Welles and Svengali

[mteal]

I think the "Svengali" theme is an important and unsung one in Welles's work, from Charles Foster Kane's Svengali-like manipulation of Susan Alexander Kane ("a cross section of the American Public"), to Iago's manipulation of Othello, to Jake Hannaford's attempt to serve as a dictator to his leading man, John Dale. It would be nice to see a revival of TRILBY sometime.



Welles was obviously channeling John Barrymore from the film version:

[mteal]

Here's Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree as Svengali in a 1906 recording. Tree was one of the great Shakespearean actors at the early 20th century. He was also father to Carol Reed, director of THE THIRD MAN, and grandfather to Oliver Reed, who co-starred with Welles in I'LL NEVER FORGET WHAT'S HIS NAME (1967).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-cgGTBT1ao

[Glenn Anders]

You are a font of memorabilia, Mike. Bravo!

The sight of Trilby losing her socks must have caused Edwardian women to swoon. As a matter of fact, it is a bit creepy . . . sinister, even sexy its innocence, today.

Glenn

[mteal]

Yes, that sinister sexiness is surely why so many have always compared it to DRACULA. I do wonder how well the story might hold up today, although there was a version as recent as the 80's, with Jodie Foster as Trilby, and Peter O'Toole as Svengali. Haven't seen it.

[Glenn Anders]

Good work, Mike, as usual.

To the theatrical stew (in a grand sense) you have cooked up . . . might be added Donald Wolfit (later, SIR Donald Wolfit), who starred as Svengali in Noel Langley's 1954 film version of TRILBY opposite Hildegard Kneff. Wolfit was the sort of dominant producer-director-star in traveling theater companies that Orson Welles often claimed he admired. With his flamboyant style and dictatorial ways, Wolfit is said to have been the model for "Sir" (Albert Finney) in the award winning film THE DRESSER (1983).

Glenn

[mteal]

THE DRESSER is a terrific movie, with Finney and Tom Courtenay both superb. I haven't seen it in a while. I'd like to see the Wolfit Svengali sometime as well. Wolfit was also in the very funny 1952 film version of THE PICKWICK PAPERS, a book that Welles of course made a radio play of and also considered as a film followup to Kane. The '52 Pickwick was also directed by Noel Langley.

[mteal]

In fact, the whole PICKWICK PAPERS film is on Youtube, albeit with Spanish subtitles, but in pretty decent picture and sound quality:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZljjtyFdF0

[tonyw]

Alan Badel also played Svengali in a 1976 BBC TV production directed by Piers Haggard. Sinead Cusack played Trilby. The play opened in an artist's studio with Trilby posing nude, her rear exposed to the camera.

[Glenn Anders]

Ah! But Hildegarde Kneff had beautiful tartar eyes . . . .

[tonyw]

..that comensate for her being only seen nude from the next upwards when puritanical Little Billee (Terence Morgan) who, after all, is an artist sees her posing.

[Glenn Anders]

I happened to see Wolfit's SVENGALI when down from Lakenheath to London in 1954. I was on a "movie binge" three-day pass and walked across Leicester Square to the Odeon to see LUCRECE BORGIA with Pedro Armendariz and Martine Carole . . . WELL!! That one took care of any puritan thoughts I might have had at the time!

[ToddBaesen]

To me, the pictures of Henry Irving remind me of the eyes of that great Dracula, Christopher Lee!
Peter Jackson himself noted that. When I talked to him about THE TWO TOWERS, he said, "Christopher has an intensity in his eyes I've never seen from any other actor." What is also strange, is I've seen a picture of Henry Irving, where he looks exactly like Mr. Lee!

By the way Sir Christopher is "dying" to get a picture from his role as Flask in MOBY DICK, done for the TV version in 1955. If anyone out there has one, let us know!

Sir Christopher also knew Sir Donald Wolfit when he was starting out, and had this to say about him:

CHRISTOPHER LEE: In THE DRESSER, there's a scene where Albert Finney forgets what play he's in. He forgets he doing KING LEAR, and starts to quote some of the lines from the Scottish play, which causes Tom Courtney, as the dresser, to have a bout of hysteria. The man on whom that part is based —"Sir" as he's called — the part played by Albert Finney, is supposed to be based on the late Sir Donald Wolfit. He was a remarkable actor, and when I was an actor in the beginning of my career, I worked in Wolfit's company. He took companies all around Britain during the war and after the war, and he was quite an extraordinary man. I have actually seen him say, in rehearsal to the electricians, "The spotlight goes HERE!…and don't move it!" All that sort of thing. In THE DRESSER, when Albert Finney comes off the stage, after everyone is trying to create the storm for KING LEAR, with the wind machine and noises you could hear for miles away, he says, "Where was the storm?!" Well, Wolfit was like that. He was either way up there, like that, or else (whispers), right down here. I introduced him to J.R.R. Tolkien, for which he was always eternally grateful. I gave him THE HOBBIT to read, and I've still got the letter he wrote to me, saying, "Thank you, dear Christopher for showing me an enchanted world." I met Tolkien and I still think THE LORD OF THE RINGS is the greatest literary achievement in my lifetime. I also knew T. H. White who wrote THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING. I like fantasy, too!

[mteal]

Thanks for the info on the Badel Svengali, Tony. I'd like to see it sometime, although there doesn't seem to be much info about it online.

You're right, Todd. There is a striking resemblance between Lee and Irving. But of course, Irving died in 1905, seventeen years before Lee was born, so that rules THAT possibility out!

[tonyw]

The play may be lost. Badel's performance in the 1960s COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO does survive but can not be shown for some obscure copyright reason according to his daughter Sarah.