Svengali

Sometimes you hear the word ‘svengali’ and it is always used in a negative sense…but what is a Svengali?...it has come to refer to a manipulative person who, with sinister or selfish intent, dominates, manipulates, and controls a person…they may tell a person how to act, how to dress, what to do, what not to do, and so forth…this person often falls under the spell of their ‘svengali’ and does exactly what they are told…they may be aware that they are being controlled, but can do nothing about it…or they may be unaware that they have fallen into the clutches of the manipulator…the Svengali will be a master of persuasion and powerful charisma that mesmerizes the victim…in a court of law, a Svengali defense is a legal tactic that claims that a defendant was merely a pawn in the scheme of a greater, and more influential, criminal mastermind…they may have been influenced to commit a crime or sinister act without knowing any better…this has been argued and has been successful in some cases…you may also know the term from a series of movies which have been produced over the years…the earliest and most well-known Svengali movie came out in 1931 and starred John Barrymore and Miriam Marsh…the film was nominated for two Academy Awards…I recommend viewing this film and you will get a feel for what Svengalis can do…I can’t speak for the remakes having not seen them…