets were based on the wise decision to base the look of the film on the original engravings (which accounts for all the authentically Victorian whiskers worn by most of the men and the false nose worn by Wolfit) it's a handsome film. Even more handsome is Hildegarde Neff (as she then was) as Trilby; who sportingly sang badly until transformed both by Svengali and the substitution of Elizabeth Schwarzkopf's voice on the soundtrack.
But just as she was too human to be convincing a couple of years earlier in the title role of 'Alraune' (in which she was created by Erich von Stroheim, no less), big strapping Knef is too robust to make a convincing Trilby. -
CinemaSerf21 November 2022A better example of over-acting you will struggle to find in this overly theatrical adaptation of George Du Maurier's 1894 novel "Trilby". Hildegard Knef is a young, impressionable, girl who falls under the spell of the almost Rasputin-esque Donald Wolfit in the title role. He hypnotises her to rid her of pesky headaches, and give her the voice of an angel - and soon she becomes an international star of the opera. Robert Newton was originally slated for the lead, but I can't imagine he could have done better than Wolfit, who has the maniacal look (eyes, especially) and pithy dialogue down to a T. The support from Terence Morgan - as her much younger beau "Billee Bagot", Paul Rogers, David Kossoff and the truly wonderful singing of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf keep this entertaining enough, but the staging and style are just to limiting to let this version of a really menacing and evocative story soar.
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This is quite an unusual film in that certain scenes don't make a lot of sense - storylines are clumsily and swiftly manifested with no real development and thus there is no real tension when there needs to be, however, it is visually interesting and at times beautifully lit and shot with great and believable sets.
I'm not sure if the script or the editing is at fault but think that it's some of both in equal measure that leaves the viewer at times thinking "Why was that just said?" or "Why did that character just behave like that?" or "How much time has passed between the last scene and this scene?" or "Ok, so this now appears to be the main thread of the story, why was it so long in being made apparent and why was it developed so clumsily" etc. These questions arising really put in my mind the appalling (but awfully good fun) script, and (lack of) continuity of Tommy Wiseau's "The Room".
Apart from it's script and editing/continuity reminding me of "The Room" and the storyline being reminiscient of "The Red Shoes" - possessive control-freak older man, seeks to control young woman performing against the will of her lover, - "Svengali" also reminds me of another unusual film set in Paris and made in the 1950s called "Man On The Eiffel Tower". This film is also visually interesting and nicely art-directed but also suffers from (at times) an unintelligable script and very poor continuity.
The intention of "Svengali" is of course good but poor execution of basic story-telling damages the impact of the film substantially - but I still quite liked it!
Look out for the very young and beautiful, (uncredited - even though he has some lines), great Jeremy Brett in his first feature. -
fathered-edward25 July 2022Svengali, like the Curate's egg, yes it is an interesting rendition, an old story, pretty much still extant if all the stories out there are to be believed. Anyway, here we go, Hildegard Neff, luminous and totally perfect, the rest of the ensemble cast, pretty good, but in my humble opinion the great man, the doyen of the theatre and many.adventures on the silver screen was quite wooden one minute then possessed of the manucc overdone ham on the bone the next. I know this may be heresy to some, but his oeuvre has its brilliant highlights yes, but sometimes I feel his fellow thesis are a little over awed by his classic acting style.. Overall though spotting the other wee gems in there..Alfie Bass.. Harry Seacombe.. Jeremy Brett et al ..make this rewarding.
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plan992 November 2023A bit over the top with the acting but this may have been deliberate to give it a certain theatre like feel as film acting is usually more subtle than as done on the stage, for a far away audience.
Beautifully shot in glorious saturated colour and the sets were extremely well done with seemingly no expense spared. I failed to spot some of the actors, later to be very much well known, in minor roles here.
There has been several fairly recent instances of singers, performers etc. Being controlled by very much like Svengali managers so the plot is in no way hard to believe.
A very interesting film worth watching. -
ZeddaZogenau25 October 2023Hildegard Knef under the spell of a manipulator
The films we know from the young Hildegard KNEF are mostly in black and white. Things are different in this film from the United Kingdom: Hilde can be admired in color, with radiant blonde hair and sparkling green eyes!
Based on the novel "Trilby" by George du MAURIER, which borrows from "The Sandman" by E. T. A. HOFFMANN, the KNEF presents the girl of the same name who works as a painter's model in Paris at the turn of the century. Trilby quickly becomes the center of a circle of artists. The talented painter Billy (Terence MORGAN, known from HAMLET and CAPTAIN HORATIO HORNBLOWER) in particular has his eye on the beautiful girl. But Trilby falls under the hypnotic spell of the sinister Svengali (Donald WOLFIT), who turns her into a talented singer (vocals: Elisabeth SCHWARZKOPF). At the same time, Trilby also becomes something like a sleepwalking doll. This can't last forever...
The history of the trilby is very well known in the Anglo-Saxon world, but hardly in the German-speaking world. Hilde's last film before her Broadway engagement with SILK STOCKINGS was never released in West German cinemas. What a shame! The KNEF has rarely been seen more beautiful and colorful! Hilde herself also listed this film as one of her five favorite screen appearances. The other four are DIE MÖRDER SIND UNTER UNS / THE MURDERERS ARE AMONG US, FILM OHNE TITEL / FILM WITHOUT TITLE, DAS MÄDCHEN AUS HAMBURG / LA FILLE DE HAMBOURG / THE GIRL FROM HAMBURG and JEDER STIRBT FÜR SICH ALLEIN / EVERYONE DIES ALONE.
One shortcoming of the film is Donald WOLFIT, who sets up his Svengali as an anti-Semitic caricature. You probably couldn't show something like that in West Germany in the mid-1950s. It's nice that the young Jeremy BRETT (WAR AND PEACE, MY FAIR LADY) can also be seen in a small role.
In order to honor the German world star Hilde, a viewing is still recommended. German TV station KABEL1CLASSICS will certainly repeat the film, which is extremely rarely seen, again.