| The Mystic | |
| Director: | Tod Browning |
| Producer: | Louis B. Mayer Irving Thalberg |
| Starring: | Aileen Pringle Conway Tearle |
| Cinematography: | Ira H. Morgan |
| Editing: | Frank Sullivan |
| Distributor: | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Runtime: | 70 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | Silent with English intertitles |
The Mystic is a 1925 American MGM silent drama film directed by Tod Browning, who later directed MGM's Freaks (1932). It was co-written by Browning and Waldemar Young, writing a similar storyline to their earlier 1925 hit film The Unholy Three. Browning was unable however to hire his favorite star Lon Chaney this time around, and The Mystic wound up a little-known film with a cast of now-forgotten names.[1] Aileen Pringle's gowns in the film were by already famous Romain de Tirtoff (known as Erté).[2] A print of the film exists.[3]
As described in a film magazine reviews,[4] Zara is a gypsy rogue who joins with confederate Zazarack to aid Michael Nash, the crooked guardian of heiress Doris Merrick, to gain control of her estate by way of fake seances. Jimmie Barton with the aid of Zara and her gypsies succeeds in swindling the Wall Street financier out of his fortune. Jimmie tries to tell Zara that he loves her. In a fight with her confederates, he proves his love for her. Zara and her band are captured by the police, and Jimmie escapes with the loot. Zara’s suitor tries to get her to marry him, but seeing the hopelessness of his cause, he notifies Jimmie. They are reconciled after Jimmie returns the stolen money.
After years of being a VHS exclusive, The Criterion Collection announced a Blu-Ray set that also includes Freaks and The Unknown released on October 17, 2023.[5] [6]