Trilby

This 1915 Maurice Tourneur film is a version of the famous duMaurier novel. It was later done in a more famous 1931 film named Svengali with John Barrymore. The later film obviously changed the title due to the huge presence of its' star.

This film seems to be one of the earlier surviving films of Tourneur. He was an excellent director from the few films of his that I've seen. His compositions are nice and the acting is surprisingly relatively realistic for such an early film. In the end, though, it just doesn't have much momentum. The actor who plays Svengali looks a bit brutish in appearance for a musical talent such as his character. The film moves along, and may have been exciting in its' day, but not so now. Still, it is worth the time due to the rarity and the chance to see an early Tourneur film as many are considered lost.

In the Latin Quarter of Paris, beautiful model Clara Kimball Young (as Trilby O'Ferral) poses for artists, sometimes in "the altogether" (but hidden from the camera). She attracts mystical musician Wilton Lackaye (as Svengali). He casts a spell on Ms. Kimball Young and turns her into an accomplished singer. Although successful, Kimball Young performs only when her soul is possessed by the ugly, older man. She is unable to continue a romance with boyish painter Chester Barnett (as Billie), who is devastated when their engagement is broken. By the end of the film, only one man will possess Kimball Young's heart...

Maurice Tourneur's treatment of George du Maurier's classic story pales in comparison to the director's later, significantly more artistic motion pictures. Still, this version of "Trilby" was one of 1915's top productions. From 1913-1921, Kimball Young was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. This film catches her before succumbing to more posed roles, and her prematurely matron-like figure was still in check. Kimball Young's performance was much appreciated. The stage provided top co-stars, with Mr. Lackaye notably recreating a role he owned. Today, his beard-stroking and arm movements look very stage-bound.

***** Trilby (9/20/15) Maurice Tourneur ~ Clara Kimball Young, Wilton Lackaye, Chester Barnett, Paul McAllister

I have read several times (including on this board) that a mistake was made by having a British constable walk down a street in Paris in this version of "Trilby". Not so! In keeping with the plot of the story, Taffy and The Laird go to visit Billie after his return to England. When they are seen meeting Billie in front of the docked ship, it is meant to represent their crossing of the channel and their arrival in England. The actor portraying the British constable (in this scene) was put there to remind audiences that the setting had now changed from France to England. This scene was probably shot on location at New York's old docking slip in Manhattan. I'm sure that the abrupt editing in many of these older silent films causes confusion to some modern viewers. "Trilby" (like many other silent films made in the 'teens) does seem to be lacking in clarity at times. However, it is a condensed yet reasonably faithful adaptation of the tale and the actors give good interpretations in their roles. If followed correctly, "Trilby" can be a most enjoyable silent film!

Trilby (1915)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Trilby O'Ferral (Clara Kimball Young) is a wannbe scarlet who one day hopes to be the next big star. She crosses paths with Svengali (Wilton Lackaye) who becomes obsessed with her and decides to use hypnosis to control her mind.

TRILBY was filmed countless times in the silent era and apparently this here was the seventh version. Yes, the seventh by 1915! The story would be filmed several other times going forward but the most popular one would be the version with John Barrymore. This version here certainly isn't anything great or even good for that matter but there are enough interesting things to make it worth watching.

The main reason to watch it would be for the locations and sets. The film looks extremely good and there's no question that it has a very authentic feel to it. Another major plus is the stylish cinematography, which makes the film seem like it had a much bigger budget than it probably did. Clara Kimball Young was okay in her role but I must say that I found Lackaye to be quite boring in the role of Svengali.

In 1915, full length films were still relatively new. Up until about a decade before, movies lasted only a couple minutes in most cases. Now in the 1910s, longer and more involved scripts began to become the norm--though the films still weren't nearly as polished and professional as they'd be in the 1920s. It's because of this that I cut "Trilby" a lot of slack. Sure, compared to later silents it's only fair, for the time period in which it appeared, it was pretty good stuff.

This is the often told story of the evil Svengali who is able to use s magical form of hypnosis to control poor impressionable Trilby. He is able to elicit marvelous singing performances from her and he becomes rich. However, Trilby's old fiancé is determined to find her and take her from Svengali's clutches.

The film's strengths are its nice sets and costumes as well as a decent story. Unfortunately, some of acting is ridiculously overdone--especially Svengali. And, the resolution to the tale seems amazingly ordinary. For huge fans of silents and cinephiles, it's a good film to see. But, for the casual viewer, the film's limitations and the lousy print by Alpha Video make this a poor bet--better to see some of the better silents first.