17 The Magician (1926 )

This  is  a  good  film, quite  sexually-charged  for  its  day  although  Somerset  Maugham  on  whose  novel  it's  based  didn't  care  for  it. It  concerns  an  evil  magician  and  hypnotist  Oliver  Haddo  ( based  on  Aleister  Crowley )  who  needs  to  kill  a  virgin  to  complete  a  black  magic  rite.  His  eye  falls  on  a  sculptress  Margaret  Dauncey  who  has  recently  been  restored  to  health  by  her  now-fiance  Dr  Burdon. Margaret  falls  under  Haddo's  sway  after  he   takes   her  in   a  trance  to  a  bacchanalian  orgy.

Alice  Terry  ( as  Margaret  Dauncey )    

Sex :  Margaret  witnesses  a  copulating  couple  ( extras ) at  the  orgy  and  is  clearly  up  for  being next  with  the  same  near-naked  guy  although  Haddo  brings  her  out  of  the  trance  before anything  happens. Some  of  her  costumes  show  some  cleavage.

Death : Survives

Alice  was  director  Rex  Ingram's  wife  and  she  too  expressed  dissatisfaction  with  the  film. She retired  with  him  when  talkies  came  along  and  took  up  painting. After  suffering  from Alzheimer's,  she  died  in  1987  aged  88.

Gladys  Hamer  ( as  Susie  Boyd )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Gladys   was  a  British  girl  from  Birmingham and  a  fair  bit  older  than  Alice  whose  friend  she  plays. Her  film  career  lasted  until  1935  and  she  died  in  1967  aged  82.

Rosita  Garcia   ( as  Arab  Girl )

Sex : No

Death :  Bitten  by  a  horned  viper  carelessly  discarded  by  Haddo  after  demonstrating  his immunity  to  its  bite  ( there is  only  one  puncture  mark  on  his  hand  though ).  She  is  rushed  to hospital  but  Haddo  later  refers  to  the  incident  as  a  "tragedy"  implying  that  she  perished.

Rosita  was  actually  Uruguayan. She   only  made  six  films  and  is  uncredited  in  half  of  them. She  died  in  1997  aged  90.