Svengali (1927 film)

Svengali
Directed byGennaro Righelli
Written byMax Glass
Based onTrilby
1894 novel
by George du Maurier
Produced byMax Glass
StarringPaul Wegener
Anita Dorris
André Mattoni
Teddy Bill
Hans Brausewetter
CinematographyArpad Viragh
Music byWalter Ulfig
Production
company
Distributed byTerra Film
Release date
  • 7 September 1927 (1927-09-07)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryGermany
LanguagesSilent
German intertitles

Svengali is a 1927 German silent drama film directed by Gennaro Righelli and starring Paul Wegener, Anita Dorris and André Mattoni.[1] It was produced and written by Max Glass, an adaptation of the 1894 George du Maurier novel Trilby. This is one of the adaptations of the novel that shifts the focus of the story more to Svengali, since at this time anti-Semitism was on the rise in Germany, and Svengali was portrayed as an evil Jew in the film.[2]

German actress Anita Dorris appeared in very few other silent films, none of which are well known today. Italian director Righelli on the other hand directed numerous films during his career, although his main claim to fame today is that he was the grandfather of Italian horror film director Sergio Martino. Svengali was remade in 1931 as a sound film starring John Barrymore.[2]

  1. ^ "Svengali (1927) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies.
  2. ^ a b Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era. Midnight Marquee Press. p. 319. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.