Female infidelity is a rather complex phenomenon. First, with the social ...
HENRIETTA Rosin was born on October 23, 1844 in Paris. She was an illegitimate child - the fruit of the love of the beautiful Jewess Julie Van Hard and law student Edouard Bernard. Less than two months after the birth of the baby, she fell out of the cradle, landing right on the coals of a burning fireplace. The unfortunate woman was immediately pushed into a large bucket with freshly milked milk, and then wrapped for a long time with oil compresses. Fortunately, there were no traces, except for the overly pink skin, from the terrible burns.
At nine years old, she took up her cousin's challenge, declaring that she would jump over the moat. Nobody succeeded. As a result - broken face, a broken wrist, ragged knees covered in blood. When they carried her home, through her sobs, she stubbornly continued to shout:
- All the same, I will do it at any cost!
So that the girl did not interfere with the secular entertainments of her mother, she was sent to be raised in a Catholic monastery. By the age of eleven, Henrietta had become a devout Catholic, surprising the nuns with her religious fervor. However, by nature she was very hot-tempered and stubborn, sometimes she was seized by uncontrollable fits of anger. For such occasions, the nuns kept a ladle of holy water ready and, while making a prayer, poured it over the head of the girl who was overly dispersed.
Once, at a reception in her mother's salon, fifteen-year-old Henrietta pompously declared her desire to devote herself to God. One of Julie's friends cruelly ridiculed the girl. Offended in the best of feelings, she rushed at him furiously, scratched his face and pulled out a tuft of oiled hair. The Duke de Morny, who was present at this scene, exclaimed: “My God, this girl is a born actress! Her place is on the stage. "
Under the patronage of the duke, she was admitted to the National Academy of Music and Recitation. She brilliantly passed the exam for which Dumas the father prepared her. The author of "The Musketeers" admired the girl's voice, comparing it to "a crystal clear brook, murmuring and jumping over golden pebbles."
On September 1, 1862, a protégé of the Duke de Morny stood in front of the Comédie Française, where a large poster "Debut of Mademoiselle Sarah Bernhardt" hung. Since then, this stage name has gone down in history.
"When the curtain slowly began to rise, I thought I would faint,"- recalled Bernard. Concerning her first release, the opinion of the critics was as follows: "The young actress was as beautiful, as inexpressive ..." The audience remembered the debutante due to her extraordinary thinness. When she held out her hands to her partner, some wit from the audience shouted: "Be careful, monsieur, otherwise she will pierce you with her toothpicks."
And soon a scandal erupted, after which Sarah was kicked out of the Comedie Francaise. Sarah brought her younger sister Regina to the theater. By chance, the girl stepped on the long train of the dress of one of the leading actresses of the theater, Madame Natalie. The angry actress pushed the girl so hard that she split her forehead on the edge of the plaster column. Seeing this, Sarah covered Madame Natalie with such a slap in the face that she could not stay on her feet ...
After leaving the House of Moliere, she played in the theaters "Gimnaz", "Port-Saint-Martin", "Odeon". She remarkably portrayed young heroines in the classical repertoire - Phaedra, Andromache, Desdemona, Zaire, and then began to shine in the plays of contemporary playwrights. One of the best roles of Sarah Bernhardt is Marguerite Gaultier ("Lady of the Camellias" by Alexandre Dumas, the son).
Scenes of death were her strong point. Dozens of times the actress died, like Cleopatra, Adrienne Lecouvreur or Jeanne d'Arc, and when she died in "The Lady of the Camellias" (and she did it more than 3000 times!), The sobs of the excited audience drowned out the dialogue.
Theater connoisseur Prince Sergei Volkonsky wrote: “She perfectly mastered the polarity of emotions - from joy to sorrow, from happiness to horror, from affection to rage - the subtlest nuance of human feelings. The last step of mastery is her explosions ... How she knew how to lower herself in order to jump up, gather herself in order to throw herself; how she knew how to aim, crawl to burst out "...
BERNARD toured enormously all over the world. She visited the United States alone nine times. There was no language barrier for her. As American journalists wrote, the audience would have flocked to her performances, even if she played on Chinese... Newspaper articles describing Sarah Bernhardt's tour of America and Europe were published on the front pages. First Bernard, and only then conflicts, disasters and other incidents. When she was informed that the buzz surrounding her name in New York was much more than the excitement about the visit of this city by the ruler of Brazil, Sarah calmly replied: "Oh, it was just one of the emperors."
Sarah Bernhardt visited Russia three times - in 1881, 1898 and 1908.
On her first visit after her speech at the Winter Palace, Sarah was introduced to the emperor. She was about to make a deep curtsy, but Alexander III stopped her: "No, madam, I must bow before you."
The most fervent love affair in Bernard's life with the Greek diplomat Jacques Damala began in St. Petersburg. They merried. However, Damala was not made for marriage. He cheated on Sarah with young actresses, she had to pay his huge gambling debts. And most importantly, he was a complete drug addict. Sarah made every effort to get her husband out of the swamp, once she even broke an umbrella on the head of the pharmacist who supplied him with morphine, but she could not save Jacques. Damala died from drug abuse.
SHE was not beautiful, her appearance did not at all correspond to the ideals prevailing in those years: a shock of red hair, a too large nose, a narrow and too pale face, the only decoration of which were eyes shining like sapphires. And also - the figure of a "consumptive ghost", which gave abundant food to the imagination of a large army of cartoonists.
Bernard earned a lot. Her fees, especially during foreign tours, were fabulous at that time, but there was always not enough money. Sarah led an extremely extravagant lifestyle. Secular receptions and banquets went on in an endless succession. She herself ate very little, but demanded that guests be treated to the most exquisite dishes.
Bernard was generous and generous. During the Franco-Prussian War, while in besieged Paris, she turned the Theater "Odeon" into a hospital, which she ran, at the same time acting as a nurse. And in 1904, together with the great Italian singer Enrico Caruso, she organized a number of charity concerts, the proceeds from which went to help Russian soldiers wounded during the Russo-Japanese War.
Chaos reigned in her apartment: everywhere there were scattered carpets, rugs, ottomans, trinkets ... Dogs, monkeys and other animals that she adored were spinning under her feet. There is a known case when, in one of the cold Parisian winters, she spent two thousand francs to buy bread for hungry city sparrows.
“I really love when people visit me, but I hate going to visit,” she said about herself. - I love to receive letters, read them, comment, but I do not like to answer them. I hate places for people to walk and especially deserted roads, secluded corners. I like to give advice and really do not like it when they are given to me. "
Until the end of her life, she could not imagine life without theater. She was in her eighties when the doctors made a deadly diagnosis: in order to save her life, an amputation of her leg was necessary.
She could neither walk nor even stand on the stage. Therefore, in her repertoire there were only short one-act plays and scenes in which she could play, sitting motionless on a dais. Disability in no way tempered either the artistic or everyday temperament of the actress. In the role of Queen Atalia, Sarah Bernhardt was carried onto the stage on a specially constructed stretcher. She did not refuse her favorite role of Marguerite Gaultier, she played her agony and death, lying in bed.
The playwright Edmond Rostand, irritated by the ridiculous fables told about Sarah Bernhardt, once described the working day of the actress, and at the same time the mistress of the troupe: many hours of rehearsals, then a play where she plays "in some kind of frenzied frenzy", then - communication with colleagues, discussion of all current affairs, reception of visitors, answers to numerous letters and late at night - reading a new play. “This is the Sarah I knew. This is Sarah who works. And this one is the greatest. "
SARAH Bernard died on March 26, 1923 at the age of 79. Her last journey was literally strewn with camellias - her favorite flowers.
Once the President of France, who was sitting in the theater's box of honor, threw a bouquet at the feet of the actress and shouted: "Long live Sarah!" ("Long live France!").
Sarah Bernhardt, a phenomenal actress, the first superstar in history to have covered countries and continents around the world for decades, was born in Paris on October 22, 1844. Sarah's mother, Jewish Judith (according to other sources, Judit), grew up in the family of Moritz Baruch Bernardt and Sarah Hirsch. As for the father of the great actress, it is not possible to reliably trace his name and origin.
Sarah Bernhardt, whose biography contains pages of a very different kind, grew up under the supervision of governesses, since her mother had no profession and was forced to exist at the expense of wealthy admirers of female beauty. The life of a beautiful kept woman is usually associated with long trips. A woman does not belong to herself, since she is obliged to fulfill the conditions of an unspoken contract. Thus, little Sarah remained in the care of sloppy nannies and grew up in an atmosphere of relative well-being, but without
Troubled childhood
Once a misfortune happened to the girl. Another nanny did not follow, Sarah came too close to the burning fireplace, and her dress caught fire. The neighbors came running to the screams of the child, and everything worked out, although the girl was scared to death. Judith, having learned about the incident, decided not to leave her daughter anymore. Since then, Sarah has lived with her mother. Fortunately, during that period, Judith had a constant admirer, Count de Morny, who was a sincere person. He sincerely loved the courtesan and therefore began to take part in the fate of her daughter.
"Comedie Francaise"
When Sarah was 9 years old, she was sent to the private privileged school Grandchamp. De Morny made sure that the girl received an education and did not need anything. The life of the future actress began to take on quite definite outlines. She completed her studies and decided to achieve the fulfillment of her cherished dream - to become an artist. And again she was helped in this by a family friend, Count de Morny, who took eighteen-year-old Sarah Bernhardt to the director of the Comédie Française theater. He was somewhat puzzled: "Too thin for the stage" - he said. Nevertheless, Sarah Bernhardt, whose biography then opened a new page, was accepted into the troupe, and this became a great happiness for the girl.
Theatrical debut
Sarah Bernhardt made her theatrical debut on September 1, 1862 in a play by playwright Jean Baptiste Racine. Before going on stage, the actress was worried. When the curtain began to rise slowly, Sarah nearly fainted. The girl was literally shaking with excitement, and it is not surprising that critics unanimously praised the actress for her beautiful appearance and gave her a "two" for her acting skills. "From now on, the theatrical public in Paris can come to admire the lush golden hair of Sarah Bernhardt, but nothing more," the newspapers wrote.
Popularity
However, negative reviews are also reviews. In addition, theater critics did not take into account the iron character of the aspiring actress. After some time, Sarah left the "Comedie Francaise" and began to play the first roles in other theaters. These were "Odeon", "Gimnaz", "Port-Saint-Martin". Each performance, in which the actress participated, became a masterpiece of stage art. The audience poured a shaft on Sarah Bernhardt, and the director of "Comedie Francaise" However, having played almost all the classic roles, Zaire, Desdemona, Phaedra, Andromache and many others, Bernard returned to Moliere's House as a prima donna, where she was received with open arms.
Sarah Bernhardt and diamonds
The actress once again shocked the theatrical audience by playing Marguerite Gaultier in the play "Lady with the Camellias" by Alexandre Dumas the son. The writer Victor Hugo, overwhelmed by the sincerity of Sarah Bernhardt, gave her diamonds in the form of tears on a gold chain. "These are the tears of my soul," he said. For a long time, the actress kept the necklace as the most expensive gift, as an invaluable recognition of her talent. Sarah Bernhardt loved jewelry as a true woman loves them, she worshiped diamonds. The admirers of the actress knew this and shamelessly took advantage of Sarah's weakness, loading her with gifts of fabulous prices.
Bernard never left her jewelry at home when she needed to go on tour. All diamonds were packed in a durable case and followed their mistress everywhere. At the same time, Sarah Bernhardt did not feel peace of mind, she was afraid of attack and robbery. And to resist the robbers, this weak woman always carried a small lady's revolver with her. A little later, in the twentieth century, Sarah Bernhardt had a follower. It was the world famous and beloved Consuela Velazquez, the author of the song "Basame mucho", over which time has no power. Consuela carried with her all over the world both jewelry and money, and there were a lot of them.
Male roles
The revolver in Sarah Bernhardt's travel bag indirectly spoke of her masculine character. These signs of gender, in a good way, were reflected in the work of the actress. She played many male roles, including Hamlet, Eaglet, Werther, Lorenzaccio, Zanetto.
I must say that Hamlet performed by Bernard conquered Stanislavsky himself, who at that time was still a very young man, but already understood a lot about Konstantin Sergeevich, too, would probably give the actress diamonds if he had them.
Later, Stanislavsky more than once noted Sarah Bernhardt as a standard of perfection, her naturally delivered voice, impeccable diction, inner culture and, most importantly, a deep understanding of the character.
Indeed, the actress possessed the widest palette of human feelings, there was no such manifestation of the female soul (and sometimes male) that Bernard could not have embodied in the image of her character. Organic transitions from grief to joy, from tenderness to rage - this is the true mastery of the artist. Actress Sarah Bernhardt played so that Stanislavsky could only say his famous - "I believe ..."
The "talk" of this woman, her "whisper", the ability to "lower down to rush", "crawl up to burst out" - this was not just the talent of a great actress, it is a grandiose gift from God. Sarah Bernhardt, whose photo did not leave the pages of newspapers and magazines, could not step, she was besieged from all sides by fans. Articles in newspapers devoted to touring European countries, and later America, were similar to messages from the front during the war, the same style, the same terms - "Theater under siege", "This is a victory, critics are ashamed", "Napoleon did not know such a triumph. " Often, stories about the famous theatrical diva supplanted government messages and important economic reports. Sarah Bernhardt, an actress and a popular favorite, was always surrounded by reporters, in a tight circle of writing fraternity, and she could not get used to it.
Fans
Advertising contracts took up a lot of the superstar's time. Perfume and soap, gloves and powder - all expensive perfumery items bore the name of Sarah Bernhardt. But what is characteristic, she was never an idol. She was idolized, revered, loved and extolled in every possible way, but there was no idolatry. People felt the open soul of the actress, her friendliness and responded in kind. Unlike her mother, Sarah distanced herself from wealthy men who would like to get close to her.
Sarah Bernhardt, whose brief biography contains several pages devoted to her home life, led a kind of double existence. Returning from the theater and crossing the threshold of her apartment, the actress left a lot of art outside and plunged into her personal space.
home furnishings
The actress created her own little world at home. She painted pictures, sculpted sculptures, wrote short stories and funny plays. Sarah Bernhardt's house was full of all kinds of animals, dogs and cats were getting tangled underfoot, snakes were crawling everywhere. Once she acquired a real coffin, upholstered with snow-white silk, and began to almost live in it. Lying in a coffin, she taught roles and drank coffee. And, as the actress said, she felt great in him. Such antics could be called shocking, but the fact is that Sarah Bernhardt did not try to impress for the sake of impression. She was really comfortable in the coffin, and she considered it immoral to step on the tail of cats lying everywhere and tried to bypass them.
Actress about herself
The actress once realized her penchant for extreme, taking off into the sky in a balloon in the company of close friends. The wind pretty battered the air travelers, many already began to pray for forgiveness, and Sarah Bernhardt drank champagne and leaned out waist-deep overboard. “I love it when guests come to me, - said the actress, - but I don’t like to go to visit myself. I love to receive letters, but no strength will force me to write an answer. I really like to give advice, but I hate it when someone advises me” ... She never thought about what would happen tomorrow and forgot about what happened yesterday. If tomorrow is destined to die - so what? Just think ...
Juliet
Time did not spare the famous actress, but in old age she still looked like the girl Sarah. Critics of our time admired the genius Bernard, and there was a joke: "Sarah Bernhardt is Juliet Capulet. If the 70-year-old actress plays the 13-year-old Shakespeare's heroine, the whole theatrical world will believe and will cry." And this is not a joke, this could very well have happened and happened.
Sarah Bernhardt, whose quotes from sayings, roles and interviews have lived for many decades, is unforgettable. The grave of the actress at the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris is always strewn with flowers. Parisians and admirers of the great actress, who come from all over the world, approach the memorial in complete silence to pay their debt to the memory.
The whole life of the brilliant Sarah Bernhardt can be called a series of roles played. And it's not just about the stage. Sarah loved to play the roles of seductresses, rebel, brawler. The audience idolized her, taking the actress in any guise. The four main roles in the life of the great prima of the late 19th and early 20th centuries are discussed further in the review.
Role 1: daughter of a courtesan 
Sarah Bernhardt with her mother Judith Bernhardt.
At birth, the mother named the future theater star Rosin - like a cute dog that always gets underfoot. But something like that was. Judith Hart did not want to have children. Her daughter was born from an accidental relationship between a courtesan and one of her many lovers.
The charming cutie from Rosin-Sara did not work. She gave a lot of trouble to her nannies. The girl was constantly ill, which is why she was often capricious, expressing her feelings expressively. When the doctors said that Sarah might soon die, the girl begged her mother to buy her a coffin, because she was afraid that she would be buried in some ugly box. Then the coffin will become a kind of mascot for the actress, which she will carry around with her, learning the roles in it and posing for photographers. 
Sarah Bernhardt. Marie Desire Bourgoin, 1869.
When the girl grew up, her mother, wanting to get rid of her, sent her to a boarding house at the Gran Shan monastery. The nuns loved the eccentric and disobedient Sarah, but they could not endure her antics for a long time, fearing that the girl's behavior would have a detrimental effect on the other pupils.
Upon her daughter's return home, Judith decided to marry her off. Sarah immediately threw a tantrum, declaring that it was better to go to the monastery. Mother's lover, Duke de Morny, who watched this scene, burst out laughing and offered to send the girl to study acting.
Role 2: actress 
Sarah Bernhardt after her theater debut (1863).
Sarah Bernhardt dreamed of shining on the stage of the Comedie Française theater. As a graduate of the Paris Conservatory and having good recommendations, she was invited to play one-off roles in the theater. At the appointed time, Sarah came to the director to discuss the details of the work. Regina's younger sister walked into the office with her. Sarah took care of her, remembering how she herself was deprived of maternal love. Once a 6-year-old girl began to jump around the room, make noise and scatter paper. In an attempt to pacify the child, the theater director received an unexpected answer: “And about you, sir, if you pester me, I will tell everyone that you are a master of making empty promises. This is my aunt talking! " 
Sarah Bernhardt as Grismond. Hood. Clarin Georg Jules Victor.
Sarah had to forget about the Comedie Française for a whole year. After a while, she nevertheless appeared on the stage of the theater. Her first performance did not make a splash. Then, full-bodied actresses were in fashion, and Sarah Bernhardt did not fit these standards at all. The audience immediately dubbed her "a well-polished skeleton." And only the critic Francisc Sarse wrote that a great future awaits this actress.
In "Comedie Francaise" Sarah only lasted until the end of the contract. This was again "facilitated" by the younger sister. Regina, as always, got underfoot and stepped on the train of the aged prima of the theater. She pushed the child away, and the girl broke her face. In response, Sarah Bernhardt pounced on the actress with her fists. She was no longer offered to stay after that. 
Sarah Bernhardt is a famous actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The next 4 years were difficult years in the life of the actress. She changed theaters, countries, men. Not wanting to become a courtesan, the actress got a job in the second most popular Parisian theater "Odeon". It was there that Sarah Bernhardt became a real star. Famous writers, sculptors and painters worshiped her. Wealthy officials showered Sarah with jewelry.
After 10 years, the actress returned to the Comedie Française again. Now she played only leading dramatic roles. The audience was delighted. In addition, Sarah Bernhardt did everything to make people talk about her. In the newspapers, news constantly appeared about the next trick of the shocking star, whether it was buying a panther, traveling in a balloon, or interviewing in a coffin. 
Sarah Bernhardt is a French actress.
From fame and universal adoration, Sarah Bernhardt's behavior became more and more unpredictable. The audience continued to storm the theater, wanting to contemplate their favorite actress, but the management could no longer endure her antics. Eventually Sarah decides to leave the Comedie Francaise and opens her own theater.
Role 3: mistress 
Portrait of Sarah Bernhardt. Clarin George Jules Victor, 1871.
Sarah Bernhardt literally drove men crazy with her game. They wrote that the actress managed to seduce almost all the monarchs of Europe and even the Pope. Sara herself loved to tell reporters about her next "victory".
Sarah Bernhardt truly fell in love with the Belgian prince Henri de Ligne. The feeling was mutual. The prince was even ready to give up his royal privileges, just to marry Sarah. He set her only one condition: his beloved must leave the stage. The actress was already ready to take this step, but suddenly realized that the prince was giving up much more and in the future he might be disappointed in her. Sarah made a difficult decision and sent the prince away from her. A few months after parting with the prince, she gave birth to a son, Maurice. It was he who became the main love of her life. 
Sarah Bernhardt is a French actress.
Sarah Bernhardt had affairs all the time, but she did not fall in love, but rather indulged her vanity, reveling in her power over men. The star herself recalled the time when she lived with a courtesan mother: "My mother's house was always full of men, and the more I saw them, the less I liked them."
Role 4: the aging prima 
Sarah Bernhardt as Pierrot.
When Sarah Bernhardt turned 60, her leg was amputated. As a child, Sarah jumped out of the window, begging her mother to take her away from the nanny. Then the girl injured her knee. For the second time, the actress fell off the set without insurance. After that, she endured excruciating pain and eventually begged the doctors to amputate her leg. But this did not stop the actress from continuing to perform.
At 65, Sarah Bernhardt played a 20-year-old boy in the play "Eaglet". It was already a plump woman with a terrible prosthesis, but the audience continued to applaud her. “I will continue to live as I have lived. Until I stop breathing, ”said the aging actress. Even at 78, she managed to play 13-year-old Juliet. 
Sarah Bernhardt in a coffin.
Anticipating her demise, Sarah Bernhardt ordered the selection of six of the most beautiful young actors in France to carry her coffin. When Sarah Bernhardt was sent on her last journey, the whole road was strewn with camellias, which the actress loved so much.
Sarah Bernhardt (fr. Sarah Bernhardt; née Henriette Rosine Bernard, fr. Henriette Rosine Bernard; October 22, 1844, Paris, France - March 26, 1923, ibid.) - French actress, who at the beginning of the XX century was called "the most famous history ".
She achieved success on the stages of Europe in the 1870s, and then toured in America with triumph. In her role were mainly serious dramatic roles, which is why the actress received the nickname "Divine Sarah".
Sarah Bernhardt was born on October 22, 1844 in Paris. Sarah's mother - Judith (later Julia) Bernard (1821, Amsterdam - 1876, Paris), came from a Jewish family and was the daughter of a traveling salesman Moritz Baruch Bernardt and Sarah Hirsch (1797-1829). Since 1835, Judith, her four sisters and a brother were raised by their stepmother Sarah Kinsbergen (1809-1878). The father remained unknown. Sometimes he is considered to be Paul Morel, an officer in the French navy (as evidenced by some official documents). According to another version, the father is Edouard Bernard, a young lawyer.
Before coming to France, Judith worked as a milliner. But in Paris, she chose to become a courtesan. Pleasant appearance, the ability to dress with taste provided her with a comfortable existence at the expense of wealthy lovers. The daughter who was born prevented Judith from leading a carefree life, and therefore Sarah was sent to England, where she lived with a nanny. She could have stayed there until she came of age, if an accident had not happened: the nanny left Sarah alone with her disabled husband, Sarah was able to get out of her chair and went too close to the fireplace, the dress caught fire. The neighbors saved Sarah. At this time, Judith traveled to Europe with another sponsor. She was summoned to her daughter, she came to England and took Sarah to Paris. However, she soon left her again, leaving in the care of another nanny.
Forced to live in a dismal place, in a gloomy house, where her nanny had brought her, Sarah closed herself into herself. But fate nevertheless united mother and daughter. Chance meeting with her aunt, Rosina, who was as much a courtesan as Judith, Sarah plunges into a frenzy. In a fit, she falls from the nanny's arms and breaks her arm and leg. The mother finally takes her, and it takes several years for the lonely girl to remember what mother's love is.
Sarah was not trained to read, write, or count. She is sent to Madame Fressard's school, where she spends two years. During her stay at school, Sarah takes part in performances for the first time. During one of the performances, she suddenly sees her mother enter the hall, deciding to visit her daughter. Sarah suffers from a nervous attack, she forgets the entire text and "stage fright" has remained with her since then until the very last days, continuing to haunt her even during the period of her world fame.
In the fall of 1853, Sarah was sent to study at a privileged private school, Grandchamp. The patronage is arranged by another admirer of Judith, the Duke of Morny.
As a teenager, Sarah was very thin, constantly coughing. The doctors who examined her predicted an early death from tuberculosis. Sarah becomes obsessed with the subject of death. Around this time, her famous photographs are taken, where she lies in a coffin (the coffin was bought by her mother after much persuasion). One day, the mother arranged a meeting of close relatives and friends, where they decided that Sarah should be married as soon as possible. In affectation, the girl directs her gaze to heaven and declares to those present that she is given to God and her fate is monastic clothes. The Duke of Morny appreciates this scene and recommends that the mother send her daughter to the conservatory. At the same time, Sarah first gets on a real show at the Comedie Francaise.
At the age of 13, Sarah entered the drama class of the National Higher Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, from which she graduated in 1862.
Despite the patronage, in order to enter the conservatory, Sarah had to pass an exam before the commission. To prepare for it, she is engaged in diction lessons. Her main teacher at this time was Alexandre Dumas-father. A genius for artistic imagery, he teaches Sarah how to create characters with gestures and voice. At the exam, everyone is fascinated by Sarah's voice and she enters training without any problems, to which she gives all her strength. At the final exam, she wins second prize.
On September 1, 1862, Sarah Bernhardt made her debut at the Comédie Française in the play Iphigenia by Jean Racine, playing the main role. None of the critics saw a future star in the aspiring actress, most believed that soon the name of this actress would imperceptibly disappear from the posters. Soon, because of the conflict, Sarah Bernhardt stopped working with "Comedie Francaise". Her return there took place only ten years later.
After leaving the theater, difficult times come for Bernard. Little is known about the next four years of her life, except perhaps that during this period she changed several lovers. But Sarah did not want to become a courtesan like her mother. On December 22, 1864, Sarah has a son, Maurice, whose father was Henri, Prince de Lin. Forced to seek means for the existence and upbringing of her son, Sarah gets a job at the Odeon Theater, the second most important of the Parisian theaters of that time. After several not-so-successful roles, critics spot her in King Lear, where she plays Cordelia. The next success comes with the role in the play "Kean" by Dumas the father, who was very pleased with the performance of his protégé.
In 1869, the actress plays the role of the minstrel Zanetto in François Coppé's "Passer-by", after which success came to her. The role of the Queen in Victor Hugo's "Ruy Blaz", which she played in 1872, became a triumphant one for her.
She worked in the theaters "Comedie Francaise", "Gimniz", "Port-Saint-Martin", "Odeon". In 1893 it acquired the Renaissance Theater, in 1898 the Nation Theater on the Châtelet Square, which was named the Theater of Sarah Bernard (now the French Théâtre de la Ville). Many outstanding theater figures, for example KS Stanislavsky, considered Bernard's art to be a model of technical excellence. However, Bernard combined virtuoso skill, sophisticated technique, artistic taste with deliberate showiness, a certain artificiality of the game.
Many prominent contemporaries, in particular A.P. Chekhov, I.S.Turgenev, A.S. Suvorin and T.L. Shchepkina-Kupernik, denied that the actress had talent, which was replaced by an extremely perfected and mechanistic technique of acting. Such a great success was due to the phenomenal publicity provided by Bernard by the press, and more related to her personal life than the theater itself, as well as the unusually fanned excitement preceding the performance itself.
Among the best roles: dona Sol ("Hernani" by Hugo), Margarita Gaultier ("Lady of the Camellias" by Dumas the son), Theodora (play of the same name by Sardou), Princess of Dreams, Duke of Reichstadt (in the play of the same name and "Eaglet (fr.)" Rostand), Hamlet (Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name), Lorenzaccio (Musset's play of the same name). Since the 1880s. Bernard toured many countries in Europe and America. She performed in Russia (1881, 1892, 1908-1909) within the walls of the Mikhailovsky Theater, in Moscow, as well as in Kiev, Odessa and Kharkov.
During a 1905 tour in Rio de Janeiro, Sarah Bernhardt injured her right leg, which had to be amputated in 1915. But, despite the injury, Sarah Bernhardt did not leave stage activities. During the First World War she performed at the front. In 1914 she was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor. In 1922 she left stage activity.
The actress died on March 26, 1923 in Paris at the age of 78 from uremia after kidney failure. She is buried in the Pere Lachaise cemetery.
The most famous roles on the stage of theaters:
1862 - Racine, Iphigenia
1862 - Eugene Scribe, Valérie
1862 - Moliere, Scholarly Women
1864 - Eugene Labiche & DeLand, Un mari qui lance sa femme
1866 - T & G Conyard, La Biche aux Bois
1866 - Racine, Phaedra (as Aricie)
1866 - Marivaux, The Game of Love and Chance (as Sylvia)
1867 - Molière, Scientists Women (as Armanda)
1867 - Georges Sand, Marquis de Vilmer
1867 - Georges Sand, François the Foundling (as Mariette)
1868 - Dumas's father, Keane, genius and dissipation (as Anna Dumby)
1869 - Coppé, Passer-by (as the troubadour Zanetto); first big successful role
1870 - Georges Sand, L'Autre
1871 - André Terrier, Jeanne-Marie
1871 - Koppe, Fais ce que dois
1871 - Fussier and Edmond, Baroness
1872 - Bouyer, Mademoiselle Aïssé
1872 - Victor Hugo, Ruy Blaz (as Dona Maria of Neuburg, Queen of Spain)
1872 - Dumas's father, Mademoiselle de Belle-Isle (as Gabrielle)
1872 - Racine, Britannica (as Junie)
1872 - Beaumarchais, The Marriage of Figaro
1872 - Sando, Mademoiselle de la Seiglière
1873 - Feye, Delilah (as Princess Falconieri)
1873 - Ferrier, At the Lawyer
1873 - Racine, Andromache
1873 - Racine, Phaedra (as Aricie)
1873 - Feye, Sphinx
1874 - Voltaire, Zaire
1874 - Racine, Phaedra (as Phaedra)
1875 - Bornier, La Fille de Roland Dumas's son, L "Étrangère (as Mrs. Clarkson)
1877 - Victor Hugo, Hernani (as Dona Sol)
1879 - Racine, Phaedra (as Phaedra)
1880 - Ogier, Adventurer
1880 - Leguve & Eugene Scribe, Adriana Lecouvreur
1880 - Meljak & Halevy, Frufrou
1880 - Dumas's son, Lady of the Camellias (as Margarita)
1882 - Sardou, Theodora Sardou, Theodora (as Theodora)
1887 - Sardoux, Tosca Dumas son, Princess Georges
1890 - Sardou, Cleopatra, as Cleopatra
1893 - Lemaitre, Kings
1894 - Sardoux, Gismonda
1895 - Moliere, Amphitryon
1895 - Magda (translated from German by Suderman Heimat)
1896 - Lady with Camellias
1896 - Musset, Lorendzachio (as Lorenzino de "Medici)
1897 - Sardou, Spiritualism
1897 - Rostan Samaritan Woman
1897 - Mirbeau, Les Mauvais bergers
1898 - Catulle Mendes Medea
1898 - Lady with Camellias (as Margaret)
1898 - Auguste Barbier, Jeanne d'Arc (as Jeanne d'Arc)
1898 - Moran & Sylvester, Izéïl (as Izeil)
1898 - Shakespeare, King Lear (as Cordelia)
1899 - Shakespeare, Hamlet (as Hamlet)
1899 - Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra (as Cleopatra)
1899 - Shakespeare, Macbeth (as Lady Macbeth)
1899 - Rischpen, Pierrot Assassin (as Pierrot)
1900 - Rostand, Eaglet (in the role of Eaglet)
1903 - Sardoux, La Sorcière
1904 - Maeterlink, Peleas and Melisande (as Peleas)
1906 - Ibsen, Woman from the Sea
1906 - C. Mendes, La Vierge d'Avila (as St. Teresa)
1911 - Moro, Les Amours de la reine Élisabeth (as Queen Elizabeth)
1913 - Tristan Bernard, Jeanne Doré (as Jeanne Doré).
Bernard Sarah
(born in 1844 - d. in 1923)
The great French actress who said about herself: "I was one of the greatest mistresses of my century."
The little girl was only nine years old when, accepting the challenge of her cousin, she tried to jump over the moat, which none of the children could overcome. She smashed her face, broke her arm, was badly hurt, but, overcoming excruciating pain, shouted: “I will do it anyway, you will see, no matter what, let them just try to tease me! And all my life I will do whatever I want! " This tirade, spoken in the heat, became the basis of her life and frenzied success, and the motto "By all means" became her lifebuoy and beacon. Maybe it was thanks to this tragic event that the world received the "divine Sarah", about which V. Hugo said: "This is more than an actress, this is a woman ..." Bernard became a legend of the theater, a sign of an entire era. And like every legend, it had its own origins and roots.
When Sarah was born on October 23, 1844, her mother Julie van Hard (Judith von Hard) was only sixteen. She was an unimaginably beautiful Dutch Jewess with long golden hair. This woman was made for love. And soon after arriving in Paris, she gave birth to a frail girl. Who was her father is not exactly established. Some biographers call Morel Bernard - an officer of the French navy, others say that his name was Edouard and he was either a law student or an engineer. Sarah saw her father only a few times in childhood, he died early under mysterious circumstances. And Julie van Hard has become one of the most fashionable and highly paid women kept in Paris, the "lady of the world." She had no time to take care of the child, she traveled with her lovers across Europe and shone at balls. Sarah lived with a wet nurse in Brittany. This glorious woman had no children, and she gave all the unspent tenderness to "her Penochka". Mom, "looking like a Madonna", appeared only when her poor health daughter became seriously ill. But Sarah only dreamed of being next to her. At the age of five, she jumped out of a window, broke her arm in two places and severely injured her kneecap in order to tie her mother to her. She succeeded: for two whole years Madame Bernard and her lovers took care of the girl.
At the age of seven, Sarah was sent to Madame Fressard's boarding school, which became for her, in her own words, "a comfortable children's prison." Then her home was the privileged Catholic monastery of Grand Chan, located in Versailles. Sarah did not like to study, she did not differ in diligence, she was frail from the tuberculosis that sharpened her lungs. Fevers and fainting spells, accompanied by profuse hemoptysis, weakened the already weak body, but they often arose not from colds, but as a result of outbursts of "wild anger" that could not be relieved. The nuns, to bring the girl to her senses, threw a ladle of holy water over her head. However, Sarah was very easygoing and quickly calmed down. In her behavior, there was always some kind of anguish, an unconscious desire to stand out, a readiness for heroic actions. At the age of ten, she bravely pulled a four-year-old girl out of a pond overgrown with mud. She never thought about the consequences. Sarah's vivid imagination and heightened sensitivity, stuffed with Christian traditions, led her to the idea of becoming a nun. The mother believed that she and her two illegitimate daughters (Regina died young, Jeanne became an actress) was destined for a pleasant life of highly paid courtesans. But the Duke de Morny, one of Madame Bernard's lovers, shocked by the grace of a wild cat and some external theatricality of 15-year-old Sarah's actions, recommended that she be sent to the Conservatory - an acting school and for the first time took the girl to the theater.
“When the curtain slowly began to rise, I thought I would faint. After all, it was the curtain that was rising over my life, ”Bernard wrote in her memoirs. It is not clear what helped the absolutely unprepared Sarah to pass the selection to the Conservatory - the patronage of her mother's friends, or, nevertheless, they discerned a hidden talent in her. Her external data did not at all correspond to the standard of stage beauty of that time: thin as a chip, angular, small sprout. But she had a lively face, wonderful sea-green eyes - mood and feelings played and shimmered in them, and her hands and fingers echoed them. It turned out that her fragile body could sound like music, and her voice was compared by Dumas-father to "a crystal clear brook, murmuring and jumping over golden pebbles." But all this still had to be considered, and the first thing that caught my eye was the golden mass of fluffy hair and the intemperance of emotions. However, now Sarah studied diligently, did not miss a single lesson. Soon the teachers started talking seriously about her tragic and comedic gift. Sarah's only drawback throughout her theatrical career was her fear of going on stage. Even crowned with laurels, she often went on the stage in such an agitated state that she played almost subconsciously, and after the performance she fainted.
Bernard graduated from the Conservatory successfully. Under the patronage of Dumas-father and the Duke de Morny, she was admitted to the famous troupe "Comedie Francaise". The first performance of the 18-year-old debutante in the role of Iphigenia in the performance of the same name went unnoticed. This, of course, upset her, she hoped for a triumph, but for herself Sarah “irrevocably decided to become a person at all costs”, as well as to stay in this theater forever. The last wish was not fulfilled. Unbridled feelings and the ability to create trouble for herself were at the heart of her nature. At the ceremony to celebrate Moliere's birthday, Bernard, defending her sister, gave a few resounding slaps to the fat prima donna. The debutante refused to apologize and left the theater.
Sarah worked a little in other troupes. Glory did not rush to her, but lovers began to appear, with whom she, unlike her mother, had never been supported. There were many of them, and with all her fans, Bernard remained on excellent terms even after parting. The first (about whom it is known) man in her life was the Comte de Catry - a young, handsome, elegant lieutenant, who later held high positions in the government.
Sarah found her first love in 1864. Dumas, who patronized the actress, gave her letters of recommendation for a trip to Belgium. At one of the costume balls, she met the Duke Henri de Lin. The handsome prince was so fascinated by the actress that he announced his readiness to marry her, but on condition that she left the theater. Sarah was in love and agreed to everything. But how could a rootless actress be accepted into one of the most eminent families in Brussels! She was persuaded not to ruin the life of a loved one. She named her son, who was born a few months after the trip, Maurice. This was the only male, whom she loved wholeheartedly and was sacredly faithful to him. Returning after the tour, Sarah always thought of only one thing: “There, my happiness awaits me! My joy! My life! Everything, everything and even more! " Years later, Henri de Ligne invited his son to recognize him and give his name. Maurice refused. His loving mother gave him the loudest surname of the century - Bernard.
Sarah could not be sad for a long time ... Now she had one goal in front of her - a career. And again, under the patronage, she was accepted into a less prestigious, but famous for its traditions theater, which she later recalled: “Ah, Odeon! I loved this theater more than others. Yes, I could live there. Moreover, it was only there that I felt really good. Life seemed to me endless happiness. "
Bernard worked hard on herself. On stage, “a perfectly polished skeleton,” “a stick with a sponge at the end,” with hands like “toothpicks,” turned into a mad baroness in The Marquis de Villiers, now into a minstrel Zanetto in F. Coppé's Walker. The students admired her, they gave her bouquets and dedicated long poems, but the wonderful ascent to Olympus was interrupted by the war with Germany. Having sent the whole family away from hostilities, Sarah decided to stay in besieged Paris. She turned the deserted "Odeon" into a hospital, where she courageously played the role of a sister of mercy. Extraction of food and firewood for the wounded in the cold winter of 1870-1871. became for her a test of strength of character. Bernard kept herself in control, did not faint - the lives of other people depended on her stamina. She became a real patriot. Later, having traveled half the world on tour, Sarah carefully skirted Germany.
In October 1871, the Odeon opened a new theatrical season. Bernard “galloped after dreams” and waited for the appearance of the Messiah. For her, it was V. Hugo and his play "Ruy Blaz". January 26, 1872 Sarah Bernhardt from the role of queen stepped to the title "star". The great playwright knelt before her talent. The success was deafening. “The foggy curtain, which until then had covered the future from me, slept, and I felt that I was born for glory. Until now, I was only a favorite of students, from now on I have become the Chosen One of the Public ... You can argue about me, but you cannot neglect me. "
Bernard had no end of fans before, but now Gustave Dore, Victor Hugo, Edmond Rostand, Emile Zola have become her adorers. How far their relationship stretched, history is silent. Sarah was not left indifferent by talented men. She was a passionate lover, but never wasted herself to the end. Bernard possessed a mixture of erotic and spiritual power over men and at the same time did not allow the slightest encroachment on her freedom. It was an explosive mixture that roused the stronger sex. Contemporaries claimed that she had thousands of lovers. One of the books made the bold claim that Bernard seduced all heads of state in Europe, including the Pope. Sarah did not confirm or reject anything. She did have a "special relationship" with the Prince of Wales, who later became King of England Edward VII, and with Napoleon I's nephew. It is possible that the Emperor of Austria Franz Joseph, King of Spain Alfonso and King of Italy Umberto showered her with jewelry only for her unprecedented talent. The monarch of Denmark, Christian IX, placed a yacht at her disposal, and Duke Frederick provided his ancestral castle.
In her memoir, My Double Life, Sarah avoided her personal life so as not to offend any of her fans. But rumor is omnipotent. Contemporaries attributed Bernard to the lovers of all theatrical partners. Each such romance lasted until the performance left the stage, and then the beloved humbly migrated to the category of friends. Most often, the names of the wonderful actors Philippe Garnier and Pierre Burton are mentioned. They wrote about Sarah and Pierre that they were so charged with their passion that they "could have illuminated the streets of London" during the triumphant tour of the Comedie Francaise. Yes, ten years later Bernard returned to the theater, where she started. Only now she was a star with whims, and the directors were forced to reckon with them.
Sarah was not only a passionate woman and a talented actress, but she was constantly led by her impulsive and unbridled ideas. Even the air around her was electrified. “Whenever unforeseen circumstances invade my life, I involuntarily step back… and then headlong into the unknown… In the blink of an eye, the momentary becomes past for me, causing me to feel a touching tenderness as irrevocably lost. But I also love what will come. The future attracts me with its mysterious unknown. " “Mademoiselle the Rebel” (as her contemporaries called the actress), in the midst of rehearsals for a new performance, she could get carried away with sculpture and stay in her studio all night long, sculpting one sculpture after another with her usual ardor. The famous Rodin found her works somewhat archaic, but did not refuse talent. Sculptural group"After the Storm" received an award at the 1878 exhibition and was bought by the "king of Nice" for 10 thousand francs. By the way, the handsome model who served as a model for Rodin for "Eternal Spring" was at one time Sarah's lover. Then she became interested in painting and instead of the prescribed treatment for anemia in the fertile Menton, she left for Brittany, tirelessly climbed the mountains and did not leave the sea with an easel for hours.
Curiosity and the pursuit of thrills led her one day to the basket of a balloon. Sarah flew at an altitude of 2600 m, completely forgetting that the audience was waiting for her. Having changed into work clothes, together with builders and artists, she ran through the scaffolding of a mansion under construction for her in the center of Paris. She descended into an underground cave while touring the United States to see eyeless fish. And from the famous Niagara Falls she slid across the ice on her own coat, dragging the whole troupe along with her.
How could such a woman not attract men! The critic Sarsei called it "a miracle of miracles." Therefore, probably, Bernard forgave all the eccentricities. True, one of the lovers turned out to be very passionate and went too deeply into the role ... The magnificent Sarah and the brilliant tragic actor Jean Mounet-Sully were partners on stage and in bed for a long time. They were simply called "couple" without mentioning their names. Jean was also one of the most beautiful artists of the time. Gentle and romantic, energetic and passionate, proud and independent - a man to the core. Their romance was followed with delight by the whole "Paris-gossip". Jean was sincere in his feelings, and Sarah, as always, fickle. Her betrayal hurt the actor's pride, and in the final scene of Othello, he squeezed his Desdemona's throat so hard that Sarah felt the world floating away. The worried director was forced to lower the curtain a few minutes earlier so that the tragic ending of Shakespeare's drama did not turn into reality.
Everything in Bernard's personal life and in her work was striking with eccentricity, but the actress herself never deliberately worked for the public. Even the small stature and thinness of Sarah, whose waist was 43 cm, did not leave anyone indifferent. This has become the theme for countless cartoons and anecdotes. One of them sounded like this: “An empty carriage arrived at the Champs Elysees yesterday. Sarah Bernhardt came out of her. " And her love affairs provided special food for gossip. The actress admitted: “I was terribly amused by this mess. I didn’t touch my finger to attract attention, but my bizarre tastes, thinness and pallor, as well as my inherent manner of dressing, contempt for fashion and complete disregard of all the rules of decency made me an exceptional being ”.
And the actress Bernard was exceptional. The premiere of Phaedra was a real triumph for her. Her every gesture, intonation was perfected and unique. Sarah had a tremendous success in the play "Foreigner" by Dumas the son. In "Defeated Rome" Parodi, the 32-year-old actress abandoned the role of a young vestal and demanded the image of 70-year-old Postumia - an old blind and noble Roman woman. Finally, Bernard won the hearts of the audience in 1877, playing dona Sol in "Hernani" by V. Hugo. After the triumphant premiere, the author wrote: “You were charming in your grandeur ... When the touched and charmed spectators applauded you, I cried. I give you these tears that you have plucked from my chest, and I bow before you. " The letter was accompanied by a chain bracelet with a diamond pendant in the shape of a drop.
Bernard has long become cramped within the framework of one theater. After the unsuccessful staging of The Adventurer, she wrote to the director: "This is my first failure in Comedy, it will also be the last." They tried to keep her, but after paying 100 thousand francs a penalty, in 1880 she left the theater, immediately signing a long-term contract to tour the USA and Canada. Before leaving, Sarah tested her strength with a troupe, in which her sister Jeanne also played, having toured England, Belgium and Denmark. The tour was dubbed "The 28 Days of Sarah Bernhardt." Success accompanied her in America. With nine performances, she visited 50 cities and gave 156 performances. Her performance and endurance seemed limitless.
There were no language barriers for Bernard. She would be understood even if she spoke Chinese. The best actress in France had to be protected from an enthusiastic audience. Sarah toured Australia, South America, nine times in the United States and three times in Russia (1881, 1892, 1908). Theatrical critics took her sophisticated manner of acting warily, and the audience was shocked by the depth of the splashing feelings. In St. Petersburg in 1881, Sarah met the Greek-born diplomat Aristides (Jacques) Damala. This conqueror of women's hearts, according to the apt expression of his acquaintances, was a cross between Casanova and the Marquis de Sade. Sarah was captured by his charm. Damala was nine years younger than her, very handsome, capricious, self-confident and too depraved by the attention of women. Bernard was so in love that she even married him (1882). Aristides "for her sake" left the service and joined his wife's troupe. Stage data, except for external ones, he had zero, but Sarah believed in his genius. Her husband shamelessly cheated on her with young actresses, made huge gambling debts, which she meekly paid, and then became addicted to drugs. Sarah tried hard to save her lover and somehow, in a fit of anger, even broke an umbrella on the head of an insatiable pharmacist who was selling this potion. It was all to no avail. Having spent only a few months in marriage, Bernard carefully looked after her ex-spouse until the end of his days - he died of cocaine and morphine in 1889. This unsuccessful marriage brought such a mental disorder to the actress's life that she could only normalize her condition with work and, of course, new fans.
Now playwrights wrote plays for Bernard. The first was A. Dumas the son with his famous "Lady of the Camellias". V. Sardu created for her "Fedora", "Tosca", "Sorceress", "Cleopatra"; Rostand - "Princess Dream", "Eaglet", "Samaritan Woman". Sarah eagerly appeared on stage and in male roles: Zanetto in "Passer", Lorenzaccio in the play of the same name by Musset. With her usual chic and elegance, she played Shakespeare's Hamlet, and at the age of 56 she appeared on the stage as the twenty-year-old prince, Napoleon's son in Eaglet.
During her foreign tours, the actress earned fabulous fees, but an extremely extravagant lifestyle and a responsive heart reduced her income to nothing. Secular receptions, chic outfits (including stage ones), banquets with the most exquisite dishes for the guests (she herself ate very little) alternated with comradely help to the needy artists. In 1904, Sarah, together with Enrico Caruso, gave a number of charity concerts to help Russian soldiers wounded during the war with Japan. During the First World War, after the amputation of her leg, Bernard performed at the front, and on the trip she was accompanied by the famous French general Ferdinand Foch. Her mercy extended to our younger brothers as well. In one cold winter, Sarah bought two thousand francs worth of bread to feed the hungry Parisian sparrows.
Bernard loved animals immensely, there was a real zoo in the house and in the garden. Dumas the son recalled how one day, instead of the mistress, he was met by a cougar and chewed a straw hat, and then a large cockatoo parrot flew in, sat on his shoulder and began to peck at the buttons. Sarah returned from her first tour of England with a "very funny cheetah", a snow-white wolfhound, six lizards and a chameleon. She really wanted to buy two lion cubs for the money received from the sale of her sculptures and paintings. But I had to be content with a cheetah. Considering that the house was inhabited by four dogs, a boa constrictor, falcons and a monkey, tickets could be successfully sold to this menagerie. But Sarah was not mercantile - friends and neighbors received this pleasure for free.
The energy from the fragile body of the actress was in full swing. Her own troupe was not enough for her, she dreamed of her own theater. In 1898, the Teatro Sarah Bernhardt opened on the Châtelet square, which she headed until 1922. Years could not pacify the young passion and thirst for life. During one American tour, 66-year-old Sarah met the Dutch-American Lou Tellegen. He was 35 years younger than his beloved. Their relationship lasted four years, and Tellegen admitted that they were “the most best years"In his life.
Bernard, despite her age, remained the same flirtatious woman, confident in her charm. In one play, her heroine was 38 years old, and her brother over 40. When she learned that the artist who played him turned 50, she exclaimed in horror: "My God, he will be mistaken for my father." Sarah herself has already turned 76 years old. The great Bernard was young at heart and believed that she looked the same. As a child, she was so often sick that the doctors said that the girl would not live long. Hearing the verdict, Sarah persuaded her mother to buy her a coffin so that she would not be put "in some freak." This famous mahogany coffin accompanied her even on tour. In it, she taught the role, took pictures, slept, and sometimes invited her fans to make love in this narrow nest. True, not everyone in such an environment managed to prove their masculine strength.
And Bernard's strength was enough for everything. After flying in a hot air balloon, she wrote a charming short story "Among the Clouds", then two novels-manuals for artists - "The Little Idol" and "The Red Double" and four plays for the theater ("Adrienne Lecouvreur", "Confession", "Heart of a Man" , "Theater on the field of honor"). At the age of 54, Bernard became the first great actress who dared to appear on the screens of Paris in the scene "Duel of Hamlet". She didn't like the way she looked on the screen. Even skillfully applied make-up in close-up showed years (it could not be seen from the stage), and the synchronous sound distorted her still marvelous voice beyond recognition. The next attempt - the adaptation of the play "Tosca" - was so terrible that Sarah, together with the playwright
V. Sardou got from the Film d'art film studio that the film would not be shown. After the first setbacks, Bernard did not want to act in films. But she was forced to do this in order to pay the gambling debts of her beloved son. The creditors held her in a cruel grip for the rest of her life. And she starred in The Lady of the Camellias and Queen Elizabeth (both in 1912). After the worldwide success of these films with her participation, “Adrienne Lecouvreur”, “French Mothers” (1915) and “His Best Work” (1916) were released.
The courage of this actress and woman is admirable. While on tour in 1905, she injured her knee, which was already injured in childhood. The pain tortured her. In 1915, she begs her doctor to amputate her leg: "... If you refuse, I will shoot myself in the knee and then I will force you to do it." The operation was difficult. The leg was taken away well above the knee. Sarah refused crutches, she burned the prosthesis in the fireplace. She was carried to the stage in an elegant stretcher. Bernard played while sitting, and the viewer saw that there was no limit to her talent and vitality ... The motionless body was replaced by hands and expressive, as always, carefully made up fingers. The voice poured, bewitching with its timbre and rhythm. Sarah subconsciously quickened and slowed down. The audience seemed to breathe in time with her speech. This small, fragile heroic woman was more than any man worthy of the Order of the Legion of Honor (1914). She became the national pride of France and its symbol, like the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe.
In 1923, Sarah agreed to play in The Seer, but a severe attack of uremia interrupted the rehearsals. It seemed that all of Paris was crowded at her house. And the unpredictable Bernard, anticipating the approach of death, which doctors predicted to her almost from birth, in her last hours on earth was busy selecting six young beautiful artists. They were to accompany this eternally young, passionate and uniquely talented woman on her last journey. She arranged her departure from life with her usual eccentricity and chic. On March 26, 1923, at 8 pm, the doctor opened the window and announced: "Madame Sarah Bernhardt is dead ..."
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