The Magician (1926)

Directed by Rex Ingram [Other horror films: Black Orchids (1917)]

Ah, the good old days dealing with the horrors of hypnotism. The Magician is a pretty solid silent film, and while it’s a bit slow with the set-up, it’s quite a good experience come the finale, and overall is a good film.

Dealing with a somewhat mentally unhinged man who hypnotizes a woman to follow him (and eventually be his victim in a sacrifice to bring forth life with the black arts), The Magician does take a little bit to really get going, and the first thirty minutes or so can occasionally tend to be a bit sluggish.

Once you’re past the point, though, things fly by nicely. You have this crazy guy dragging a woman around (and of course, she has no will to fight back) and the woman’s fiance trying to save her. Toward the end, the magician takes her to an old sorcerer’s castle (which looks remarkably similar to the castle featured prominently in Frankenstein). There’s some thrilling scenes near the conclusion, and it’s a fun time.

The performances here are pretty good, especially Paul Wegener (The Golem), who does great as the evil magician Haddo. He has great facial expressions, and comes across as quite threatening. Alice Terry did well as his victim, and Iván Petrovich did well also as the love interest of Terry’s.

Oh, and I have to mention a title card that got me laughing. There’s a small sequence when, under the influence of the magician, Alice Terry’s character is playing roulette. Before that scene, we get this catching saying (definitely not at all written by the gambling establishment): “This is the song of the wheel that spins / Who loses To-day – To-morrow wins!” Just classy.

For a film that’s not quite as well known, the score of this was pretty good. There’s plenty of recognizable classical pieces here, most noticeably being Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. It’s peaceful and intense, and so works quite well in this film when it does pop up.

Hypnotism isn’t the most interesting subgenre of horror – movies like Svengali, while okay, aren’t particularly my cup of tea. Back then, though, this stuff was popular. The 1894 novel Trilby, written by George du Maurier, was quite well-known, and while nowhere near as well-known, the 1908 book The Magician, written by W. Somerset Maugham, was likely popular too. Early horror is always interesting – I’ve only seen hypnotism done in a horrific manner a handful of times, and this probably doesn’t count – even so, this is a pretty fun film.

When I first saw The Magician, I had a pretty solid time with it. Among other silent horror films, I don’t think this one is quite a classic, but if you’ve an interest in classic silent horror, then The Magician is well worth a look. With a great score, a nice-looking print, and an enjoyable story, then this film is something you should see.

7.5/10