Sarah Bernhardt was hot-tempered, capricious, independent, and brilliant. Let's examine how well the film “Divine. Sarah Bernhardt” captures the facets of her character.

Sarah Bernhardt was hot-tempered, capricious, independent, and brilliant. She gave herself entirely to any feeling—be it joy, despair, or love. Let's examine how well the film “Divine. Sarah Bernhardt” captures the facets of her character.

Brief Synopsis

After a terrifying surgical operation, an aging Sarah Bernhardt (Sandrine Kiberlain) feels she was on the brink of death. This becomes the impetus for her to recall and recount the best years and the worst day of her life—a day that combined the celebration of her as the greatest actress and the bitterness of a shattered love.

Besides her lovers, Sarah also remembers the circumstances in which she once lived. Fragments of phrases about childhood traumas, resistance to the spread of Nazi ideas, a passion for exotic animals. And, of course, Lucien (Laurent Lafitte)—the man without whom Sarah could not imagine happiness. But the life of a great actress cannot be simple, so the worst day of her life will test the strength of her feelings for Lucien.

The Most Important Thing Is a Good Start

I don't like to throw around grand phrases, but the beginning of the film “Divine. Sarah Bernhardt” is a model of how a movie should start. The viewer is introduced to the characters, intrigued by questions about the heroes' past, instantly drawn into the events, and made to feel sympathy and respect for the main character. Without them, Sarah Bernhardt could have come across as a flighty, arrogant, hot-tempered coquette, but in the created context, Sarah's figure becomes very close to the viewer.

The acting also helps in this matter, particularly the two main characters, Sarah and Lucien. Sandrine Kiberlain is incredibly natural in the role of Sarah, which further endears us to her character. Laurent Lafitte absolutely shines and proves he is a clearly underrated actor—he recently starred in the excellent adaptation of “The Count of Monte Cristo”, and in 2015 he appeared in the controversial but very good film “Elle”. And here too, he didn't let us down.

How to play Sarah Bernhardt if Sarah Bernhardt is the best actress in the world?

The creators (and in particular director Guillaume Nicloux) faced a very difficult task. How can you portray on screen an actress who was considered the most outstanding in the world? Comparisons are unavoidable, and they will almost certainly not favor the new film. Especially given the amount of praise Sarah Bernhardt receives from admiring viewers in the film itself.

I can't avoid associations with the film “”, where they tried to convince us of the main character's irresistibility. The problem is that, even without being able to compare the actress to the real Du Barry, the viewer could draw various conclusions based on their own ideas of beauty.

Varvara Ulianenok

A Courtesan Named Jeanne: Review of the Film “Jeanne du Barry”

Open material

“Divine. Sarah Bernhardt” takes a slightly cleverer approach. Except for the very first scene, we are never directly shown how this Sarah Bernhardt behaves on the theatrical stage. Therefore, it becomes much easier to believe in her talent—there is nothing to compare it to. Clever.

Just an Interesting Film

However, it all comes down to one banal question—whether to watch “Divine. Sarah Bernhardt” or not. I think it is definitely worth watching.

But only if you like this kind of film.

Because essentially, this film is a drama in which not much happens. We are introduced to the characters, shown slices of their lives in different time periods, and made to empathize with them. But you shouldn't expect big, bright events, because the film centers on Sarah Bernhardt and her struggle with herself.

And that's not bad. Sometimes a vividly and tastefully presented slice of life can be far more captivating than a scene from an adrenaline-fueled but completely standard action movie. You just need to keep that in mind if you want to watch the film and evaluate it yourself.

The atmosphere is enhanced not only by the acting. There are excellently composed shots, rich visuals, and wonderful work by the prop and costume departments. Scenes can be melancholic and almost monochrome when trying to convey one mood, and bursting with life when conveying another. Professionals worked on the film, and it shows.

But the main thing for me personally is the believability of Sarah Bernhardt as she appears here. Many creators have tried to explore the theme of loneliness in a crowd, and here we see another attempt to dissect this topic. In my opinion, a successful one. Sarah here is first and foremost a human being. She makes mistakes, is grumpy, but is a bright soul who put herself in difficult circumstances. And the revelation of her relationships with men only adds strokes to her portrait. It's hard to be human when you are divine.

P.S. An additional pleasure came from the huge number of famous French names mentioned in this film. I was especially pleased to see my favorite Edmond Rostand, and as a full-fledged character. Delightful.