Overview: You may think the Reign Of Terror was the most perilous time to be living in Paris, but I'm starting to believe 1890 to 1914 was far more dangerous. There were so many Mad Artists doing nasty things during that time, I wonder why they never thought of forming a Trade Union? Svengali is played by John Barrymore, one of the most prominent film stars of the day and this is one of his best performances. Yes, it's true, John Barrymore is the grandfather of Drew Barrymore, whose acting frightens us for entirely the wrong reasons. But I hasten to point out that John Barrymore passed away in 1942, over thirty years before Drew was born, so those of you who demand a written apology from him will have to wait in vain.