Two films on Sarah Bernhardt and Eleonora Duse to hit Italian cinemas this fall

Two biopics about legendary actresses Sarah Bernhardt and Eleonora Duse will be released nearly simultaneously in Italian cinemas, reigniting the historic rivalry between the two divas. "Sarah Bernhardt. La Divina di Francia," directed by unknown, will be released on October 23 by Wanted, while "Duse" by Pietro Marcello, presented at the Venice Film Festival, arrives on September 18 via PiperFilm. The Bernhardt film explores her dazzling career in 19th-century France, her love affair with actor Lucien Guitry, and her leg amputation in 1915. It portrays her as a charismatic figure who broke social conventions: she had a son at 20 with a Belgian nobleman, married a Greek actor addicted to morphine, publicly declared her bisexuality, and had relationships with artists like Gustave Doré, Georges Clairin, and actress Louise Abbéma, with whom she lived for years. She collaborated with Alphonse Mucha on set designs and was linked to Victor Hugo and Gabriele D'Annunzio. The rivalry with Duse is highlighted through D'Annunzio's play "La città morta," which both sought to perform. Duse described her first encounter with Bernhardt in Turin with the company of Cesare Rossi as inspiring.