|
Judith Wechsler’s staid and subdued documentary tells the story of the 19th-century French stage sensation Rachel Felix, who resuscitated the ailing Comédie-Française and revived the popularity of classical tragedy with her sensual, from-the-guts style of acting. Born to Jewish peddlers from Alsace in 1820, Felix rose out of poverty to become one of the most famed actresses of her time, with her name spreading around the world as if she were Napoleon. Wechsler uses talking-heads interviews with directors, actors, archivists, and scholars to show how Felix’s technique was an abrupt departure from the style of the day, and how she transcended a social standard that stigmatized actresses as being no better than prostitutes. The interviews are interspersed with multiple portraits of the actress, all depicting her marble exterior and expressive eyes. Clips of present-day actresses, most notably Françoise Gillard, performing Felix’s roles show how she paved the way for modern-day tragediennes. In the end, this documentary of her meteoric career (she died of tuberculosis at 37) mirrors her appearance in the portraits: serious, penetrating, ardent. In French with English subtitles and voiceovers. (52 minutes).
BY NINA MACLAUGHLIN
|
