Sarah starring
Zoe Caldwell
A season of six television dramas from around the world opens with Waris Hussein 's magnificent portrait of Sarah Bernhardt which earned an International Emmy nomination last year for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Paris, 1912. As the 68-year-old Bernhardt prepares for her role in the silent film, La Reine Eliza beth, she remembers the early days of her life: her struggle to start her career, and then the time when she was the scandal-and the success - of the Comedie Franchise.
The programme re-creates the legend of the French theatre with a story of a personal triumph over ill-health, anti-semitism, vicious rumours and a disastrous marriage by a woman whose turbulent life and tempestuous moods made her the toast of kings and shopkeepers.
Written by SUZANNE GROSSMAN Directed by WARIS HUSSEIN for CBC