''Trilby'' is a 1915 American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Maurice Tourneur Maurice may refer to: People *Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr *Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and Lo ...

and starring

Wilton Lackaye Wilton Lackaye (September 30, 1862 – August 22, 1932) was an American stage and film actor, who originated the role of Svengali (from the 1895 novel ''Trilby'') in both stage and film. Early life William Andrew Lackey was born in Loudoun Count ...

Clara Kimball Young Clara Kimball Young (born Edith Matilda Clara Kimball; September 6, 1890 – October 15, 1960) was an American film actress who was popular in the early silent film era. Early life Edith Matilda Clara Kimball was born in Chicago on Septembe ...

, and

Paul McAllister Paul McAllister (June 30, 1875 – July 8, 1955), was an American film actor. He appeared in 37 films between 1913 and 1940. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and died in Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spa ...

. It is an adaptation of the 1894 novel ''

Trilby A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in Britain Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. Barnes & Noble. and ...

'' by

George du Maurier George Louis Palmella Busson du Maurier (6 March 1834 – 8 October 1896) was a Franco-British cartoonist and writer known for work in ''Punch'' and a Gothic novel ''Trilby'', featuring the character Svengali. His son was the actor Sir Gerald d ...

. The film's sets were designed by

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Ben Carré Ben Carré (1883–1978) was a French art director and painter who settled in the United States. He designed sets for dozens of Hollywood films including '' The Blue Bird'', ''The Phantom of the Opera'', ''Don Juan'', ''The Jazz Singer'', and '' ...

Plot

In France, a beautiful young model named Trilby meets three Bohemians (Little Billee, the Laird, and Taffy) and they all become friends. Trilby and Billee fall in love, but their happiness is thwarted by an evil

mesmerist Animal magnetism, also known as mesmerism, was a Protoscience#Prescientific protoscience, protoscientific theory developed by German doctor Franz Mesmer in the 18th century in relation to what he claimed to be an invisible natural force (''Le ...

named

Svengali Svengali () is a character in the novel ''Trilby'' which was first published in 1894 by George du Maurier. Svengali is a man who seduces, dominates and exploits Trilby, a young half-Irish girl, and makes her into a famous singer. Definition ...

, who becomes obsessed with having Trilby for himself. On the night Little Billee is to propose to Trilby, Svengali kidnaps her via hypnotism and takes her away with him to England where he uses his supernatural powers to turn her into a talented singer. Svengali must use all his will power to maintain a hold over the girl, and the stress begins to take a toll on his heart. When he suffers an attack, Trilby appears to become her old self again, but when he recovers, she lapses back into zombie mode. Svengali finally dies, and Trilby's voice reverts to her former gruff form, and the audience boos her off the stage (in the redone ending). Trilby returns to normalcy and the last scene shows her reunited with her friends with a smile on her lips. The title card reads "A promise of good old times again". The original version of the film had Trilby dying during the last scene (as it occurs in the novel), and this version

premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...

d in New York City at the

44th Street Theatre The 44th Street Theatre was a Broadway theatre located at 216 West 44th Street in New York City from 1912 to 1945. It opened and operated for three years as the Weber and Fields' Music Hall. Its rooftop theatre, the Nora Bayes Theatre, presente ...

on September 6, 1915. It went into general release on September 20, 1915, with her death scene intact. In 1917, when the film was re-released, the ending was altered with newly filmed footage so that Trilby remained alive in the film's finale. So technically, two different versions of this film existed.

Cast

as Svengali *

as Trilby O'Ferral *

as Gecko *

Phyllis Neilson-Terry Phyllis Neilson-Terry (15 October 1892 – 25 September 1977) was an English actress. She was a member of the third generation of the theatrical dynasty the Terry family. After early successes in the classics, including several leading William ...

* Chester Barnett * James Young

Reception

The film did not receive great reviews. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' said Wilton Lackey's performance as Svengali was "a distinct disappointment", opining that the actor "ludicrously underplayed" the role and was too overweight for the part, a fact made even more obvious by the producers putting him in clothes that were too small for him. They also felt Clara Kimball Young was too old for the part (she was 25 at the time). Critics over the years have regarded the 1923 film version to be superior, according to author and critic Christopher Workman.

Censorship

Consistent with the novel, the film shows Trilby while modeling in the nude, but only from the back in two long shots shown as stills on

intertitle In films, an intertitle, also known as a title card, is a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of (i.e., ''inter-'') the photographed action at various points. Intertitles used to convey character dialogue are referred to as "dialo ...

s. In other modeling shots, her nudity is implied, an artist's easel blocking direct views. Although

nudity in film In film, nudity may be either graphic or suggestive, such as when a person appears to be naked but is covered by a sheet. Since the birth of film, depictions of any form of sexuality have been controversial, and in the case of most nude scene ...

in 1915 was rare, often sensational, and typically cut by

censors Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

, the National Board of Motion Picture Censorship passed the film. As the Board's decisions were nonbinding, censorship boards in cities and states with stricter rules were still free to cut these scenes.

Preservation

A complete copy of ''Trilby'' is held in the

George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection The George Eastman Museum Motion Picture Collection in Rochester, New York comprises about 28,000 titles, including features, shorts, documentaries, newsreels, and experimental moving images. The collection is renowned for its holdings of silent f ...

and it has been released on DVD.Progressive Silent Film List: ''Trilby''
at silentera.com

References

Bibliography

* Waldman, Harry. ''Maurice Tourneur: The Life and Films''. McFarland, 2001.

External links

* {{Authority control 1915 films 1915 drama films Silent American drama films Films based on works by George du Maurier Films directed by Maurice Tourneur American silent feature films 1910s English-language films American black-and-white films Trilby (novel) World Film Company films 1910s American films