''Trilby'' is a 1923 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 ...

directed by James Young and starring Andrée Lafayette,

Creighton Hale Creighton Hale (born Patrick Fitzgerald; May 24, 1882 – August 9, 1965) was an Irish-American theatre, film, and television actor whose career extended more than a half-century, from the early 1900s to the end of the 1950s. Career Born in Cou ...

, and Arthur Edmund Carewe. 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 ...

about a young woman named Trilby who falls under the power of the domineering mesmerist

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 ...

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 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 ...

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). 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 ''

'' in Germany in 1927, which starred

Paul Wegener Paul Wegener (11 December 1874 – 13 September 1948) was a German actor, writer, and film director known for his pioneering role in German expressionist cinema. Acting career At the age of 20, Wegener decided to end his law studies and conce ...

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