Yeah, I do feel somewhat sorry for Bernhardt though -- she couldn't get the same eternal recognition that people a generation later could in the movies. From the reviews, it seems she had the kind of personality that would surely make her a movie star.

I hadn't even been aware of Sarah Bernhardt until a couple of months ago, when I visited the Alphonse Mucha museum in Prague. It was she who essentially launched his career in art, by commissioning him to make posters for her performances. And through his art, I could feel her personality reaching across time to me. I'm not sure if I'd actually like her performances, but she felt like someone with skill at holding attention, that's for sure.