Russian actress Sarah Bernhardt. French actress Sarah Bernhardt: biography, personal life, creativity

During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, Sarah Bernhardt remained in besieged Paris and set up a hospital in the Odeon Theater, devoting herself entirely to the wounded and giving up even her artistic room.

After the end of the war, Bernard returned to the stage. A real triumph was her performance on January 26, 1872 as the Queen in Victor Hugo's Ruy Blas.

After a triumph on the stage of the Odeon, Bernard returned to the Comedie Francaise. Here the actress shone in the tragedies of Racine and Voltaire, with great success she played dona Sol in the drama "Ernani" by Victor Hugo, which premiered on November 21, 1877.

In 1879 the Comédie Francaise toured London. Sarah Bernhardt became the favorite of the English public. After "Phaedra" she was given an ovation that had no analogues in the history of the English theater.

After a triumphant season in London, in 1880, Bernard broke the contract with the Comedie Francaise, made six tours of America, toured England and Denmark. The actress's touring repertoire included performances of "Lady of the Camellias" by Alexandre Dumas son, "Frou-frou" by Henri Meylac and Ludovic Halévy, "Adrienne Lecouvreur" by Eugene Scribe, and others. In 1891, Bernard made a triumphal tour of Australia. During her tours, she visited Russia three times (the last time was in 1908).

The talent of the actress, her skill and high-profile fame forced playwrights to write plays especially for her. Victorien Sardu wrote the plays Fedora (1882), Longing (1887), The Witch (1903) for Bernard. Beginning in the 1890s, a significant place in the actress's repertoire was occupied by roles in Edmond Rostand's neo-romantic dramas, also written especially for her: "Princess of Dreams!" (1895), "The Eaglet" (1900), "The Samaritan Woman" (1897).

Sarah Bernhardt willingly acted in male roles (Zanetto in Francois Coppe's Passerby, Lorenzaccio in Alfred Musset's Lorenzaccio, the Duke of Reichstadt in Rostand's The Eaglet, etc.). Among them was the role of Hamlet (1899). This role, which Sarah Bernhardt played when she was 53 years old, allowed the actress to demonstrate the high perfection of technique and eternal youth of his art.

Sarah Bernard repeatedly tried to create her own theatre. In 1893, she acquired the Renaissance Theater, in 1898 - the Nation Theater (now the Sarah Bernard Theater), which opened with Sardu's play Floria Tosca.

During the First World War, the actress performed at the front. In 1914 she was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor.

In 1905, while on tour in Rio de Janeiro, the actress injured her right leg; in 1915, the leg had to be amputated. Nevertheless, Bernard did not leave the stage. Last time she entered the stage in 1922.

Sarah Bernard was one of the first theatrical actresses who dared to act in films. This happened in 1900: a phonorama was then demonstrated in Paris, providing a synchronous projection of image and sound, and Sarah Bernhardt was filmed in the scene "Hamlet's Duel".

In 1912, she appeared in the films The Lady of the Camellias and The Queen Elizabeth. The worldwide success of "Queen Elizabeth" created a name for the film's director, Louis Mercanton. Subsequently, the actress starred in several of his films.

Bernard was engaged in sculpture and literary creativity. In her declining years, she began to write plays, published Memoirs of a Chair and a novelized autobiography, My double life", which reflected her command of the word and subtle humor.

There were many legends and incredible myths about the personal life of the actress. It was alleged that Bernard seduced almost all the heads of European states.

Even at the dawn of her career, she met the Belgian prince Henri de Ligne, from whom in 1864 she gave birth to a son, Maurice. In 1882, Sarah Bernhardt married the Greek diplomat Aristidis (Jacques) Damal. Their marriage was extremely unsuccessful and after a few months they divorced. At the age of 66, the actress met American actor Lou Tellegen, who was 35 years her junior. This love affair lasted four years.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

When she went on stage, the whole audience sat with bated breath. When she started new novel, it was discussed by the whole city. If society even for a short time allowed itself to lose interest in the great Sarah Bernhardt, she immediately corrected the situation. Any means were used, from highly artistic and inimitable on stage to unexpected and scandalous in life. It seemed that this indomitable woman played every minute of her life, played a shocking play in fashion style modern, not allowing the public to remain indifferent to what is happening. And she succeeded, she was idolized and adored, criticized and blamed, set as an example and envied.

Gorgeous Sarah both in life and on stage, she subtly felt the audience, but at the same time she never followed the prudent opinion of the majority. Often, too often, with a graceful movement, she destroyed the usual framework, passionately rushed into the maelstrom of the experiment and emerged victorious from the most incredible troubles. The audience applauded. Writer Paul Moran, her contemporary, writes about it this way: In the 1900s in Paris life was a theater and that theater was one Sarah Bernhardt».

The Taming of the Shrew

On October 22, a daughter was born to a Parisian kept woman, Judith Hart. The girl was named Henrietta Rosina and handed over to the nurse: the mother had sufficient funds, but did not have the time and desire to raise her illegitimate baby. Moreover, it soon became clear that the girl had a very difficult character, and it was almost impossible to keep her behavior within the boundaries of what was permitted. By the age of ten, the imp Henrietta was sent to study at the school at the Grandshan monastery. And, despite the fact that this institution was famous for its gentle treatment of the pupils, the girl was expelled several times for the outrages she committed. And they immediately took her back - so convincingly she repented of her deed and promised never, never to behave badly again. Obviously, the nuns were her first audience, on which she tried her inimitable tragic-emotional style of acting. Later, flirting with society, she even said that at a young age she was going to be tonsured. But it was not created for the monastery walls and for ordinary and exemplary life. Nature created her to play on the stage. Perhaps it was this talent that the "family friend" Duke de Morny saw in her and strongly recommended that she be sent to the drama class of the Paris Conservatory. Which is what was done. Later, evil tongues chatted that young Henrietta owed her academic success to the wealth of her patron, and not at all to her abilities. The young actress did not care about such statements, as well as everything that interfered with the achievement of her goal. Her life motto was "No matter what," and this was very suitable for her indomitable character. She got her first role in the famous Parisian theater "Comedy Francaise", which was also respectfully called the "House of Molière". Posters modestly announced the debut of a certain Sarah Bernhardt in Racine's play Iphigenia in Aulis. The reaction of critics was also very modest - the play of the young actress did not impress them. However, the theater decided to conclude a contract with her. But the time to shine in the Comedie Francaise has not yet come for Sarah Bernhardt - at a theater evening dedicated to Moliere, the actress's younger sister stepped on the train of an elderly prima of the theater, and ... a scandal ensued. Sarah refused to apologize for the slap she gave to her prima in defense of her little sister. I had to leave the theater...

From scandal to triumph

Having slammed the door in the "House of Molière" and not feeling a bit of regret about it, Sarah Bernhardt entered the theater "Zhemenaz". Here the actress worked a lot, “searched for herself”, but she could not boast of any particular success. And one fine day, she decided to quit everything without saying a word to anyone, and left for Spain - "to get some air and change the situation." She left a note to the director of the theater that ended with the words: “Forgive the poor crazy woman!” It seems that leaving the theater with a scandal was a habit for the actress. No, this did not bother her at all, especially since she soon had to go through a romantically sad story on a personal front. Seeing the young beauty Sarah, the Belgian Prince Henri de Ligne fell in love at first sight. Despite the protest of his august family, he offered his hand and heart to his Cinderella, promised to recognize their newborn son Maurice and was even ready to give up the crown. True, with one condition: Sarah leaves the stage forever and devotes herself to her family ... And although she loved her handsome prince, she preferred the theater and personal freedom. The relatives of the marriageable prince and princess breathed a sigh of relief.

In 1867, she entered the Odeon Theater, and it was on its stage that the actress finally came to success. It is noteworthy that the first noticeable approval of criticism was her role in the genre of "travesty" - she played the young man Zanetto in F. Conpe's play "The Passerby" (1867). Later, she very willingly took on male roles on stage: she shone in The Marriage of Figaro by Beaumarchais, playing the handsome Cherubino, perfectly played the role of Napoleon's son in Rostand's tragedy The Eaglet (1900). Moreover, a rather solid age for the actress - fifty-six - did not prevent her from playing a twenty-year-old boy. At the same time, Sarah Bernard played the most coveted role of Prince Hamlet for actors of all time. But still, the first real triumph was brought to her by the female role - the queen in Ruy Balze (1872) by Victor Hugo. The audience and the author himself were delighted - Hugo went on stage and, bending his knee, kissed the actress's hand. Critics vied with each other to praise the "poetic grace" of Sarah Bernhardt and the "greatness dejected by genuine grief." Theater "Odeon" was preparing for further sold-out. But then the Comédie Francaise lured the rising star to him, offering fabulous fees. Sarah left the Odeon, paying the theater a huge penalty as a consolation.

A play about endless love

The love stories of Sarah Bernhardt were no less famous than her roles. She was once asked when she was going to stop lighting her life with the flame of love. Bernard replied: “When I stop breathing!” Almost all the august persons of Europe were suspected of having connections with her, especially since many of them gave a reason for this. So, English prince Edward, the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph, the King of Spain Alfonso and the Danish King Christian IX generously endowed the actress with favors and jewelry. Yes, Sarah Bernhardt was famous for her lovers. Among which, by the way, were not only powerful and great, but also her stage partners. Sometimes it even seemed that it was simply necessary for her to fall in love with her partner, and sometimes such a relationship lasted exactly as long as the play was played. Sometimes this contributed to the dizzying success of the duo, as, for example, was the case with actor Jean-Mounet Sully. And just once, Sarah Bernhardt was seduced by the bonds of legal marriage. Her chosen one was the Greek diplomat Aristide Damala, whom she met on tour in Russia in 1881. The chosen one, of course, was a handsome man, eleven years younger than her, but nothing good came of this union. Upon discovering that her husband was an incorrigible skirt hunter, gambler and drug addict, the gorgeous Sarah immediately left him - apparently without much regret. Men adored her for her beauty, originality and eccentricity, and in her long life she was not alone for a single day. Even when abandoned by her, they sometimes recalled their time with her as " better days own life". For a long relationship, Sarah Bernhardt lacked constancy - she often saw boredom and stagnation behind him, and therefore tried to arrange as many shocks in her life as possible.

Life in the style of "outrageous"

Today, few people can be surprised by the scandalous halo of the life of stars. But in the time of Sarah Bernhardt, this was very atypical even for celebrities. And it seemed that, once having tasted the charm of outrageous behavior, she no longer wanted to behave differently. She did not recognize the canons either on stage or in life, she adored originality in everything. During the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), instead of leaving Paris, she turned the theater into a hospital and brilliantly coped with the role of a nurse. In one of the harsh winters, she spent a round sum on bread ... for the Parisian sparrows. Her house was full of exotics, but the most famous piece of furniture was a mahogany coffin. Sometimes she slept in it, sometimes she taught roles, sometimes she made love, sometimes she took him on tour with her. Demonstrating enviable courage, one day she climbed hot-air balloon at 2600 meters - at that time it was a significant risk to life. Tired of the academic "Comédie Francaise", she decided to open her own theater and be the sovereign hostess in it. And although the era of emancipation was already approaching, society considered her act another madness. Sarah Bernhardt was fine with that. In 1893, she acquired the Renaissance Theater, and 5 years later, the Chatelet Theater, which became the Sarah Bernard Theater. She directed and played in it for almost a quarter of a century, until her death. It seemed that the actress was not at all afraid of failures and failures, and, perhaps, it was for this courage that fate did not get tired of giving her gifts. The great contemporary playwrights - Rostand, Hugo, Dumas son - wrote their plays specially for her, and she ensured their triumph. Oscar Wilde, during her English tour, threw white lilies at her feet, and Stanislavsky praised her impeccable acting technique. Sarah Bernard never hid her age and did not pay attention to the grumbling of individual critics that it was time for her to retire. It seemed that the word "peace" did not exist in her life. In addition to directing and playing in the theater, she managed to paint and sculpture, find new reasons for gossip and scandals, and even act in silent films. True, they say that the first experience in the cinematograph terrified the actress and she even fainted, but later she nevertheless starred in several tapes and allowed them to be left for history.

End of the legend

Sarah Bernard loved to play tragedy, and perhaps her dream was to die on stage. She could not imagine herself without the theater, and even when doctors amputated her leg in 1915, she continued to appear in performances - she was carried out on a special stretcher. Here, the words once said by the actress were very suitable for the occasion: “ Great is the artist who makes the audience forget about the details».

Perhaps everyone understood that her star would soon set, but no one thought about it when she delivered her monologues from the stage. Shortly before her death, she appointed six of the most beautiful actors of the theater to carry her coffin at the funeral, which this time she was going to use for its intended purpose. She died on March 26, 1923. She left behind great amount memoirs of contemporaries, conflicting reviews of famous critics, a book of his own memoirs. The latter, however, does not answer the questions of the curious at all, covering the life of the actress with a veil of tantalizing secrets. Sarah Bernard believed that "legend always prevails over history", and tried to follow this. And she succeeded again, becoming the most legendary actress of her time. How much talent was in this, and how much scandal, now no one will say for sure. And is it possible to reproach a woman for the desire to be loved, unique and divine?

"Divine Sarah" - it was there that the public called one of the most famous actresses late 19th-early 20th centuries Sarah Bernhardt. Outstanding appearance, dramatic talent, magical energy made her then known to the whole world. Chekhov wrote: “When playing, she pursues not naturalness, but extraordinaryness. Its goal is to amaze, surprise, dazzle ... "

Felix Nadar, nicknamed "The Titian of Photography" by his contemporaries.

Sarah Bernard (fr. Sarah Bernhardt; October 22, 1844, Paris - March 26, 1923, ibid., nee Henriette Rosine Bernard (fr. Henriette Rosine Bernard) - French actress Jewish origin, which at the beginning of the 20th century was called "the most famous actress throughout history." She achieved success on the stages of Europe in the 1870s, and then toured America with triumph. Her roles were mostly serious dramatic roles, which is why the actress received the nickname "Divine Sarah."

Sarah Bernard was born on October 22, 1844 in Paris. Sarah's mother's name was Judith. Jewish, either of German or Dutch origin, she gave birth to Sarah at the age of sixteen. The father remained unknown. Sometimes they consider Paul Morel, an officer of the French fleet (this is 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 born daughter 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 adulthood if there had not been an accident: the nanny left Sarah alone with her disabled husband, Sarah was able to get out of her chair and came too close to the fireplace, the dress caught fire. The neighbors rescued Sarah. Judith at this time traveled around Europe with another sponsor. She was called 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 dull place, in a gloomy house, where her nanny brought her, Sarah withdrew into herself, grew thin. But fate still united mother and daughter. A chance meeting with Aunt Rosina, who was the same courtesan as Judith, plunges Sarah into a frenzy. In a fit, she falls from the nanny's arms and breaks her arm and leg. The mother finally takes her away, and it takes several years for the lonely girl to remember what a mother's love is.

Sarah was not taught 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, having decided to visit her daughter. Sarah has a nervous attack, she forgets all the text and "stage fright" has remained with her since then until the very last days, continuing to haunt her even during her period of world fame.

In the fall of 1853, Sarah was sent to study at the privileged private school Grandchamp. The patronage suits another admirer of Judith, the Duke of Morni.

As a teenager, Sarah was very thin, constantly coughing. Doctors examining her predicted that she would soon die from tuberculosis. Sarah becomes obsessed with the theme of death. Around this time, her famous photos, 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 looks up to heaven and declares to those present that she is given to God and her fate is monastic clothes. Duke Morny appreciates this scene and recommends that the mother send her daughter to the conservatory.

At the same time, Sarah gets her first real performance at the Comédie Française. After that, her fate is sealed.

At the age of 13, Sarah entered the drama class of the Higher National Conservatory of Dramatic Art, 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 takes diction lessons. Alexandre Dumas-father becomes her main teacher at this time. Genius artistic images, he teaches Sarah how to create characters with gestures and voice. At the exam, everyone is fascinated by Sarah's voice and she enters the training without any problems, to which she gives all her strength. At the final exam, she wins the second prize.

On September 1, 1862, Sarah Bernhardt made her debut at the Comedy Française Theater in the play Iphigenia by Jean Racine, playing the title role.

The director of the Comédie Francaise expressed doubt: "She's too skinny to be an actress!"

“When the curtain slowly began to rise, I thought I would faint,” Bernard recalled. Regarding her first exit, the opinion of critics was as follows: “The young actress was how beautiful, just as inexpressive ...” Only the golden mass of fluffy hair conquered everyone.

None of the critics saw a future star in the aspiring actress, most believed that soon the name of this actress would quietly disappear from the posters. Soon, due to the conflict, Sarah Bernhardt stopped working with the Comédie Française. 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 gives birth to a son, Maurice, whose father was Henri, Prince de Ligne. Forced to look for funds 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-too-successful roles, critics notice her in King Lear, where she plays Cordelia. The next success comes with the role in the play "Kin" by Dumas, the father, who was very pleased with the game of his protégé.

Madam! You were charming in your grandeur, - said Victor Hugo. - You excited me, old fighter. I cried. I give you a tear that you vomited from my chest, and I bow before you.

The tear was not figurative, but diamond, and it crowned the bracelet chain. By the way, there were a lot of diamonds donated to Sarah Bernhardt. She loved jewelry and did not part with them during travels and tours. And for the protection of jewelry, she took a pistol with her on the road. "Man is such strange creature that this tiny and absurdly useless thing seems to me a reliable defense, ”the actress once explained her addiction to firearms.

In 1869, the actress plays the role of the minstrel Zanetto in François Coppé's Passerby, after which success came to her. The role of the Queen in Ruy Blas by Victor Hugo, which she played in 1872, became triumphant for her.

She worked in the theaters "Comédie Française", "Gimniz", "Port-Saint-Martin", "Odeon". In 1893, she acquired the Renaissance Theater, in 1898 the Nation Theater on Chatelet Square, which was called the Sarah Bernhardt Theater (now Théâtre de la Ville in French).

Stanislavsky considered Sarah Bernhardt an example of technical perfection: a beautiful voice, perfect diction, plasticity, artistic taste. The theater connoisseur, Prince Sergei Volkonsky, highly appreciated the stage skills of Sarah Bernhardt: “She perfectly mastered the polarity of emotions - from joy to grief, from happiness to horror, from affection to rage - the subtlest nuance of human feelings. And then - “the famous talker, the famous whisper, the famous growl, the famous“ golden voice ”- la voix d’or,” Volkonsky noted. - The last stage of mastery is her explosions ... How she knew how to lower herself in order to jump up, to gather herself in order to rush; how she knew how to aim, to crawl up to burst. The same thing in her facial expressions: what a skill from a barely noticeable inception to the highest scope ... "

However, virtuoso skill, sophisticated technique, artistic taste were combined with Bernard's deliberate showiness, some 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 refined and mechanistic playing technique. Such a major success was due to the phenomenal publicity provided to Bernard by the press, and more concerned with her personal life than the theater itself, as well as the unusually inflated excitement that preceded the performance itself.

Among best roles: Dona Sol (“Hernani” by Hugo), Marguerite Gauthier (“The Lady of the Camellias” by Dumas the Son), Theodora (the play of the same name by Sardou), Princess Greuze, Duke of Reichstadt (in the play of the same name and “Eaglet” by Rostand), Hamlet (the tragedy of the same name Shakespeare), Lorenzaccio (Musset's play of the same name).

Newspaper articles describing Sarah Bernhardt's tour of America and Europe sometimes resembled reports from the theater of war. Attacks and sieges. Triumphs and defeats. Raptures and lamentations. The name of Sarah Bernard in the news of the world often replaced economic and government crises. First, Sarah Bernhardt, and only then conflicts, disasters and other incidents of the day.

On trips, she was invariably accompanied by a retinue of reporters. Public and religious organizations treated her differently: who sang glory to her, and who betrayed her blasphemy. Many in America considered her visit "an invasion of the accursed snake, the offspring of French Babylon, who came to inject poison into pure American mores."

In Russia, they were waiting with interest for the “new Napoleon in a skirt”, who had already conquered all of America and Europe and was moving straight to Moscow. Moskovskie Vedomosti wrote: “The greats of the world showered this fabulous princess with honors, which, probably, neither Michelangelo nor Beethoven dreamed of in a dream ...” Why be surprised? Sarah Bernhardt was essentially the world's first superstar.

Sarah Bernard visited Russia three times - in 1881, 1898 and 1908. The success was huge, although there were critics, including Turgenev. In a letter to Polonskaya in December 1881, he wrote: “I can’t say how angry I am with all the madness that is being committed about Sarah Bernhardt, this impudent and distorted poofist, this mediocrity, which only has that lovely voice. Surely no one in the press will tell her the truth? .. "

What to say about this? Turgenev's heart was completely filled with Pauline Viardot, and there was not even a tiny corner left for Sarah Bernhardt. However, the negative emotions of Ivan Sergeevich could not overshadow the glory of Bernard. Great - she is great, even if someone does not think so.

But the stage is one thing, and life outside of it is already something else. Sergei Volkonsky believed that Sarah Bernhardt, outside the theater, was “an ugly person, she is all artificial ... Red tuft in front, red tuft in the back, unnaturally red lips, powdered face, all let down like a mask; amazing flexibility of the camp, dressed like no one else - she was all “in her own way”, she herself was Sarah, and everything on her, around her gave off Sarah. She created not only roles - she created herself, her image, her silhouette, her type ... "

She was the first superstar, hence the advertising of her name: perfume, soap, gloves, powder - "Sarah Bernard". She had two husbands: one - a prince from an ancient French family, the second - an actor from Greece, unusually handsome man. But the main passion of Sarah Bernhardt was the theater. She lived by them, she was inspired by them. She did not want to be a thing, a toy in the hands of the powerful of this world - she was engaged in painting, sculpture, composed funny novels and funny plays. She ventured into the sky in the Giffard balloon, where, at an altitude of 2300 meters, the daredevils “had a hearty dinner of goose liver, fresh bread and oranges. The champagne cork saluted the sky with a muffled noise…”

Sarah Bernhardt has often been compared to Joan of Arc. Considered a witch. It was she who prompted Emile Zola to stand up for the poor Captain Dreyfus. Chaos reigned in her apartment: carpets, rugs, ottomans, trinkets and other items were scattered everywhere. Dogs, monkeys and even snakes spun under their feet. There were skeletons in the actress's bedroom, and she herself liked to teach some roles, reclining in a coffin upholstered in white crepe. Outrageous? Undoubtedly. She loved scandals and demonstrated her special charms to the world. She wrote about herself like this: “I love it very much when people visit me, but I hate visiting. I love receiving letters, reading them, commenting; but I don't like answering them. I hate places of human walks and adore deserted roads, secluded corners. I love giving advice and I really don't like it when they give it to me."

Jules Renard noted: “Sarah has a rule: never think about tomorrow. Tomorrow - come what may, even death. She enjoys every moment ... She swallows life. What an unpleasant gluttony! .. "

The word "gluttony" is clearly felt envy of the successes of Sarah Bernhardt.

In 1882, in St. Petersburg, Sarah experienced the most ardent love story which finally ended her marriage. The subject of Sarah's passion was the Greek diplomat, the handsome Aristidis Jacques Damalla., who was 11 years younger than her. He left the service, career, homeland and joined the troupe of his favorite actress. Sarah, in love, considered him a genius. Aristidis entered the proposed role, but apart from success with young actresses, he achieved nothing.

For self-affirmation, he boasted to Sarah of his victories on the intimate front and received great satisfaction if he managed to publicly humiliate the great actress. In general, a cross between Casanova and the Marquis de Sade. The man is not very smart, he played too much, became a drug addict and a gambler. And this is no longer acting work. Here the stakes are higher. They divorced, but when Arstidis was dying of morphine, everyone recent months Sarah carefully took care of her ex-husband and already worthless lover.

At the age of 66, during a tour of America, Sarah Bernhardt meets Lou Tellegen, who was 35 years younger than her. Their love affair lasted over four years. In his old age, this man admitted that the years with Sarah Bernhardt were the most best years in his life.

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 Bernard did not leave the stage activity. During the First World War, she served at the front. In 1914 she was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor. In 1922 she left the 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 Père Lachaise cemetery.

Her last order was to choose the six most beautiful young actors who will carry her coffin.

Almost all of Paris came to the funeral of the "queen of the theater." Tens of thousands of admirers of her talent followed the rosewood coffin through the whole city - from Malserbe Boulevard to the Pere Lachaise cemetery. Last way Sarah Bernhardt was literally strewn with camellias - her favorite flowers.

“Sarah Bernhardt, an actress of almost legendary fame and fame, has died. There was a lot of exaggeration in judgments about Sarah Bernhardt - in one direction and the other, - Alexander Kugel, one of the best Russian critics, wrote in an obituary. - Of the thousand theatrical dreams, more or less intoxicating, that I dreamed, the dream of Sarah Bernhardt is one of the most original and complexly entertaining.

D. Marell wrote the play "Laughter of Lobsters" about Sarah Bernhardt.

Portraits of Sarah Bernhardt were painted by Bastien-Lepage, Boldini, Gandara and other artists, she was repeatedly photographed by Nadar. Alphonse Mucha wrote promotional posters for her performances.

Sarah Bernard

Hard in the annals biographies of women find a more scandalous, more eccentric personality than Sarah Bernhardt. She brought her “acting” to its full logical conclusion not only on stage, but also in life, she performed this incredibly difficult role from beginning to end with such purity and impeccability, with such strong-willed effort that you simply wonder: what was more in this posture - natural inclination or acquired ambition, innate strength or educated habit to crush everything around. And although the actress herself in her memoirs slyly, pretending to be a “poor sheep”, writes off incredible rumors about herself at the expense of the “yellow” press and malicious journalists bribed by enemies, no one more than Sarah tried to deliberately surround her own existence.
an impenetrable cloud of rumors. And the liberty of morals, barely covered by invented virtue, arouses even greater curiosity of the layman, just as the “pink” innocence of a courtesan attracts more than sheer vulgarity. Probably, Sarah Bernhardt can be recognized as the first "star" of the scene, who "made" a name for herself on the scandal.

It is difficult to say what proportion of originality came directly from her nature, but the actress realized very early how advantageously this very dissimilarity could be applied to anyone. As a child, Sarah suffered bouts of wild anger, which she deftly explained as a state of health. But it was the violent seizures, arranged by the girl from time to time, that allowed Sarah to get her way from adults who are always busy with business. Perhaps if Sarah had caring, moral parents, the world would have lost the pleasure of seeing a great artist and delving into gossip about her, but, fortunately, society's ideas about integrity are never embodied verbatim.

Sarina's parents did not fit well into the usual paternal ideals. The mother, the Dutch Jewess Judith Hart, is usually listed in the biographies of the great artist as a music teacher, but in reality she was a beautiful, high-ranking, elite kept woman, who, by occupation, was instructed primarily to cherish her own person. The illegitimate daughter Sarah was born sickly, predisposed to tuberculosis, and although mommy had some feelings for the child, they did not extend beyond cuteness Penochka (this was the only name that five-year-old Sarah responded to). The identity of the father of the researchers generally raises doubts. It is usually customary to call the engineer Edouard Bernard the father of the artist, but there is no exact evidence of this to this day.

In the end, after some unsuccessful attempts to attach his daughter to a decent educational institution, the father allegedly (according to Sarah herself) came up with the idea of ​​​​giving the girl to a boarding school at the Grand Shan monastery. So, in the biography of the great actress, the first paradoxical page appeared, which Sarah would later use with pleasure - as if she passionately wanted to become a nun, but the case did not allow it. The institution where our heroine ended up was distinguished by humane methods and care for her pupils. The sisters of the monastery replaced a non-existent family for little Sarah. The rebellious, sickly girl was sincerely loved and spoiled by the abbess, mother Sophia. However, even this kind woman could hardly restrain Sarino's unbridled rage, which from time to time made itself felt. She left the Grand Shan Bernard with a scandal, because of her fantastic stubbornness and defiant desire for publicity.

Sarah grabbed the soldier's shako, who threw his headdress over the fence of the monastery, and climbed onto the high sports ground, teasing the joker. Having achieved the delight of the “companions”, Sarah realized that the game had gone far only when she tried to drag the ladder she had climbed onto the platform, but the heavy wooden structure fell and cracked with a roar. As a result, the girl was cut off from the earth. Considerable troubles disrupted the measured life of the monastery. After this adventure, Sarah fell ill, and besides, all the inappropriateness of the presence of "a kind of beast" among the good-looking nuns became clearly visible, and the girl was sent home.

Her further fate was determined at the family council. Since a rich inheritance was not expected for Sarah, and, according to her mother, it was something shameful to marry a wealthy leather merchant, and since Sarah was not destined to become a nun, Judith's then lover, Comte de Morny, half-brother of Napoleon III, decided that the girl should be sent to the conservatory, since the high-ranking friend of the family had plenty of connections. What helped the count so correctly determine the future of Sarah, no one knows for sure today, but, probably, fanatical narcissism and rare inner freedom of the girl played an important role.

Having successfully passed the entrance exams, Sarah immediately attracted the attention of teachers. At the annual competition of the conservatory, the girl received two awards - the second for a tragic role and the first for a comic one. An unusually beautiful voice, plasticity of a cat, expressive appearance - all these features made her look at the young actress, and soon Sarah received an offer to play one-time performances at the most prestigious French theater, the Comédie Francaise. However, going to the meeting with the director to discuss her first contract, Sarah took her younger sister who was five years old at the time. A girl as "well-bred" as Sarah, in the headmaster's office, began to climb chairs, jump over a stool, scatter papers from a wastebasket. When the respected monsieur made a remark to the artist's sister, the little naughty, without thinking much, blurted out: “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 almost had a stroke. She dragged her stupid little sister along the corridor, who howled heart-rendingly, and in the cab she began that terrible fit of anger, which almost led to the murder of an ingenuous child. But despite the failure of the first negotiations, a year later, in 1862, Sarah Bernhardt made her successful debut in the Comédie Française as Iphigenia in Racine's tragedy Iphigenia in Aulis. One of the critics, Francis Sarse, later even became famous for being the first to notice the young talent, predicting a bright future for him.

But in the famous theater, Sarah did not stay long. In the scandal that happened this time, her little sister was again to blame. Well, just the "evil angel" of poor Sarah! Bernard herself said that on Moliere's birthday (and the Comedie Francaise is called the home of this great playwright), according to tradition, all the theater artists approached the bust of their patron with a greeting. At the ceremony, Sarah's supposedly little sister stepped on the train of the prima stage, the so-called "socièter", Natalie. The old, angry, quarrelsome woman sharply pushed the culprit away, and the girl, as if in blood, smashed her face against a column. With a cry: "Evil creature!" - Bernard attacked a colleague. The fight took place with a clear preponderance of forces in favor of youth. Sarah was soon forced to leave the famous scene in disgrace. Agree, aren't there too many scandals due to the fault of the poor little sister ...

It seemed that after such an embarrassment, the actress would not recover soon, but the very next day after breaking the contract, Sarah visited the Gimnaz Theater and was accepted into the troupe.

A difficult period began in her life - everyday life similar to one another, rehearsals, readings of plays, mediocre performances. For Sarah's active nature, such silence and smoothness became unbearable torture. No one wanted to recognize her as a brilliant actress, no one admired her, and in such an environment she could wither like a flower without water. Frightened by the gloomy prospects, Sarah, in a moment of desperation, decided to go into business and for this she found a suitable candy store. Only irresistible boredom, which blew over her from the shelves filled with roasted almonds, sweets and sweet cakes, kept Bernard from a reckless step.

But she would not have become a great artist if she had not been prone to unexpected, adventurous actions. After another nasty performance, Sarah secretly disappeared from Paris at the height of the season. She was searched with the police almost all over France. And she went to Spain, ate tangerines there and enjoyed her vacation. Having provoked another scandal, our heroine parted with the hated theater with a light heart and immediately received a new invitation to the Odeon.

It was this imperial theater that opened the way to fame for Bernard. Sarah believed that she felt the first happy ecstasy of the stage on the stage of the Odeon, and the first delight of the audience from her performance pierced the Odeon hall. At
Sarah had many admirers, especially among students, she became popular, young people fell in love with her for her courage and looseness, for the fact that the actress declared the ideals of the new France. Sarah Bernard becomes an actress in the emerging romantic direction in the theater. Her showiness and ardor capture the viewer, she is the divine symbol of the romantic beauty of Rostand, Hugo, Dumas son. One Russian critic compared the performance of a French actress to lovely figurines that one would like to put on one's fireplace with pleasure.

Sarah, who loved luxury and pleasure, herself became the subject that was included in the mandatory list of luxurious social entertainment. Even during her lifetime, the artist made herself an object of worship. Delighted, Victor Hugo knelt before Sarah Bernhardt right on stage after the premiere of one of his tragedies. But not only exalted artists prostrated themselves before the actress. Vie with each other demonstrated their love for celebrities and the powers that be. Sarah had a magical effect on men and women, and all the high society adored her. The pamphlet The Loves of Sarah Bernhardt boldly suggested that she seduced all the heads of state of Europe, including the Pope. Of course, this is mere hyperbole, but there is evidence that she did have a "special relationship" with the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) and with Prince Napoleon, the nephew of Napoleon I, whom George Sand introduced her to. As for the rest of the leaders, if she did not occupy their beds, then she won their hearts. She was showered with gifts by Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria, King Alfonso of Spain and King Umberto of Italy. King Christian IX of Denmark put his yacht at her disposal, and Duke Frederick allowed her to use his ancestral castle.

Probably, objectively, Sarah Bernhardt was not the most talented actress of her time, but she became the brightest personality of the scene of that era. The performance of the role of Marguerite Gauthier in "Lady of the Camellias" by Alexandre Dumas son led the audience into hysterical ecstasy. It is unlikely that any of the enthusiastic admirers thought about true art, rather, in the fanatical worship of the “star”, the usual instinct of the crowd, the desire to be involved in the “deity”, was guessed.

Sarah strived to stand out in everything. And the only thing that Bernard really differed from everyone else was her unusually powerful energy. She could do a hundred things at once. Nobody knew when she slept. Rostand recalled the actress in this way: “It rushes to the dark stage; enlivens with his appearance a whole crowd of people yawning and languishing here in the twilight; walks, moves, ignites everyone and everything she touches; sits down in front of the prompter booth; begins to stage a play, indicates gestures, intonations; jumps up as if stung, demands to be repeated, growls with rage, sits down, drinks tea again; begins to rehearse by herself ... "

One of the first among celebrities, Bernard realized that charity and a small amount of sympathy for the disadvantaged would give her name an extra flair. During the war of 1870, the artist remains in besieged Paris and even arranges (fortunately, her name also works flawlessly on officials) in the Odeon Theater a hospital for the wounded. In this act of Sarah there was both a desire to help, and irresistible narcissism.

In the hospital, despite the martial law, admirers “bursted” to the artist. Bernard was happy to sign autographs. One day she gave her photo to an ardent nineteen-year-old boy, whose name was Ferdinand Foch. In 1915, Marshal Ferdinand Foch accompanied Sarah Bernhardt on a trip to the fronts of the First World War.

“Forgetting” about the contract with the Odeon, the artist, tempted by astronomical fees, returns to the Comedie Francaise, where she successfully works until 1880. There was probably not a single day that the newspapers did not write about another sensation associated with Sarah Bernhardt. Either the actress will acquire a panther “for personal use”, then she “flies” in a balloon, then, finally, she receives an interviewer, reclining in a coffin. There was a lot of gossip about the last oddity of the "star". One of the spiteful critics even claimed that Sarah prefers to make love on this funeral bed than drives men crazy.
The culprit herself, with childish spontaneity, explained the existence of the coffin in her room by the tightness in square meters. Say, my sister was dying, and there was nowhere to put the coffin - so they "stuffed" it into Sarina's room. Well, it’s clear that you won’t sleep in the same bed with the patient, so the poor artist had to lay herself in a coffin. Sometimes she and the role immediately learned. In general, Sarah did not want to shock anyone, just the journalists who tried to make money on her name made such a prosaic fact downright sinister.

Having finally quarreled with the management of the House of Molière, in 1893 Bernard acquired the Renaissance Theater, and in 1898 - the theater on Chatelet Square, which was called the Theater of Sarah Bernhardt.

The artist did not leave this beloved brainchild until her death. Even when her leg was amputated in 1914, Sarah continued to play with the prosthesis. This sight, apparently, was not for the faint of heart. Bernard, who always boasted of her "skeletal" thinness, flaunted a fragile figure and successfully used fainting to defuse the situation, grew fat, flabby in old age, and her health was by no means weak. She resolutely despised pragmatic opinions that it was time for her to leave the stage, that nothing in her was left of her former charm. She considered herself above sympathetic whispers, above generally accepted norms, above, finally, nature itself. Sarah continued to play.
Marina Tsvetaeva, who aspired to Paris in her early youth to see the legendary Sarah with her own eyes, was shocked. Bernard played the role of a twenty-year-old youth in Rostand's The Eaglet. The actress turned 65, she moved on a prosthesis. “I played in the era of whalebone corsets, which emphasized all the roundness of the female figure, a twenty-year-old youth in a tight-fitting white uniform and officer's trousers; no matter how majestic it was ... the spectacle of unbending old age, but it smacked of the grotesque and also turned out to be a kind of tomb erected by Sarah and Rostand, and Rostanov's "Eaglet"; as well as a monument to blind acting heroism. If the spectators were still blind…” Tsvetaeva called it “egocentric courage”.

And yet she achieved her goal - exorbitant ambition, unprecedented energy melted into genuine recognition. Sarah entered the history of the theater, the history of culture as the most great actress XIX century.