Sarah Bernhardt, Her Films, Her Recordings

A living legend. A theater superstar. A phenomenon.

Discover the world's greatest actress in the most extensive book on her life, her stage roles, her films, and her sound recordings. Exhaustive research in every major archive of the world has unearthed the complete story revealing Sarah Bernhardt's nearly forgotten films and recordings, including story synopsis, cast, production notes, contemporary reviews, and her unknown film of the death scene from Daniel (1921). Her rediscovered recordings have been painstakingly transcribed from their ancient wax cylinders and shellac discs and translated from French into English for the first time by Professor Alissa Webel and Sheila Soman. 444 pages. Illustrated. Index. Bibliography. Forward by Academy Award-winning film historian Kevin Brownlow.

". . . an amazing artist's fascinating life story . . . what make this volume particularly lovely are the lavish photographs of Bernhardt in performance on stage and in her films. They are stunningly reproduced in beautiful detail and add immeasurably to the book's overall quality." -Catherine Ritchie, Theatre Librarian Fine Arts Division Dallas Public Library.

"This handsome, richly detailed book is a great pleasure to read. There are detailed analyses of all of her films and recordings and many rare and wonderful illustrations. We follow with interest her many careers: on the stage, in vaudeville, in the movies, in the recording venues of her time. We also learn much about her character, her incredible courage and energy in the face of events and trials that would have easily defeated almost anyone else . . . David W. Menefee has done us a real favor in this latest of the considerable number of books on film that he has authored." -Roger O. Williams