New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-07-23
Cuitr'y's Pasteur
Wins Tribute of
critic i'm London
french Actors Performance
Called Wonderful Both
in Character Acting and
Understanding of Play

n the forthcoming season, Is subjected
s. an interesting analysis by e. A.
& p,ushan, dramatic critic Of "The Lon
aon Daily News" in recent paper.
aThat dramatic critic should be
a..nlv moved when seeing an actor in
he same part for the second or third
.,ue is an eloquent tribute to the art
a acting" writes Mr.. Baughan.
!, II here pay that tribute to NJ. Lucien
Guitry's Pasteur.
.Aetors always tell dramatic critics
that they know nothing Of acting. 1t Is
Tie favorite accusation of the profess
.Ion. The public is in the same boat.
Az my visit to .Pasteur' on Monday
therefore resolutely attempted to ST.
lence the analytical voice which in
every critic is never silenced except on
rEs occasions. NJ. Lucien Guitry's
Pasteur Is one of those occasions.
aThs result Of my analysis 1 will at
1. tsmpt to set down in all honesty. First
Of all, there is character acting. That
Il the most obvious acting of all. Often
II 10 only trick of makeup and Of
nsnnerisms of speech and gesture.
@Ths French actors performance
would be wonderful If that were Its
only fns quality. The play; as point
cd out In writing of the first night,
covers many years.
ave sea Pasteur first Of all as q man
Of some fcrty-eight years, energetic,
full Of will-power and adored by his
pupils. Each act shows him at q later
period Of his life, until at the very end
Tie great scientist is over seventy.
aLucien Guitry himself was born In
1860, so that In the first act no had to
throw of some fourteen years. As the
play proceeded he became the same age
y the part he was impersonating, but
b the last act he had to assume age.
aThe first act is probably the most
aihleult for the actor, because It is al
Ways easier to pretend to be old than
q topretend to be young.
"Lucien Guitry apparently uses none
e Of the obvious tricks Of character act
2 ing. His makeup Is excellent, but he
q does not rely on that. Gradually his
Pasteur loses a certain virility Of
voice and abruptness of gesture.
When the doctor, to his great delight,
gives him year to live, this actor
makes you feel that his Pasteur Is
Kept going by sheer will power.
physically he is weak. He moves
With some difficulty and welcomes
every opportunity of sitting down.
When he contemplates the little boy
who was his first successful expert
nsnt he falls into day dream Of con-
temptation.
THAT was not character acting at
sll. The playful tenderness with
which Pasteur asks the boy common.
place questions as to his progress al
Hhool is exquisitely acted. You fee
That Pasteur Is experiencing the great
est pleasure in his life in contemplate
Ing this living example Of the success.
0! his experiments. There is q kind Of
ave in the actors manner, as of mar
who has actually created life.
"As the old Pasteur, waiting ir
an ante-room while his praises are be-
ing sung at session Of the Academic
there Is not much that an ordinary
character actor could not accomplish
But Lucien Guitry gives just the extra
touch that makes all tho difference. II
does not obtrude the age Of the man OF
insist on it by tho ordinary tricks of
the stage
"Pastsurs age Is a fact. You accept
1t without any emphasis from the
actor. His way Of sitting, his gestures
bis shrunksn figure, his slightly enfee-
: Died voice do not seem acting at all
Yet the actor In this scene imperson-
stsd man many years older than him
self.
The triumph Of that scene is that
Guitry makes the strength Of Pasteur's
spirit indomitable without disturbing
az all the expression Of advanced age
Inc final triumphant belief In the
progress Of humanity would be a pit
iall to most actors. They could not
resist the temptation to bring down the
house.
With his wonderful voice and still
more wonderful articulation this
french actor is able to put into the
speech all the intellectual strength of
tne old man without in any way dis
'uroing the serenity of age.
Z What struck me specially was the
power of Lucien Guitry's personality.
lie so imposes himself on the audience
mat without any show Of effort he
makes you understand all that is pass
ing IN Pasteur's mind.
\ He is Pasteur, and so real is the i'm
preston that the audience, out of
sheer respect, sits silent and motion
'ess when he is on the stage. sup
pose' as last analysis, this is simply
aae 10 the actors power of magma
''on' which enables him to live in the
part. His every movement is in char
"''er' His very trick of standing still