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Celebrating Sarah Bernhardt >> Local filmmaker Stéphanie Beaudoin gets national exposure with her first short by MATTHEW HAYS
Beaudoin, a graduate of UQAM's master's program in art history, says the deal with Famous is "quite extraordinary." Her film celebrates Bernhardt, the famous thespian often credited with beginning the contemporary star system. Part of her history is part of the reason Famous became interested in the project. "Bernhardt starred in Elizabeth II in 1912," explains Beaudoin. "Movie mogul Adolph Zukor made huge amounts of money from this film, which helped prove the viability of feature films. The film industry is obviously closely linked to economics, and this success, and the appeal of Bernhardt, helped shape cinema and the star system." Zukor was also the founder of Famous Players. Thus today's brass at the cinema chain were intrigued by the idea of showing the film prior to features, an old-fashioned approach to screenings which is again catching on in European cinemas. "I'm really anxious to see how this works," says Beaudoin. Sarah Bernhardt Divine focuses on the actress's obsession with death. Apparently, she recognized audience fixation with mortality, and spent much of her acting career performing in plays that dealt her histrionic death scenes. Bernhardt acquired a coffin, which she reportedly slept in, and had postcards made from photos of her in the coffin which were then sold. "She definitely knew how to manipulate, she understood the art of scandal," says Beaudoin. Beaudoin's connection with the actress, who died in 1923 at the age of 79, began after Beaudoin's 1993 art installation "Je suis morte/I Am Dead" drew loud critical praise. Beaudoin took the old adage that the only way to get recognized as an artist was to pass on almost literally. She declared her own death in the show, which caught the eye of New Yorker art critic Kathleen Carroll. "Kathleen told me the show reminded her of Sarah Bernhardt, which led to my fascination and research into her character," recalls Beaudoin. The research culminated in the $30,000 short, which Beaudoin shot in January of 1997. Now Beaudoin is working through an 18-month program at the National Institute of Film and Television in Montreal, where she will be making a documentary and another fiction short. But the spirit of Sarah Bernhardt continues to beckon. Beaudoin says she could easily see herself making a first feature about the precursor to Madonna. "She's certainly rich as a subject. I would be passionate enough to do it." Sarah Bernhardt Divine will play prior to Twilight (English version) and the French version of L.A. Confidential (French) as of this Friday, March 6
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Stéphanie Beaudoin is understandably bubbling over with enthusiasm. After all, her position is enviable even for a seasoned filmmaker, let alone someone who's just completed her first short, Sarah Bernhardt Divine. After making a splash at both the World Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival last fall, Beaudoin landed an amazing distribution deal with the Famous Players cinema chain. This week, the beautiful 12-minute short will prescreen the film Twilight across Canada (in English) and the French versions of L.A. Confidential in Quebec (in its French version).