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Mothers of France (Meres Françaises) For more than 90 years, Mothers of France, her epic motion picture, has been hidden away in only a few archives around the world. Now, it has been fully restored, and for the first time, it is available on DVD. Mothers of France is a magnificent motion picture starring the brilliant actress at her best. Now you can finally enjoy the thrilling story. Sarah’s performance in this film is nothing short of a revelation. Until now, Sarah’s film work was judged only by the early, primitive films, Camille (1911) and Queen Elizabeth (1912), which were largely photographed versions of plays. In the few years that passed after she made those films, she dove fully into an original story written especially for motion pictures. Sarah completely mastered the art of film acting, and in her role, she is as powerful as her legend has portrayed her, but she is as subtle as any actress on the screen today. She performs by thinking rather than gesturing, feeling rather than emoting. Experiencing her stunning work in Mothers of France is like seeing her great art for the very first time. Sarah is the entire backbone of this film, and she is in virtually every scene. Sarah performs in Mothers of France in a naturalistic style. She lives each moment, and you can see this in her eyes. Her immobility is actually a distinct advantage, as it forces her to rely on thought rather than histrionics, and since the camera is near in most scenes, her playing, as well as all the other actors, is as if they were in your living room. Make no mistake about this: Mothers of France is full of high drama, but for every bombastic scene there follows intimate, heartrending moments. The carefully-crafted scenario by poet Jean Richepin guarantees to wring tears in the finale. In the silent film era, Sarah Bernhardt was rivaled on the stage by the Italian actress, Eleonora Duse, English actress, Ellen Terry, and the American actresses, Ethel Barrymore, Laurette Taylor, Jane Cowl, Maude Adams, and many others. At that time, silent films were popularized by Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, Theda Bara, Gloria Swanson, Pearl White, Constance Talmadge, and many others. Sarah had formidable competition, yet despite the many stars venturing into films, Mothers of France was a great success. BACKGROUND: After the amputation of her leg, many people believed that Sarah would never work again. Mères Françaises, known in America as Mothers of France, was her only original film that was made specifically for motion pictures. In late 1916, Sarah began working on this patriotic World War One film with the support of the French government. It was created to inspire men, women, and children to be brave and find the strength to survive the daily onslaught of war and the ravages that horrendous battles were making of all Europe. Jean Richepin, a poet who also appeared in a small part in the picture, wrote Mères Françaises. It was released worldwide, and was known in America as Mothers of France. Much of the film was made while under bombardments, near the front lines in the towns of Challons and Rhiems, in trenches, and field hospitals. In one scene, Sarah stands before a statue of Joan of Arc near the Cathedral of Rhiems, pleading with the saint to spare her family. Incredibly, this dramatic moment was filmed with the aid of the French military. For only fifteen minutes, the war was actually stopped, bombing ceased, and the cathedral was sandbagged against shelling so that Sarah could perform this brief scene. Mercanton told astonished reporters, “Mme. Bernhardt spent six days at Chalons, about fifteen miles from the German lines, and from this base, was taken to the forward lines of trenches every day in a military automobile under the protection of two officers of the headquarters’ staff. Upon two of these excursions, she was actually under fire, and once she was treated to the spectacle of a German plane being shot down from the sky,” he said. “This was so near she could distinctly hear the projectiles from the machine gun pelting against the foreign plane. We went on to Rheims, directly in the fighting zone, where extremely effective and dramatic episodes occur. One of these scenes shows the distracted wife and mother, before the still beautiful, though sadly lacerated cathedral, offering a prayer at the base of the statue of Joan of Arc, her patron saint and the patron saint of France, for her country and her loved ones.” Upon the release of the film, Director Louis Mercanton told reporters: “Madame Bernhardt’s perfect poise and calm during all the time in the trenches was to me an amazing exhibition of fortitude in a lady of her seventy-two years after a lifetime of luxury, pleasant surroundings, and at least the absence of physical peril.” In an article that appeared in the Moving Picture World, February 10, 1917, Louis Mercanton said, “This play will be a part of the official record of the present European war, and will be preserved through the generations.” Audiences and critics were bowled over. “Actress at her best,” and “thrilling war film,” said various reviewers. Burns Mantle wrote in the New York Times that “most of it you see through a mist of tears.” In the New York Times, March 12, 1917, another reviewer wrote, “Mothers of France atones for most of the sins of the movies . . . the story unfolded is of the sacrifices of a small group of neighbors in a village of France. It is a tale whose various details have been duplicated in every corner of that fair land since the war began . . . Mme. Bernhardt, in the role of the mother, is pictured in the hospitals, the commissary camps, and even in the very trenches. She is shown waiting in the corner of a transverse to allow a squad of soldiers to run by, each carrying an aerial torpedo. Again she stands before the statue of Joan of Arc in front of the war-scarred Cathedral of Rheams, its shattered windows and bag-protected buttresses plainly visible. Real chateaux, real peasant women toiling in the fields, and real munitions smoke give a flavor that no amount of paint and plaster villages and trenches filled with tin soldiers hired at a dollar a day could ever hope to approximate.” Sarah plays her scenes with genuine, heartfelt sincerity. She is shown crawling through trenches, riding in cars and trucks, and with careful editing, she appears to actually walk unsupported. Her entire performance is vigorous, cautiously planned, and a subtle yet powerful characterization. RESTORATION: Only a few of these prints have survived, and they show a great deal of wear, a compliment to the staying power of the film, but a problem for modern audiences. This version has been remarkably restored.
SYNOPSIS: As Jeanne d'Urbex, Sarah Bernhardt portrays a woman caught up in a world at war. When news arrives that her only son has been wounded in the line of duty, she bravely searches for him through battlefields and trenches. The heart-tugging story tells how one woman, alone and stoic while under fiery bombardments, fights against all odds to lead the mothers of France toward an uncertain victory. Running time: approximately 80 minutes. Silent film with orchestra score, sound effects, color tints, and restored English subtitles. The DVD is NEW and in factory shrink-wrapping. This film is more than 90-years old, and because of its age, the quality is somewhat below standard, which is common for films of this vintage. However, the overall image, restored titles, and sound are clear and very enjoyable. -------------------------------------------------------------------- ADDED BONUS ON THE SAME DVD The Death Scene from Daniel (1921) This film was lost and unknown until discovered in 2001. Now fully restored, audiences can finally see dramatic conclusion to the play in which she starred in 1922. The film was painstakingly made as a silent movie with camera lighting and editing featuring different angles varying from full shots to close-ups. Sarah Bernhardt proves that she can play a touching death scene more poignantly than any other actress in this reprise of the famous death scene from one of the last great plays in which she toured the world. . SYNOPSIS: As a dying man caught in the eternal triangle of love, Daniel attempts to reconcile with his brother. A startling revelation reveals the deep sacrifice he has made in order to provide happiness for the women he and his brother both love. The Death Scene from Daniel has been digitally restored and is presented here with an orchestra score and restored English subtitles. Running time: approximately 10 minutes. Silent film with orchestra score and restored English subtitles. The DVD is new and in factory shrink wrap. Selected scenes from Mothers of France:
Jeanne d'Urbex with her husband and son in their garden during a peaceful day.
Jeanne d'Urbex at the moment when the town bells ring, heralding the call to arms.
When their peaceful lives are shattered, Jeanne finds inspiration at a statue of Joan of Ark.
Jeanne gives herself over for the war effort, and while working as Matron of a hospital for the wounded, she receives the heartbreaking news that her husband has been killed in battle.
Jeanne soon learns that her son has also been mortally wounded while in battle and is near death. The doubly bereaved woman decides to search for him before he dies.
Jeanne heroically searches through the falling bombs at the front lines for her son.
Tragedy soon follows when Jeanne discovers her son only to have him die in her arms.
Jeanne returns home to comfort other mourning women, and through her inspiring efforts, they find strength to carry on despite the ravages of the war.
Despite her bravery, Jeanne has solitary moments when she is overcome with a breaking heart.
A young village girl seeks advice from Jeanne after her life has been torn apart by death and loss.
When the town school teacher returns home permanently blinded from his own efforts on the battlefield , Jeanne escorts him back to the school, and then delivers one of the most inspiring messages ever recorded in a motion picture.
Selected scenes from The Death Scene from Daniel:
Daniel, (played by Sarah Bernhardt, right) is a dying morphine addict. He spends his final hour making peace with his family, and sorting through a huge misunderstanding in an unfortunate love triangle.
When the final moment comes, Daniel succumbs to the beckoning of angels.
The death of Daniel. These films are more than 80-years old, and because of their age, the quality is somewhat below standard, which is common for films of this vintage. However, the overall images, restored titles, sound effects, and score are quite clear and very enjoyable. DETERMINE DVD PLAYER COMPATIBILITY OR COMPUTER DVD DRIVE COMPATIBILITY BEFORE BUYING: AMERICAN BUYERS: This disc is in DVD -R format, and should play in any DVD player or a computer with a DVD drive. Please check your instruction book and make certain that this format is compatible with your system before buying. EUROPEAN BUYERS: This disc is in the American NTSC Region 1 DVD -R format, and may not be compatible with some European DVD players that only read PAL format. If your system reads both PAL and NTSC Region 1 formats, please be aware that this disc is in DVD -R format, and still may not play in some DVD players or in some computers. Please check your instruction book and make certain that this format is compatible with both NTSC Region 1 and DVD -R before buying.
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