Los Angeles herald., 1891-09-15
THE BERNHARDT.

which greeted the Bernhardt at the
Grand last night emphasized the fact
that Los Angeles is always appreciative
when genuine attraction holds the
boards. This distinguished artist will
have honored only San Francisco, Los
Angeles and Fresno with performances,
playing in a matinee in Oakland.
There is always a very solid founda-
tion for fame such as that which the
Bernhardt has acquired. An actress has
to undergo searching ordeal OF criti-
cism such as no other aspirant for fame
is subjected to. The lawyers rarely, the
physician never, the writer only occa-
sionally, subjected to the minute, un-
sparing and constantly renewed anal
ysis to which the histrionic artist is
exposed. The physician buries his
bungled jobs, the, lawyer as only
brought under the scalpel at long inter-
walls and the accomplished author rarely
writes more than one book year. With
the Bernhardt the case is altogether dit
ferent. She is under review daily and
the slightest failure of power or OF ar
tistic method would be chronicled with
pitiless severity.
Nine out of ten of those who enjoyed
her performance last night did not pos
sess that familiarity with the French
tongue which would enable them to fol-
low the dialogue closely. The enjoy
ment of the immense throng was there
fore largely referable to the purely
histrionic and magnetic power OF the
great artistic.
This, supplemented by knowledge OF
the play, was ample to insure pleasure
of very high order. and to induce
nearly every one in the vast audience to
hang upon her rendition of La Tosca
with breathless interest. In the grand
climacteric of the play it would be diff
cult for the muse of tragedy itself to
have exceeded the Bernhard in
the lively play OF emotion that va
ried in expression with every pass
ing moment. The Medusa herself could
scarcely have had a more transfxing
eye than she directs upon Scarpia in the
critical scene, and throughout the whole
throng of vividly enacted horrors there
is not one overstrained tone or one ges-
ture that is not instinct with directness,
grace and majesty. At times her face
presents, with striking verisimilitude,
some OF the most poignant expressions
of agony OF the Christ Of great masters,
with the thorns pressing into his brow,
and the eyes upturned in unspeakable
woe. 1t is dramatic realism to the acme
of the highest wrought expectation.
What manner Of woman is the Bern
hardt herself? So much has been writ
ten about her of such an extravagant
character that many persons will be in
terested in having an answer to this
question. First, as to her thinness.
That is all bosh. The divine Sarah is
an exquisitely formed woman, and quite
capable of Eurling any ordinary person
over the footlights. Her arms are
plump, beautiful and quite muscular.
She has every characteristic OF well
nourished person, in whom the pro-
cesses of chyme and chyle have pro-
ceeded very harmoniously. She is 1.-the
and powerful and exceedingly sym
metrical Many of her roles develop
these characteristics much more happily
than La Tosca.
As to any woman, the not to be
avoided question is, is she pretty? OF a
truth the Bernhardt possesses the
beauty of genius to a striking degree.
She has a classical contour OF head,
mobile features and eyes whose splend-
ors OF passion and expression
are rarely encountered on or off
the stage. Her teeth gleam with the
pearly whiteness of youth, and the most
scrutinizing glass can as yet detect no
flaw in them. A grandmother, and
confessing to be ffty-two years of age,
she does not look thirty. Her vitality
is something entirely out of the COM
mon. Her activity both intellectual
and physical excites the wonder of all
who have had an opportunity OF know
ing her capacity for work without fatigue
or after-claps of any kind.
The people OF Los Angeles have now
had an opportunity of contrasting a
woman OF genius with merely a clever
actress. They have seen both the Bern
hardt and Fannie Davenport in La Tosca.
The Bernhardt's impersonation was spir-
ituelle and dramatic in the highest de-
gree. That of the Davenport was very
good, as acting goes nowadays. But the
difference between the two is as great as
that between day and night--between
the eye-dazzling ruby and the everyday
garnet. Truth compels the further dis
tinction that the Scarpia of Monsieur
Duquesne was also incomparably supe-
rior to that of Mcdowell, who supported
Davenport here.
1t iswen to have seen the great actress.
Such artistic portents are rare.
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