Svengali (1983 film)

Svengali is a 1983 American television film based on the 1894 novel Trilby by George du Maurier.^[2][3]

Svengali
Genre	Drama Romance
Based on	Trilby by George du Maurier
Written by	Frank Cucci Charles Dennis George du Maurier
Directed by	Anthony Harvey
Starring	Peter O'Toole Jodie Foster
Music by	John Barry
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producer	Robert A. Halmi
Producer	Robert Halmi Sr.
Production location	New York City
Cinematography	Larry Pizer
Editor	Norman Gay
Running time	100 minutes
Production company	Robert Halmi
Budget	$2 million[1]
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	March 9, 1983 (1983-03-09)

Plot

Cast

• Peter O'Toole as Anton Bosnyak
• Jodie Foster as Zoe Alexander
• Elizabeth Ashley as Eve Swiss
• Larry Joshua as Johnny Rainbow
• Pamela Blair as Trish
• Barbara Bryne as Mrs. Burns-Rizzo
• Ron Weyand as Hypnotist
• Robin Thomas as Mendy Weindenbaum
• Brian Carney as Abbot Renfrew
• Madeleine Potter as Antonia
• Holly Hunter as Leslie
• Vera Mayer as Gizella
• Stuart Charno as Boomer

Production

Mitchell Galin helped develop the film. He was working for the producer, read the script, felt it was promising but that it needed a rewrite. He received $10,000 for a new writer and hired Frank Cucci. Galin told Cucci to write the role for Peter O'Toole and that who wound up being cast.^[4]

Filming took place over 20 days. Shortly after filming, director Anthony Harvey had a near-fatal car crash. "I hadn't been in hospital but a week," he says, "when CBS started cutting the movie, seriously harming it. All the more fragile moments are gone and so are the exterior scenes that opened up the story."^[1]