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its conscientious ami careful finish , little can be said beyond the fact of its undoubted value ns a portrait . For Mr . Buckner ' s big-eyedj small-mouthed , vermilion-lipped insipidities , pretending to be likenesses of Englishwomen , we have always had an invincible repugnance . This season he more than ever provokes us to mention that—Mr . Buckkeb is the fashionable portrait-painter of the day . Mr . Thorburn's portraits in oil—in lamp-oil , we might suppose , from the thick , clammy , unwholesome medium through which the hard outlines show—are simply failures ; failures alike , whether he dresses a duchess in allegory and surrounds her with symbolical upholstery , or whether he trims a country gentleman ' s family into an uncomfortable set-group of tailors ' advertisements . Two landscapes by Mr . Anthon y seem to have been overlooked , as well they may be , by the most observant critics , this year . Both pictures are disgracefully hung , in the North Room , among the architectural plans and elevations . "We do not wonder that Mr . Anthon y , after the treatment he has endured for some years at the bands of the Academicians , should have discontinued sending works of great pretension . These two landscapes are certainly inferior to'his general style . With regard to " The Sweet Spring Time" < 952 ) , we have this to say , that , although a man might do much worse than copy a photograph , he should not copy its accidental blemishes , or such qualities of a photograph as are , at all events , blemishes in a picture . Water in photography is hardly ever like water ; that is to say , reflexions of light in photography are not like reflexions"ns we see them in nature , but rather resemble obliterations . We do not feel safe in speaking of Mr . Anthony's . " Twilight" ( 1014 ) , as it is so far removed from possibility of inspection that we are unable to tell whether certain appearances belong to the painting , or are derived from the ruinous toplight in which it hangs . .. " Pastand Present" ( 428 ) , by Miss Blcnden , is a picture with much of the pre-Raphaelite affectation and some of the pre-Raphaelite excellence . The scene is a lonely , grass-grown patch of ground , that may have been a . convehtgarden in time " past ; " and the figures " present" are'two girls , children of poor cotters , apparently . One girl is wreathing a chaplet of fresh wild-flowers on her sister ' s head . The picture , as a little poem , may be pronounced almost as rhythmical in execution as it is imaginative in . idea . Miss Blunder ' s work , in short , is one which "we are glad to have discovered . How many equally good and promising efforts have escaped us , we almost fear to think . For the third time we find ourselves before Mr . J . Clauk's " Sick Child" ( 89 ) , without being able to refrain from speaking of it once more . It is better than Leslie ; much better than Webster ; immeasurably better than Frith . It is all three and a great deal besides . It is the best picture , in fact , that a deliberate and final survey of the rooms , this year , has brought to our observation .
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DOtf JUAN AT THETHEATRE-FRAN 9 AIS . The Fatin de Pierre , of all MoLifcnE ^ g pieces , is perhaps the most difficult to put upon the stage . For this reason managers from time to time make the attempt after careful study ; and , whatever may be the success , the event always creates a sensation in the dramatic world . "We should rather say in the Paris world generally ; for what member of it is not interested in theatrical matters ? Who ever heard of a Parisian , between infancy and decrepitude , in whom the theatre had not been a passion at some time or other of life ? Accordingly , the revival of this singular drama at the Francais has been as much talked of as many of Mr . Ream ' s revivals at the Princess ' s . Its chief characteristic , however , is not its new scenery / although that has been carefully executed , nor its effects , which have been suffered to be too much trammelled by tradition . The mode of the appearance of the statue , for example , except when first seen upon its pedestal , seems to us a mistake . It is too evidently a mass of pla&ter , with joints at its neck and knees , so that the incredulity of Don Juan appears natural and estimable , whilst the affright of his followers is ridiculous . Even when the libertjne goes somewhere so much before his time , dragged down by this huge puppet , instead of being awe-struck we feel as if he were the subject of a practical jest , and have no fear for the wages of SgmiareUe . How different would be the effect if , instead of slavishly following the tradition of a time when stage-magic was unknown , an opening of a sombre character were managed between the banquetting-table , disclosing a vast half-lighted staircase , leading down as if to unknown depths ! Up this the statue should glide , not walk ; and , indeed , in all his appearances . it would be perfectly possible to invest him with a special character . Then , again , the skeleton that comes in wrapped in a sheet is simply ridiculous , and inspires no more awe than a child ' s Old Bogie . - In Molikre ' h time this might he well enough . But uow , with the means at our disposal , we should not be satisfied with such meagre arrangements . This spectre should make its appearance at the back of the stage , in such a manner as to strike awe into the soul of the spectator as well as into Don Juan . AH these changes would not be in the slightest degree departing from the original conception . Molikre would have been delighted to have the support of such appliances . M . Eimpis , who has already shown so much intelligence and taste , and has succeeded in interesting the Prench public once more in their national theatre , should take these matters into his consideration . In every other respect wo can give almost unlimited praise to the manner in which this piece has been brought out . There wa 9 something to object to in Mademoiselle Judith's interpretation of the character of Elvire ; but Mademoiselle Favaut lias since attempted a new interpretation with success . This is part of the new system of M . Empis . He sets the various members of iiis company to try their hands successively at the saihe characters , so that though a piece may remain a long time in the bills , there is constantly something new to attract at any rate the amateur . Mademoiselle Fix , however , remains pcrsevenngly in the part of Mathurine ; and certainly a more delightful creation cannot be imagined . With reverence be it spoken , the character itself , and the scene in which it is developed are , as Moufcuii left them , of comparatively little value . Matkurine is a stupid country coquette , led away from an old lover in an instant by a gnudy coat , and is placed on the stage simply to say a few amusing naivete ' s . Mademoiselle Fix makes her a perfect gem . No wonder Don Juan was charmed by her fresh , innocent face and candid manners . The Don Juan of M . Brkssant is a remarkable study . We ennnot say that the part is perfectly suited to him . Neither his person nor his voice is sufficiently elastic , and he wants a spice of devilry . Still , the accomplished actor triumphs over all these difficulties , and although in constant contact with perhaps , the first netor of the day , docs not nllo w himself to bo thrown into the background . If MoLiibnic had ventured to exhibit his hero—for Don Juan is the hero despite his end amidst combustibles—making use of his seductive qualities M . Brbssant would have had a fine field for the display of hit * great and peculiar talents . But all his grand seductions are over he Core he is introduced to ua . The affairs with Mathurine and her comrade are mere vulgar amourettes in which , he triumphs by means of his fine figure , encased in silk , over mere
innocents . Elvire has fallen and been betrayed before the curtain rises , a-ndco " in to scold . As interpreted , by Mademoiselle Judith , who is not by any nie a contemptible actress , though this time she made a mistake , this lady ' s h haviour almost justifies—theatrically at least—Don Juan in cutting Hier \ v " think of the Abbess ' s conclusion in the Comedy of JErrors : — *
" And therefore came it that the man was mad . " If that was the way she talked during the honeymoon , no wonder the gay D Juan packed up his carpet-bag . When she enumerates the false excuses h " might have given for deserting her , she should graduall y melt into tenderness and , as an audience hates a libertine who is insensible to a woman ' s tears th ' final combustion of Don Juan would be looked forward to at once with deliehf " By George ! " we once heard an Englishman exclaim on some similar occa sion , "I only wish such a fine woman would go on her knees to me !"—TJ * Don is obdurate ; and his obduracy is well painted by Bkessant— better than his gaiety , except perhaps when he flirts with the village beauties , in which situation , despite the false and formal system ou which the scene is written he is perfect . As a hypocrite , in the last act lie succeeds in making us shudder and in preparing- us for xlxe melodramatic closing , which is probably a reminiscence of the old mysteries and moralities .
The great success of the revival seems , however , due to the marvellous manner in which M . Kegiuer plays Sganarelle . That character is one of the most original painted by Molikre . It is a pity he has a conventional name He is a sort of Sancho Panza , gone astray into the service of a false knight . We have no doubt that Moi . iere had a deep meaning in this creation , although we are far from disposed to accept all his minor characters as types and symbolsfor we admire and love , but do not adore him . Sganardle seems to us the incarnation of the ordinary man of the world , who has been brought up with due respect to religion , and maintains that respect , though in contact witli the world K 1 ~^ ^^ —» ^ ^ M w a « . —_ m . *_ _~_ — —« . J . —_ fc ^ " I _ _ . _ _ - «* 1 % "* V ¦ % - L ' _ W because he has innate ious sentimentbut whose ideas
__ an relig , on the subject are so confused , and his knowledge so limited , that the semblance of am argument staggers him , and all hostile facts he is obliged to gulp down without question . He sometimes breaks his nose , sometimes gets into the middle of a crowd of dilemmas which nip him as he scuds along ; so that at first sight MoLriaE seems to be making a covert attack on faith . This is not the case , however . Though Sganarelle' 8 intellect is not very clear , or rather not well furnished with formal arguments , his moral instincts are always in the right—except once , when , as a concession to human nature , he makes common csuse with his master in doing a tailor with whom he has a little private account of his own . He is humane
and pious ; and , if fortune had not placed hinv in a subordinate position , would have been a better gentleman than his master . All these points , and many more which we cannot stop to indicate , are exquisitely brought out by Regkiek , who never studied a part more profoundly or with more success . From the moment he appears on the stage the real interest of the play centres in him—so much so that certain French critics have accused him of being too active and of unduly attracting attention . This is because the audience sometimes watches his by-play with such profound attention , to the neglect of the regular business of the piece . '¦¦ ¦ : ' /¦ ¦ - ¦ ¦ ' . '' ¦ ' : '¦ ¦ ' ' . ¦ .- ¦ ¦ : , : ' ¦' . '¦ .. . "' . . ' The fault , however , is not Regnier ' s—neither is it that of the other actors . The fault is in the play itself . " We shall take another opportunity of discussing this matter minutely , in the hope of elucidating what may be called one of tfie unknown adventures of the drama in France- When Moueke wrote his Don Juan , there was a possibility that dramatic France would follow in the steps of Shaksfeare . As an isolated production , it appears odd and questionable . It might inmost be taken as a satire on the romantic dramsu Except tliat he turns
his back on his father , and speaks in favour of hypocrisy , Don Juanis not guilty of crimes deserving , either in the opinion of the world or of the stage , of being swallowed up by a flaming trap-door . He is a gay , bad man , -who makes profession of infidelity . Churchmen , in that age , no doubtsmiled approvingly at Iiis fate ; but the worldlings who went to watch his career would hav « been moire seriously affected and better satisfied had lie earned his punishment by treacherously killing the brother of Elvire , and laying violent hands on tlie author of his being . At any rate , in these days , when we are more cautious of inflicting the penalties of the other world , no one really feels that the many peccadilloes and some crimes of Don . Juan are sufficient to account dramatically for his being sent" to the devil" with such expedition . And it is impossible to prevent the catastrophe from having a retroactive effect on the piece . We know to what we are tending ; and the disproportion between the acts of the libertine and their punishment destroys altogether , or nearly altogether , the sentiment of reality . Scarcely for a single moment do we believe in the sorrows of Elvire , because we know that a handsome man is going to be suddenly damned for them .
Mademoiselle Fix , it is true , makes Mathurine so charming , that we nreratlier inclined to envy the whole career of Don Juan , and to think that the lubberly peasant who lost her , we suppose only for a moment—just time for Jove to clip Juno—ought to liave been too hnppy with a hundredth share in sucii a venture . As for El y ire's brother , excellently and conscientiously played , by-tlieby , we think he might as well have stopped away ; the father se-ems impertinently pious ; M . Dimanc / ie could liavc waited for his little account ; and ihe statue ought to have remained on its pedestal . All this is the result of the disproportionately tragic end of the piece—which end causes no emot ion at lastbecause it suggests the idea of a trick ; and instead of caring to take a peep down tho yawning gulf by which the elegant Bressani and his plo . ster-of-1 ' nris companion have disappeared , our interest reverts to the bewilderingly comic Ukgnier , who , in the guise of Sganarelle , darts across tho stage and cries , " My wagesl My wages ! " He gets them in the applause of the audience .
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LUISA MILLElt . If anything can euro tho "Verdi fever now raging with unaba-ted virulence among the operatic audiences in this metropolis , it will assuredly be the L ' " formnnce of Lima Miller . Such unmitigated trash it hsis never been our fate to listen to . From tho first bar to the last , not a glimpse of freshness , not a soiipgon of melody , relieves tho dreary waste of dulness and unavailing noiso . Full of sound and fury signifying nothing , is the only fitting cp-itaph to such a production , and wo may be permitted to regret that an epitaph was not tho first and last recognition of its birth and death . It is difllcult to imagine thut Luka Miller can have preceded ( as is did ) tho Trovatore , for while in tho latter there is exceeding vigour and a constant flow of what is vulgarly <; allcd tune , in tho former there is nothing but impotence and exhaustion . Tho instrumentation is enough to spoil tho best orchestra in Europe by its coarseness and crudity ; for over and lor ever a clash and clang of brass , a braying and a bellowing >" vuin ; as to the stringed instruments , thoy execute all sorts of painftil creukings and contortions without a single moment ' s respite or release Tho " movements" of the music aio like the movements of a man seized with nervous
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572 : -. ^ . ll ^ Lj ^ l ^ L : ? . ^^^ ? ^ L ^ -. - Junu 12 , 1 S 5 S .
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Leader (1850-1860), June 12, 1858, page 572, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2246/page/20/
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