The Mystic | 1925 | Crime, Drama

Title: The Mystic by Tod Browning | 1925 | Crime, Drama Director: Tod Browning Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Starring: Aileen Pringle, Conway Tearle, Mitchell Lewis, Robert Ober, Stanton Heck, David Torrence, Gladys Hulette Release Date: September 27, 1925 Runtime: 70 minutes Format: Silent, black-and-white, 1.33:1, English intertitles Country: United States Language: Silent with English intertitles Genres: Crime, Drama --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Carnival and the phony medium 00:14:00 Nash’s proposition 00:32:00 High-society séance 00:50:00 Conscience and fracture 01:05:00 Final reckoning --- Summary: In Hungary, carnival medium Zara partners with strongman Zazarack and American con artist Michael Nash. Brought to the United States, the trio stages convincing séances to manipulate a wealthy young heiress, Doris Merrick, into relinquishing control of her fortune. As the swindle escalates, Nash’s growing attachment to Zara and his awakening conscience unsettle the scheme. The film follows their deceptions, shifting loyalties, and the consequences that follow, using séance set pieces and underworld milieus to explore themes of fraud, desire, and moral ambiguity. --- Background: Produced and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, The Mystic was written and directed by Tod Browning with scenario work by Waldemar Young. It is the only one of Browning’s MGM silent features from 1925–1929 that does not star Lon Chaney, and it features gowns for Aileen Pringle designed by Erté, with art direction associated with Cedric Gibbons’s department. The film’s carnival-and-con milieu aligns it with Browning’s ongoing fascination with sideshows and illusion, and it received renewed attention with a modern restoration and inclusion in the Criterion Collection’s “Tod Browning’s Sideshow Shockers.” --- Trivia: AFI records the film’s U.S. release as September 27, 1925, following a New York opening on August 30, 1925. The physical length is listed as 6,147 feet across seven reels, consistent with a feature-length silent drama of the mid-1920s. The Mystic was renewed for copyright on August 6, 1953 , credited to Loew’s Incorporated, confirming MGM’s renewal under the 1909 Act. Costumes for Aileen Pringle were by the celebrated Art Deco designer Erté, whose stylized gowns are a noted element of the film’s look. It is the only one of Browning’s nine MGM silent films not to feature Lon Chaney, underscoring its distinct place within his studio-era work. The film was reintroduced to contemporary audiences via the Criterion Collection set Freaks / The Unknown / The Mystic: Tod Browning’s Sideshow Shockers. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: September 27, 1925. Original Studio / Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Copyright Status: Public Domain . Renewal: Yes . --- Hashtags: TheMystic TodBrowning SilentFilm PublicDomain MGM AileenPringle ConwayTearle 1925 CrimeDrama Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Mystic_(1925)_by_Tod_Browning.webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/The_Mystic_%281925%29_by_Tod_Browning.webm