Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-03-19
vIcToRrEN sARDou.

was produced at tho Odeon in Paris. 1t
enjoys tho distinction Of having been
treated moro severely than any play ever
produced in the French capital
In 1853 he married Milo. do Brecourt,
who was @ warm personal friend OF De-
jazet, the famous actress. At the house OF
Dejazet, Sardou met Vandcrbuch, who bad
written several plays for the actress, and
with him he collaborated on play called
t'Premieres Armcs de Figaro, " the leading
part in which was ''contrived" for De-
jazet, who at once accepted it. The 40
tress, being out of an engagement, leased
q theatcr, which she called Theatre De-
jazet, where, in 1859, the play was pro-
duced and succeeded. Since that time
Sardou has been almost perpetually in the
playhouse.
Between 1860 and 1864 Sardou wrote 90
plays and paid the price of his haste with
many failure. But between 1866 and
1871 he sensibly produced but seven, and
three of those are still accounted among
his best. One Of these was La Patrie,
the forerunner of his later historical efforts
and still considered by many as a model
OF his style and literary achievements far
hbove most of his plays. LA Patrie" was
not tho success over hero that 1t should
have been.
6ardou's method of making plays 10 one
that can be easily studied. II one reads
his prefaoes, he will fnd that the method
10 visible In the plays themselves Is delib-
crate, but he will find, too. that Sardou
recognizes that, first of all, man to be .
good playmaker must b born with the
dramatic instinct, 90 poet must be with
The poetic. f7fi
Once only has M. Sardou overreached
himself in the marvellous faculty which he
has for setting dramatic picture on the
stage, and that was In his historical drama,
"La Haine," by men like Dumas oonsid-
cred bis masterpiece, and which failed be-
pause IL was quito smothered In staging
and lost sight Of behind Ns own splendid
nttira ...,,-h
In the preface of ia Haine" Sardou
drst told the world how he conceived aud
worked out a play. "The process Is In
variable" he said 1T never appeared
otherwise than as q sort of philosophic
eQuation from which the unknown guam
tity IL to be discovered. As soon as IL Is
fairly set before me this problem possesses
and gives me no peace until havo worked
out tho formula. In 'Patrie' this ID the
greatest sacrifice man can mako for the
love of his country And tho answer once
found the play followed OF its own ac-
cord"
That was written many years ago and
before SardoE-worked out his greatest sue
cess, and while in no way may his formula
have changed he has certainly developed 1t
greatly. His first move Is still to think
out situation In which woman would
appear effective, to imagine her under the
influence OF some telling emotion suitable
for dramatic presentation. His next is to
conceive some incident that would permit
Of her being In that situation and giving
vent 70 the desired emotion or some COM
plication Of emotions that appear to him
worth IN actress labor toportray. Almost
without exception 10 will be noted that In
develooing the play he takes his place by
the woman and works from that point
AlmoS( universally it u ths woman's char
hctsr that develops with the plot Of the
blay. 49, like the setting, being but Q
baoksppppd for hsR aetlpg or the impulses
hhat bring about ~ psquircd dramatic
bmotiQQ shiloh Il sIpscted to sorely movo
Ne su4lokjcA In ths ssleotion Of bic ONO
lrnrrf..r