Sarah Bernhardt in Adrienne Lecouvreur cph

''Adrienne Lecouvreur'' () is a French tragic play written by

Ernest Legouvé Gabriel Jean Baptiste Ernest Wilfrid Legouvé (; 14 February 180714 March 1903) was a French dramatist. Biography Son of the poet Gabriel-Marie Legouvé (1764–1812), he was born in Paris. His mother died in 1810, and almost immediately aft ...

and

Eugène Scribe Augustin Eugène Scribe (; 24 December 179120 February 1861) was a French dramatist and librettist. He is known for writing "well-made plays" ("pièces bien faites"), a mainstay of popular theatre for over 100 years, and as the librettist of man ...

. It portrays the life of the leading French actress of the eighteenth century

Adrienne Lecouvreur Adrienne Lecouvreur (5 April 1692 – 20 March 1730), born Adrienne Couvreur, was a French actress, considered by many as the greatest of her time. Born in Damery, she first appeared professionally on the stage in Lille. After her Paris debut ...

and her mysterious death. It was produced April 14, 1849.

Adaptations

In 1902 the play was used as the basis for the

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

of the opera ''

Adriana Lecouvreur ''Adriana Lecouvreur'' () is an opera in four acts by Francesco Cilea to an Italian libretto by Arturo Colautti, based on the 1849 play '' Adrienne Lecouvreur'' by Eugène Scribe and Ernest Legouvé. It was first performed on 6 November 1902 ...

'' by

Francesco Cilea Francesco Cilea (; 23 July 1866 – 20 November 1950) was an Italian composer. Today he is particularly known for his operas ''L'arlesiana'' and ''Adriana Lecouvreur''. Biography Born in Palmi near Reggio di Calabria, Cilea was the son of a pr ...

and

Arturo Colautti Arturo Colautti ( Zara, 9 October 1851 – Rome, 9 November 1914) was a Dalmatian Italian journalism, journalist, polemics, polemicist and libretto, librettist. He was a strong supporter of Italia irredenta, Italian irredentism for his native Hist ...

. It was also the basis of the operetta ''Adrienne'' with music by Walter W. Goetze, produced in Hamburg in 1926. There have been a number of film versions of the play including '' Dream of Love'' (1928) an American film starring

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, 190? was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion-picture cont ...

and ''

'' (1938) a Franco-German co-production directed by

Marcel L'Herbier Marcel L'Herbier (; 23 April 1888 – 26 November 1979) was a French filmmaker who achieved prominence as an avant-garde theorist and imaginative practitioner with a series of silent films in the 1920s. His career as a director continued unti ...

and starring

Yvonne Printemps Yvonne Printemps (; born Yvonne Wigniolle; 25 July 1894 – 19 January 1977) was a French singer and actress who achieved stardom on stage and screen in France and internationally. Printemps went on the stage in Paris at the age of 12, and ...

Films

*', directed by

Henri Desfontaines Henri Desfontaines (12 November 1876, Paris – 7 January 1931, Paris) was a French film director, actor, and scriptwriter. Filmography As director * 1908 : ''Hamlet'' * 1909 : '' Le Puits et le pendule'' * 1910 : '' Un invité gênant' ...

and

Louis Mercanton Louis Mercanton (4 May 1879 – 29 April 1932) was a Swiss people, Swiss film director, screenwriter and actor. Mercanton was born in Nyon, Vaud, Canton of Vaud, Switzerland and died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Partial filmography Director * ' ...

(France, 1913, short), starring

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including by Alexandre Dumas fils, ...

*''Adriana Lecouvreur'', directed by

Ugo Falena Ugo Falena (25 April 1875 in Rome – 20 September 1931 in Rome) was an Italian silent film director and occasional opera librettist. His films include ''Otello'' (1909), ''Beatrice Cenci'' (1911), ''William Tell'' (1911), ''Romeo and Juliet'' ...

(Italy, 1919), starring *'' The Faces of Love'', directed by

Carmine Gallone Carmine Gallone (10 September 1885 – 11 March 1973) was an early Italian film director, screenwriter, and film producer, who was also controversial for his works of pro-Fascist propaganda and historical revisionism. Considered one of Itali ...

(Italy, 1924), starring Soava Gallone *'' Dream of Love'', directed by

Fred Niblo Fred Niblo (born Frederick Liedtke; January 6, 1874 – November 11, 1948) was an American pioneer film actor, director and producer. Biography He was born Frederick Liedtke (several sources give "Frederico Nobile", apparently erroneously) in Yo ...

(1928), starring

*''

'', directed by

(France, 1938), starring

*''

'', directed by Guido Salvini (Italy, 1955), starring Valentina Cortese

References

Bibliography

* Forman, Edward. ''Historical dictionary of French theater''. Scarecrow Press, 2010.

External links

* Plays by Eugène Scribe 1849 plays French plays adapted into films Plays set in France Plays set in the 18th century Collaborative plays Biographical plays about actors Cultural depictions of Adrienne Lecouvreur {{1840s-play-stub