Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-03-06
EDWIN FORREST.
Merits as an xcfor-Unjasi 6riii-

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Merits as an Actor-UDjust Criti-
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From Appleton's Journal,l
Mr.. Edwin Forrest is now playing at
the French Theater an engagement
which will probably be his last in this
city. 1t is fully fifty years since Mr.
Forrest made his first appearance as an
actor, and more than forty years since
he attained recognized position as at
the head of the American stage. AT
eighteen years Of age Forrest began his
dramatic career; at twenty-six he had
reached the highest point in his profess
sion Since then his career has, in one
sense, been uniformly successful; he has
made much money, and he has always
addressed a large circle of admirers.
But he has not quite retained the place
in. popular affection that he once pos
sessed There are various reasons for
this, some Of which do him honor, and
others his enemies remember, while his
friends extenuate. Mr.. Forests temper
has not been conciliating. He became
involved in domestic difficulties, in
which his cause was so managed that,
while actually in the right, he was made
to appear wrong He quarrelled with
Mr.. Macready, the great English actor,
without taking pains to be in the right.
And, whether in the right or wrong, he
has invariably so scoffed and scorned
the public press that he long since
converted nearly the whole host of
dramatic critics into enemies. Proud,
reserved, somewhat bitter, Mr.. Forrest
so rebelled against those wiles and in
trigues that make popular opinion that
he carried his virtue to a vicious ex-
treme, and forgot the ordinary amenities
of life. These things have raised against
him formidable host, and have been
the means, indirectly, of leading to a
depreciation of his genius as an actor
1t has become the fashion in America
of deriding and undertaking the one dis
tinct American exponent of dramatic
art. 1t has gone forth as dictum that
Forrest is a physical actor, coarse ac-
tor, rude, uncultivated actor. Heis of
so large and massive a make that in one
sense he is physical actor, and, no
doubt, some of his effects are enhanced
by or derived from this circumstance;
and that some of the characters that be
plays have rude charm to the multi
tude on account of his splendid presence
cannot be denied. But those who say
he is not an intellectual actor do. not
Judge, we think, correctly. We venture
to assert that he is the closest student
now on the stage. Mr.. Forrest, old,
massive infrm, is indeed far from
the ideal of " Hamlet" and yet those
who can study the rendition of a
part on its intellectual plane, without
regard to physical advantages or disad
vantagcs, must admit that the Prince of
Denmark has no representative who
brings to it a more scholarly taste. The
readings of the soliloquies are exceed
ingly beautiful. Mr.. Forrest is like
some other aotors-more satisfactory in
his level taking than in his passionate
outbreaks. In colloquial delivery, he is
simple, yet rich in every grace of true
elocutionary art In the soliloquies of
Hamlet, his musing, abstracted utterance
of those famous passages has the highest
excellence. They are broken with en-
tire conception Of their meaning, and
every line is the result of study closer
than cur young actors have any concep-
ton of. Taking the single part of Ham
let as test-and there can be no better
we believe every unprejudiced mind
capable of judging will admit that Mr.
Forests rendition of the part is, intel
lectually considered, in advance of all
others. We utter this defense of For
rest because his theatrical career will
coon and and we would fain see ere il
is too late, greater justice done to man
whom once it was the fashion to praise
too highly, and who now suffers, at the
hands of certain people, unwarrantable
neglect.