Svengali is a 1931 American PreCode dramahorror film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The film stars John Barrymore and costars 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 regionDVD of Svengali was released on October 17, 2000 by the Roan Group.
The film was nominated for two Academy Awards, one for Best Art Direction by Anton Grot, and one for Best Cinematography by Barney McGill.The film survives complete. It was transferred onto 16mm film by Associated Artists Productions in the 1950s and shown on television. This film and The Kennel Murder Case were the two Warner Brothers films that not lapsed into Public Domain. But only have been available freely for decades. ........
Source: Wikipedia