svengali ( 1927 film )
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doctor dracula (1978 film) a. k. a .
svengali
when svengali and billie are having champagne at the café in cairo, svengali drains his glass. they exchange a few more words as svengali is being introduced, then when he stands his glass is somehow full again .
power play (2007 video) a. k. a .
svengali
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svengali (1927 / terra film) bw. silent. germany. credits: dir: gennaro righelli & h. grund; sc: max glass; art: hans jacoby. from the novel
trilby
by george du maurier. cast: paul wegener, anita dorris, alexander granach, andre mattoni. svengali, (wegener), commands a young girl' s thoughts and actions with his powers of hypnotism .
the ending of the novel is changed in this film to a highly dramatic one by having trilby die after svengali is stricken with a fatal heart attack, instead of dying of a mysterious illness a few days later. she faints after he collapses in the stage box, but svengali revives long enough to gasp ,
oh god, grant me in death what you denied me in life—the woman i love
. trilby regains consciousness, smiles happily, utters
svengali !
, then dies, followed by svengali, who dies smiling. in the film billee survives .
svengali of the valley (1982 tv episode from
harper valley p. t. a .
)
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svengali is a 1931 american pre - code supernatural drama / horror film produced and distributed by warner bros. the film stars john barrymore and co - stars marian marsh. it was directed by archie mayo and the screenplay was written by j. grubb alexander. it is based on the gothic horror novel trilby (1894) by george du maurier. the film was originally released on may 22, 1931. warner brothers was so pleased by the box office on this film that the studio hurriedly reteamed barrymore and marsh for another horror film the mad genius, released on november 7, 1931. the region 1 dvd of svengali was released on october 17, 2000 by the roan group .
( 1927) —a film that looked certain to flop. in just three days, von sternberg rewrote the script and, working mostly at night—when stars clara bow and gary cooper were available—re - shot more than half the film in a tent he had decorated himself. the results were astounding and convinced paramount that von sternberg might not be so difficult after all. the following year, he shot
the poster girls and the hypnotist (1899 short) a. k. a .
svengali and the posters
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returned to america as a national hero and visited the set of svengali during its filming. a studio photograph of byrd ,
and i' ll give you all films in svengali language in a second. i can even tell you which ones to watch and which to avoid. now, if i could just find
svengali
in the list of languages ...
actor conrad veidt and german expressionistic director paul leni were recruited by universal' s boss carl laemmle in the mid - 1920s. paul leni was already known in his homeland for the spooky horror classics backstairs (1921, ger .) (aka hintertreppe) and the expressionistic anthology waxworks (1924, ger .) (aka das wachsfigurenkabinett). after moving to hollywood, leni directed the cat and the canary (1927), a derivative from a stage - bound 1922 melodrama. the influential film is considered the first gothic' haunted house' horror film. veidt was cast as an ever - smiling, grotesque carnival freak named gwynplaine in leni' s next film for universal, the man who laughs (1927), a superb romantic melodrama .
, believed the film would be a flop and even lobbied to have his name removed from the credits .
... the novel is less a discussion of the relationship between svengali and trilby than an evocation of bohemian paris during the 1850s .
, by contrast, is a thoroughly american film. as today’s film historians have noted, the gangster film solidifies the myth of american individualism. outlaws like bull weed flout authority to become powerful and sympathetic heroes. von sternberg, too, had struggled through the harsh conditions of big city life and, with this first big hit, he was finally finding success .
there is absolutely nothing that isn' t thoroughly covered in the book. it is straightforward, and does an excellent job of explaining all about svengali in key topics and material. there is no reason to invest in any other materials to learn about svengali. you' ll understand it all .
... the scholar edgar rosenberg calls svengali an example of anti - semitic stereotyping in english fiction, and identifies him as a version of ahasver, the wandering jew; he notes a reference to svengali walking up and down the earth seeking whom he might cheat, betray, exploit ...
( cutline for illustration on trilby. htm page) - - trilby, hypnotized by svengali. svengali' s exaggerated features were typical of anti - semitic portrayals of jews at the turn of the century. this engraving was done by du maurier himself for the first edition of the novel in 1894 .
a collection of reviews for the novel ,
trilby
and some of its stage and film adaptations as found on the internet .
unfortunately the film fails to captivate once barrymore is off the screen, a role he reprised in the mad genius released the same year .
helped inaugurate the gangster film as a genre. as ben hecht wrote, “crooks and hopheads toting machine guns became the national idols. ”
... the character was portrayed in many silent movie versions of the story and in talking movies, and was played by paul wegener in a 1927 german silent film of the same name, by john barrymore in a a 1931 version, by donald wolfit in a 1954 version in technicolor, and by peter o' toole in a 1983 made - for - television modernized version, also in colour, co - featuring jodie foster .
are shown with mood or background music. the music is cbs' s own canned archive music and is not in the original feature film .
the phantom of the paradise (1974), d. brian depalma, a rock - opera musical version (and cult favorite) starring paul williams as a svengali impresario named the swan
when it was released, austrian - born theater and film director max reinhardt wrote, “it is inconceivable that such cinematic greatness could have come from america. ”
complete, unabridged guide to svengali. get the information you need - - fast! this comprehensive guide offers a thorough view of key knowledge and detailed insight. it' s all you need .
svengali, (barrymore), an impoverished opportunist teaching music in 1890' s paris, but he is also an evil hypnotist who mesmerizes a woman named trilby o' farrell, (marsh), to acheive fame with her singing in the hope that she will love him. to this end svengali tries to control her, but although he can control her voice, he cannot control her heart .
whatever dark, primitive, and revolting traits that simultaneously attract and repel us are featured in the horror genre. horror films are often combined with science fiction when the menace or monster is related to a corruption of technology, or when earth is threatened by aliens. the fantasy and supernatural film genres are not synonymous with the horror genre, although thriller films may have some relation when they focus on the revolting and horrible acts of the killer / madman. horror films are also known as chillers, scary movies, spookfests, and the macabre. see also scariest film moments and scenes (illustrated) - from many of the greatest horror films ever made, best film death scenes (illustrated), and three great horror film franchises .
, while
svengali
is a fictional character from george du maurier' s anti - semitic novel
trilby
( 1895). are you sure that' s what you want? look me in the eyes :
, but the film was a financial failure. von sternberg then had a run of false starts. pickford, who had announced her intentions of working with this latest european genius, cancelled when she disliked the film scenario about a blind girl in industrial pittsburgh that he had proposed for her. von sternberg’s work at mgm also ground to a halt: unhappy with his work on
mystified, the group sees her again in london. however, as he stands in the box overlooking his protégée, svengali dies of a heart attack and his spell over her suddenly breaks - she can no longer sing in tune. little billee takes her into his chambers where she relates her story, saying that she remembers nothing of her singing career. however, by this point she is very weak, near death. as she is writing her will, she sees a portrait of svengali among her possessions. upon seeing it she goes into her trance, singing chopin' s impromptu in a flat as she had on the stage and dying with his name on her lips. many years later svengali' s assistant, gecko, tells taffy that there were
two trilbys ,
the one they knew, an
angel of paradise
( du maurer 287) and a
singing machine
when under the spell of svengali (288) .
another unrelated' wolf - man' film was she - wolf of london (1946), with june lockart as phyllis allenby, an innocent young girl in london - and the alleged perpetrator of gruesome murders .
svengali (1914 / wiener kunstfilm) 6 reels. bw. silent. austria. aka: der hypnotiseur. credits: dir: luise kolm & jakob fleck. from the novel
trilby
by george du maurier. cast: frl. nording, ferdinand bonn .
house of dracula (1945) - an immediate sequel to the house of frankenstein (1944) film, with lon chaney, jr. as the wolf man, john carradine as dracula, and glenn strange as the frankenstein monster - again
- basically an upstairs / downstairs melodrama set at wartime, the film is a fast watch with interesting story that kept me entertained (but what' s with that painted on
uni - brow
?). chaney, of course, is always good (i love the wide range of facial expressions he gets), barbara bedford is sort of like a beautiful stone ornament here, but i guess it works for this. there is a small spy element to this film that is quickly passed by - and that is that the countess is carrying a secret message to
headquarters
sewed into the lining of an apron (or some such item). music composed by james schafer works; the film was screened on turner classic movies tcm .
in the first of chaney' s two other horror masterpieces, he appeared in one of the earliest versions of victor hugo' s novel about the hunchbacked quasimodo - a tortured bellringer living in a cathedral tower in love with gypsy dancer esmeralda (patsy ruth miller) in director wallace worsley' s the hunchback of notre dame (1923) - it was another silent film version of the classic tale. [ an earlier version was the darling of paris (1917), a lost film starring vamp theda bara as esmeralda. ]
the classic 1931 film, directed by archie mayo, based on the novel
trilby
by george du maurier. john barrymore gives a masterful performance as the maestro who discovers the beautiful model trilby o' farrell and, with his hypnotic powers, sets out to make her a star. trilby is played by the stunning marian marsh, who commands your attention with every second of screen time (just * try * to look away at 22: 00 when she describes what lovely feet she has). the film was an oscar winner for its art direction and cinematography .
, but producer charlie chaplin was dissatisfied and did not release it. scottish critic (and future documentary filmmaker) john grierson, one of the few people to have seen the now - lost film, called it “the most beautiful picture ever produced in hollywood, and the least human. ”
t he novel is about a studio of three artists from england and scotland, the laird, taffy, and little billee; the grisette and model trilby; and a jewish hypnotist named svengali who teaches trilby to sing and uses her voice for his own purposes. the first half of the novel takes place in paris. trilby meets and falls in love with little billee, but, like fantine in les miserables, cannot stay with him because he is of a higher social class. later, billee becomes a famous artist in london, then returns to france after a failed love affair and re - meets his two companions. one evening at the theater they see the new singer that they have heard so much about ,
la svengali .
to their surprise, it is trilby, who has never sung in tune before - but now she sings like
a woman archangel... or some enchanted princess out of a fairy tale
( 203). svengali, the strange suspicious musician the group had feared years ago in paris, is the conductor .
the phantom of the opera (1990), d. tony richardson, a two - part nbc - tv mini - series, with burt lancaster starring as the baron - the phantom' s father (in one of his final film appearances), teri polo as christine, and charles dance as the phantom
won him his first academy award for best original screen story. the film was a hit, and the paramount theater in new york had to arrange all - night screenings to accommodate the eager crowds. paramount gave von sternberg a $ 10, 000 bonus and a gold medal in appreciation. von sternberg had done more than make a name for himself ;
director rouben mamoulian' s first sound version dr. jekyll and mr. hyde (1931), starring fredric march in the title role as the villainous scientist (the first oscar - winning horror performance) and miriam hopkins as the slutty cockney barmaid ivy. the film had ground - breaking transformative special effects as march changed from jekyll into hyde, filmed in one - take
it is indeed a sad fact that the majority of wegener' s work is generally unavailable today which is in complete contrast to the works of conrad veidt and emil jannings, two other great german actors who followed in wegener' s footsteps. however evidence is available of his enormous talent that wasn' t just restricted to acting, but many other facets of film production .
the miser' s conversion (1914) (aka the miser' s reversion) was the first film to depict a screen transformation by using a series of dissolves with footage of the character' s different stages of makeup, rather than a single jump - cut. this was later used to great effect in many films including dr. jekyll and mr. hyde (1931) and the wolf man (1941). in the film, the title character miser (sidney bracey), 75 year - old john grisley, obsessed with the idea of evolution, acquired a rejuvenation serum that transformed him into a 40 year - old man with just a few drops. to intensify the effect, he drank the entire bottle of serum and reverted into an ape .
one actor who helped pave the way for the change in outlook and acceptance of the horror genre was lon (alonso) chaney, sr. , known as
the man of a thousand faces
because of his transformative, grotesque makeup and acting genius as a pantomime artist. he appeared in numerous silent horror films beginning in 1913 at universal studios. he was soon to become the first american horror - film star and hollywood' s first great character actor. his first grotesque character role as a fake cripple (a contorted figure named the frog), his breakthrough role, was in the miracle man (1919) (a film that only partially survives). chaney' s films, collaborating with director tod browning on ten feature films over a decade, included these examples of lurid melodrama (and horror) and crime :
the first talkie horror film was also the second' all - talking' motion picture from warner bros - - director roy del ruth' s the terror (1928), a stage - bound adaptation of edgar wallace' s play regarding a haunted house terrorized by a homicidal asylum escapee. the film' s many ads capitalized on the new feature of sound (creaking doors, howling wind, organ music), heard with the vitaphone sound - on - disc process :
it will thrill you! grip you! set you into tremors of awe. hear this creepy tale of mystery - the baffling story of a detective' s great triumph. with voices and shadows that will rack your nerves and make you like it. come, hear them talk in this vitaphone production of the play that has gripped london for over 3 years .
all in all, i found the book interesting but disappointing. contrary to what the cover blurb says, the book is not really about
the diva trilby o' ferrall and her mesmeric mentor, svengali ,
but rather about bohemian life in paris, circa 1859. as a portrait of said life, it is in fact interesting and remarkably frank for its time. but as a story ,
trilby
is scattered and unfocused, more a series of character sketches than a bona fide novel .
chaney' s most memorable portrayal was in the ground - breaking, vividly - frightening, beauty - and - the - beast silent film, rupert julian' s costume horror classic the phantom of the opera (1925), as devil' s island escapee erik - a disfigured, deranged, bitter and vengeful composer / ghost of the paris opera (based on the character in gaston leroux' s 1911 novel). this film was a technical achievement, with a two - color technicolor' bal masque' sequence, the falling chandelier and underground lake scenes. its dark expressionistic tones helped set the tone for horror films in the 30s. its most famous scene was ingenue christine' s (mary philbin) unmasking of lon chaney' s mask - revealing a hideous skull - face, lipless mouth, rotten teeth, snouty nose, and bulging eyes .
in the same year, danish writer / director carl theodor dreyer' s dreamlike, atmospheric, seminal horror film vampyr (1931, ger. / fr .) (aka not against the flesh / castle of doom) was released. the unsettling film, dreyer' s first sound feature, was loosely based on the 1872 lesbian vampire short story carmilla by j. sheridan le fanu. it was alternatively titled the strange adventure of david grey - and it told the story of an occult researcher named allan / david grey (baron nicolas de gunsburg, played by julian west) in a remote country inn in the village of courtempierre who was given a vampire combat book. he slowly believed he was surrounded by vampires - and dreamt of his own death and glass - lidded coffin burial (filmed with a double - exposure) during a blood - loss induced fever dream .
first published in 1894, the story of the diva trilby o' ferrall and her mentor, svengali, has entered the mythology of that period alongside dracula and sherlock holmes. immensely popular for years, the novel led to a hit play, a series of popular films, trilby products from hats to ice - cream, and streets in florida named after characters in the book. the setting reflects du maurier' s bohemian years as an art student in paris before he went to london to make a career in journalism. a celebrated caricaturist for
upon publication, the novel caused a sensation in britain and america. in its first year of publication, the book sold 200, 000 copies in america (showalter ix) .
svengali
became a usual name for any hypnotist; the book was turned into a popular play, and one town in florida named its streets after the characters (showalter x). it sparked a resurgence of interest in bohemian life, as had not been seen since murger. years after paris ceased to be the center of bohemian life, the culture of the artists still attracted attention .
in the years to come, von sternberg cultivated his persona as an exotic, highbrow artiste more actively. journalists anointed him svengali to marlene dietrich’s trilby, and the riding pants and turbans he would wear on the set added to his mystique. in 1936, london critic charles graves wrote, “josef von sternberg walks like a cat, looks like a fallen archangel, wears mongolian moustachios and black chinese pyjamas, is never seen out of doors without a walking stick, craves cornflowers, and always expects the head waiters to bring, unasked, seven iced black grapes when he enters a restaurant. ”
horror films go back as far as the onset of films themselves, over a 100 years ago. from our earliest days, we use our vivid imaginations to see ghosts in shadowy shapes, to be emotionally connected to the unknown and to fear things that are improbable. watching a horror film gives an opening into that scary world, into an outlet for the essence of fear itself, without actually being in danger. weird as it sounds, there' s a very real thrill and fun factor in being scared or watching disturbing, horrific images .
horror films, when done well and with less reliance on horrifying special effects, can be extremely potent film forms, tapping into our dream states and the horror of the irrational and unknown, and the horror within man himself. (the best horror films only imply or suggest the horror in subtle ways, rather than blatantly displaying it, i. e. , val lewton' s horror films .) in horror films, the irrational forces of chaos or horror invariably need to be defeated, and often these films end with a return to normalcy and victory over the monstrous .
in the french silent film serial (with ten chapters) les vampires (1915, fr .) (aka the vampires) by director / writer louis feuillade, subversive vampire thieves sucked the blood out of sleeping bourgeois parisian society, and stole their jewels. the villainous leader of the vamps was irma vep (musidora), an anagram for vampire. the partly scripted, partly - improvised episodes (with eye - catching titles like
the severed head
and
the ring that kills
) followed investigative journalist philippe guérande (édouard mathé) and his comic sidekick oscar mazamette (marcel lévesque) in their continued attempts to foil the vampire gang' s elaborate schemes and gadgets .
the acting of the cast, in which the names of clara kimball young and wilton lackaye come first, is on a par with the most exacting demands of screen histrionism. mr. lackaye' s impersonation of svengali has long been recognized as a work of great merit. the triumph that he won for it in the spoken drama, he more than repeats on the screen. clara kimball young makes an ideal trilby. her beauty of face, perfection of form and power as an actress fit the part splendidly, and accurately exemplified by phyllis neilson - terry, the soul which animates her creation is the soul of trilby o' farrell. her posing in the
all - together
is without offense. the gecko of paul mcallister, chester barnett' s little billee, and the efforts of the remaining members of the cast are all in harmony with the performance, and responsive to every mood of the director' s conception .
as the war closed wegener was one of the first to rebuild cultural life in berlin. despite ill - health he became president of an organisation to improve standards for it' s inhabitants. in 1947 wegener suffered a debilitating stroke that caused him to go to switzerland for medical care. on his return to berlin he again succumbed to illness, but refused to give up acting and accepted a part in der grosse mandarin (1948), his last film role. in july 1948 he reprised his role of
nathan the wise
at the deutschen theatre, but in the very first scene he collapsed and the curtain was brought down. two months later, on september 13th. 1948, paul wegener died in his sleep. his funeral was attended by mourners from all walks of life, coming to pay their respects to the artist. he was buried in a quiet corner of the berlin cemetery at heerstrasse where a chinese temple - stone bears his name and a marble buddah from his own back garden protects his grave .
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isenberg, noah. weimar cinema: an essential guide to classic films of the era. columbia university press, 2009 .
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through hypnotism and telepathic mind control, a sinister music maestro controls the singing voice, but not the heart, of the woman he loves .
lakeith stanfield and his sorry to bother you director boots riley discuss the stress of filming sex scenes .
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magazine, du maurier' s drawings for the novel - - of which his most significant are included here - - form a large part of its appeal .
a work that contributed to the romanticizing of the artistic lifestyle was george du maurier' s trilby, published serially in harper' s monthly in 1894. the novel' s hero, little billee, is an artist who gains fame and fortune from his paintings; its heroine is a grisette, his true love, who models for him .
du maurier, a frequent contributor to punch and other satirical journals and grandfather of the novelist daphne du maurier, had been in paris himself as a young man in the 1850s. in spite of this personal experience, however, trilby is based on little historical fact .
du maurier' s bohemian paris is as much an invention as a reality, and as much a projection of the 1890s as a recollection of the 1850s ,
writes critic ellen showalter (xiii). many of the details are far from historically accurate: du maurier has his artists reading zola and maupassant before those authors published any works (showalter xiii). the novel' s importance as a historical document, then, is based more in the feelings of interdependent, artistic bohemia than in any of its specific incidents or details .
( 1931 / warner / vitaphone) 83mins. bw. us. shooting title: tribly .
dir: archie mayo; sc: j. grubb alexander; ph: barney mcgill; ed: william holmes; art: anton grot; sfx: fred w. jackman & hans f. koenekamp; mus: david mendoza .
john barrymore, marian marsh, donald crisp, bramwell fletcher, carmel meyers, lumsden hare, luis alberni, paul porcasi, ferike boros, adrienne d' ambricourt, yola d' avril, henry otto .
the first sound adaptation of du maurier' s popular novel is turned into a victorian melodrama with some sinister overtones and effectively bizarre sets by polish art director anton grot that work superbly in tandem with barney mcgill' s lighting .
trilby
a skillfully constructed screen version of du maurier' s story opened at the forth - fourth street theater, new york, on labor day - - clara kimball young and wilton lackaye are in the cast. reviewed by edward weitzel
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, he was virtually unknown. an anxious von sternberg was so worried about the movie’s reception that he skipped the premiere, sending his wife to the theater in his stead while he took a walk in the park. ben hecht, the chicago newspaperman who had written the story for
in 1919, chautard had his young assistant spend time at the viewfinder learning, von sternberg later recalled, “to appraise the dimensional aspect of everything in front of the lens, including the value of light and shadow. ”
during his early years in the movie industry, josef von sternberg struggled to get by, cutting corners wherever he could. instead of wasting money on a bed for his rented room, he slept in a large dresser drawer. eventually, hollywood turned him into an aristocrat. at the suggestion of actor elliott dexter, the credits to
( 1924) listed sternberg—then a scenarist and assistant director—as “von sternberg. ” von sternberg never lobbied for this prefix, but he never objected to it either. “had i been consulted, ” he wrote, “i’m sure that i would have attached no importance to this implied baronetcy. it was 1923, the recent war had crumbled one empire after the other, and members of the nobility had become doormen in paris, cab drivers in new york, and extra players in hollywood. ”
von sternberg wanted absolute control over the visuals of his movies and worked closely with costume designers and set designers to whom he provided sketches of his own before hearing their ideas. he preferred filming in a studio, where he could arrange every element to his liking, and asserted that shooting on location was making documentary, not art. “i am a poet, ” he explained. “to reality, one should prefer the illusion of reality. ”
, especially in the gangster’s ball scene, where streamers undulate over crowds of jittery dancers and, by the end of the night, pile into knee - deep drifts that impede the drunken heroes. von sternberg shunned flat and wasted space—he wanted images that were thick, teeming, layered, and emotionally significant. to create depth, he often filled his early sets with objects; later, he would use lights and gauze .
, his artistry was both less refined and less well known. hollywood stars like charlie chaplin, douglas fairbanks, and mary pickford had praised von sternberg’s 1925 directorial debut ,
( 1926), the studio replaced him with phil rosen. unhappy with his coworkers in
( 1925), von sternberg walked off the set in a huff and sailed for europe. he did complete one picture ,
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urltoken
horror films are unsettling films designed to frighten and panic, cause dread and alarm, and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience. horror films effectively center on the dark side of life, the forbidden, and strange and alarming events. they deal with our most primal nature and its fears: our nightmares, our vulnerability, our alienation, our revulsions, our terror of the unknown, our fear of death and dismemberment, loss of identity, or fear of sexuality .
of necessity, the earliest horror films were gothic in style - meaning that they were usually set in spooky old mansions, castles, or fog - shrouded, dark and shadowy locales. their main characters have included
unknown ,
human, supernatural or grotesque creatures, ranging from vampires, demented madmen, devils, unfriendly ghosts, monsters, mad scientists ,
frankensteins ,
jekyll / hyde
dualities (good against evil), demons, zombies, evil spirits, arch fiends, satanic villains, the
possessed ,
werewolves and freaks to even the unseen, diabolical presence of evil .
the vampire character has been one of the most ubiquitous in the history of cinema, extending from the earliest days of cinema to present - day manifestations. dark, primitive, and revolting characters that simultaneously attract and repel us formed the irresistible heart of big - screen vampire tales. at first, bloodsuckers (leeches) and vampire bats intrigued and frightened people from cultures around the world. demonic or supernatural possession was often juxtaposed with blood - drinking, sex, and corpses. many religions, myths, folk - tales and cults espoused the idea of obtaining the life - essence from blood – in its extreme was the practice of cannibalism .
vampires began to emerge in popular fiction of the 18th and 19th centuries, during which time anglo - irish writer bram stoker' s 1897 vampire novel dracula was written. it has become the most popular, influential and preeminent source material for many vampire films. sheridan le fanu' s 1872 lesbian vampire tale carmilla came a close second to stoker' s writings. stoker' s seminal book hatched all the elements of future vampire films - - predatory female vamps who kissed the neck of male victims for their human blood, an elderly count who vied for their prey, and a vampire hunter with garlic to ward off the
prince of darkness
and with a wooden stake to drive through dracula' s heart .
the phantom of the opera (1943), d. arthur lubin, universal' s technicolored version with claude rains as the title character - a disfigured violinist, and also nelson eddy as raoul, the phantom' s rival for christine' s (susanna foster) love
the phantom of the opera (1962), d. terence fisher, with herbert lom (of pink panther fame) in a uk hammer films production as professor petrie / the phantom and heather sears as christine charles
the phantom of the opera (1983), d. robert markowitz, a made - for - tv movie starring a miscast jane seymour and maximilian schell as the phantom, set in budapest
the phantom of the opera (1989), d. dwight h. little, with robert englund (horror movie villain freddy krueger in the nightmare on elm street series) as the phantom and jill schoelen as christine
the phantom of the opera (1991), d. darwin knight, a theatrical musical created by maury yeston and arthur kopil and filmed before a live audience, starring david staller and elizabeth walsh
il fantasma dell' opera (1998, it .) (aka the phantom of the opera), d. dario argento, a loose adaptation with daughter asia argento as christine and julian sands as the nameless phantom (without a mask); with great production values including more sex, graphically - bloody gore, and a musical score by ennio morricone
the phantom of the opera (2004), d. joel schumacher, with gerard butler as the lead character, and starlet emmy rossum (a trained opera singer) as christine; also with minnie driver and miranda richardson
[ james cagney played the role of chaney in man of a thousand faces (1957) and recreated the star' s roles as the phantom and quasimodo in two of horror' s greatest achievements. ]
victor fleming' s ponderous mgm production (which won the academy award for black and white cinematography) dr. jekyll and mr. hyde (1941), starring spencer tracy in the title role and ingrid bergman as the
wicked
prostitute
[ in the psycho - sexual thriller mary reilly (1995), julia roberts starred as the innocent maid of the infamous dr. jekyll to provide a new perspective. ]
by the early 1930s, horror entered into its classic phase in hollywood - the true dracula and frankenstein eras, with films that borrowed from their german expressionism roots. the studios took morbid tales of european vampires and undead aristocrats, mad scientists, and invisible men and created some of the most archetypal creatures and monsters ever known for the screen. universal studios, with many groundbreaking silent horror films, continued its tradition by providing talkie horror films derived from literature and other mythic - legendary sources. it was best - known for its pure horror films in the 30s and 40s, horror - dom' s characters (frankenstein, dracula, the mummy, the invisible man, and the wolf man) and its classic horror stars, hungarian matinee idol bela lugosi and boris karloff .
[ an impressive - looking spanish version, with director george melford in place of browning, was shot simultaneously on the same sets at night, but with a different cast and crew (carlos villarías replaced lugosi, and eduardo arozamena as van helsing, along with provocatively - dressed actresses lupita tovar as eva (mina) and carmen guerrero as lucia (lucy) ). ]
[ in director tim burton' s horror / comedy ed wood (1994), martin landau won a best supporting actor oscar as the aging, morphine - addicted horror star bela lugosi, a friend of one of hollywood' s worst directors. ]
unfortunately, the wolf man role hopelessly typecast chaney, jr. for life. in fact, he was the only actor to play all four classic movie monsters: the wolf man, the frankenstein monster (in the ghost of frankenstein (1942) ), kharis (the mummy) (in the mummy' s tomb (1942), the mummy' s ghost (1944) and the mummy' s curse (1944) ), and count dracula (in son of dracula (1943) ) .
he was forced to star in a series of very poor sequels, teamed up with other universal horror stars in b - grade films including frankenstein meets the wolfman (1943) (in which chaney, jr. portrayed the wolf man and lugosi was the frankenstein monster), and in two films adding dracula to the mix :
house of frankenstein (1944) (the first all - star get - together with glenn strange as the frankenstein monster, john carradine as baron dracula, boris karloff as mad scientist dr. gustav neimann, and lon chaney, jr. as larry talbot / the wolf man )
the worst ignominy suffered by chaney, jr. was in universal - international' s hybrid horror - comedy abbott and costello meet frankenstein (1948) with the two screen comedians. here was evidence that classic horror films in the genre were beginning to go out of style after the real' horrors' of world war ii, and universal was attempting to crank out more and more sequels for younger audiences .
paul wegener was the first of the great german actors to go willingly into cinema realising the artistic capabilities of the new medium. he was also a man of great stature, towering six foot six inches, and with his distinctly chiseled - face managed to give feelings and realism to the horror movie characters he portrayed .
in some small way i hope this article will also help to keep his name regarded as a leading light in filmdom' s illustrious history.
svengali is a 1927 german silent drama film directed by gennaro righelli and starring paul wegener , anita dorris and andré mattoni . it is an adaptation of the novel trilby by the british writer george du maurier about an artist 's model who falls under the spell of a mysticist who turns her into a leading opera singer . 
svengali is a 1927 german silent drama film directed by gennaro righelli and starring paul wegener, anita dorris and andré mattoni. it is an adaptation of the novel trilby by the british writer george du maurier about an artist's model who falls under the spell of a mysticist who turns her into a leading opera singer.
svengali is a 1927 german silent drama film directed by gennaro righelli and starring paul wegener, anita dorris and andré mattoni. it is an adaptation of the novel trilby by the british writer george du maurier about an artist's model who falls under the spell of a mysticist who turns her into a leading opera singer.