''Trilby'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by James Young and starring

Andrée Lafayette Andrée Rose Godard (19 May 1903 – 3 October 1989), known by her stage-name as Andrée Lafayette, also known by her self-invented title as Countess Andrée de la Bigne, was a French stage and film actress, and granddaughter of the infamous dem ...

, Creighton Hale, and

Arthur Edmund Carewe Arthur Edmund Carewe (December 30, 1884 – April 22, 1937), born Hovsep Hovsepian ( hy, Հովսեփ Հովսեփյան), was an Armenian-American stage and film actor of the silent and early sound film era. Early life Born on December 30, 18 ...

. It is an adaptation of the 1894 novel '' Trilby'' by George du Maurier about a young woman named Trilby who falls under the power of the domineering mesmerist Svengali.

Plot

A beautiful young model named Trilby falls in love with a young man named Little Billee when they meet in a laundry. A vile mesmerist named Svengali also encounters the girl and becomes obsessed over her. After Little Billee proposes marriage to Trilby, Svengali kidnaps her and uses his hypnotic powers to mesmerize her. He finds that although he can erase her will and make her do anything, he cannot make her love him. Svengali uses his powers to turn Trilby into a talented singer, and tours the capitals of Europe with her as her manager. Svengali dies from a heart attack, and Trilby immediately loses her ability to sing and dies as well shortly thereafter.

Cast

Production

French actress Andree Lafayette traveled to Hollywood to make this film (her first major role), then after making a picture in Canada soon after, returned to France where she more or less retired in the mid-1930s. "Trilby" was filmed earlier in 1915, directed by Maurice Tourneur, but the 1923 version is considered superior by critics. Variety called Andree Lafayette "the ideal Trilby in face and figure". Interestingly, James Young (director of the 1923 version) had a small role in Tourneur's 1915 production, as it starred his wife Clara Kimball Young in the lead role of Trilby.Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). ''Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era''. Midnight Marquee Press. p. 270. . Arthur Edmond Carewe had a very successful career as an actor until he died in 1937, appearing in several horror classics as ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (1925) and ''Mystery in the Wax Museum'' (1933). Creighton Hale also went on to appear in several silent horror classics as well, including ''The Cat and the Canary'' (1927) and ''Seven Footprints to Satan'' (1929). Director Young shot two different endings for the film, one following the novel in which Trilby dies, and one in which she lives (as in the revamped 1915 version 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 ...

). At the last minute, the producers opted for the version in which she dies, because "that ending was so familiar to movie audiences at the time". The film was remade as '' Svengali'' in Germany in 1927, which starred Paul Wegener in the title role.Svengali (1927) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. The first sound film version of ''Trilby'' was made in the United States in 1931 (also retitled ''Svengali''), considered by critics to be "the definitive adaptation" today.

References

Bibliography

* Munden, Kenneth White. ''The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, Part 1''. University of California Press, 1997.

External links

* *{{allmovie, 114469, Synopsis
Still
from a magazine, National Portrait Gallery (London) 1923 films 1923 drama films Silent American drama films Films directed by James Young American silent feature films 1920s English-language films American black-and-white films First National Pictures films Films set in Paris Films based on British novels 1920s American films