| Show r 1 I cc i l e t nL J sa r JL s tL d 3 s gy gyi I An rAn Amazing Distortion the r- r i I in Biblical Story That Outdoes the the's I Horrors of Salome and Makes N a s sY r Y rs y 1 i e eR eX R X s 's 1 r- r l rl Lr I wR s k Israels Israel's Joan the Most Depraved b At Att I- I It t t 5 lw i 1 I 1 t J of Women I e 1 it M I I GJ E bf I j n rin ri riy y t 3 1 i Jr 1 1 s o or t ts r eft Y w A et t V r e I raP f o R K Y Y Yf r f r q qt t t n I y RA A e eo g o ti 7 Ya NaL j 4 I Ij L h hk hW i iL 1 k W P a Od as 4 a i 1 L Ali Alij Alif AliX j f X i ii iI iR R Rl i l I P r I x y f r 6 tk r y j k r 1 K a 1 s 's ke x nr dr e Ga f e t 6 r y si v i Y Ya t a r e x d i a kt p r I r iy r S t Fp tJ t t r i wt I fw I 1 a 1 xa i N ti w l Y 8 a i y e 7 t i a k A Y Y sit i a yo a t f v i e et 6 cow fir r 4 S w a e S Sa a i s a rw c t w Y Yr 4 1 r u t b i E i yu yuIt It- It Itt k y t y I M i r vs a a Fl A II sa a a V t a i isa N Na I S e ea re rea rei reV i a e t P T TF F Y f fr r r I 6 lv t te tr e G II r r R r r i d w S 9 se r S ti r the I II 4 II I ty m cr crt t v r x te t t h hi teLO p y LO 4 r W Y r a I R Ohl r 1 ht S r i it II v y f G Y M ry fet e j i t 1 i ro r a S J Li r Jt J yr i rr x t I Mme Simone the great French actress who lends her brilliant talents a y to the shocking title role of Juditha t mot Y s I From the Henry IC x I x dna t aY Y La JAY I T T IS a n curious fact that the city of I I IT Paris so noted for its love of gayety and frivolity is also noted for a aI I 1 morbid streak in its nature which makes I It relish plays books pictures and other things of a nature so horrible so shock shock- shockingly shockingly gruesome that they are intolerable intolerable intolerable 1 ble to the people of almost every other civilized nation I To gratify this morbid taste one of 11 4 the institutions of the city has longa long been a theater known as the Grand a which specializes in the por- por portrayal por portrayal tv J traya of all the most shocking form forme of human misery vice and crime that I f the imaginations of decadent playwrights j I can devise But Paris accustomed as it is to the tho Grand horrors and long since growing rather bored with their agonizing agonizing I ing procession has hal at last seen a play tl that exceeds en e its inordinate fond fondness I Ii i ness tress for the the tha that horrible horrible that actually I I leaves it gasping This play is Judith Henri Bern Bern- BernI Bernstein's I Istein's steins stein's dramatization of a theme well known to Old Testament students students which is now being given at the Theatre du And it is shocking Paris more than all the Grand shiv shin shivery shivery ery cry horrors rolled into one ever could orthan or orI orthan orthan I than the most daring presentations of Salome ever did The story of Judith as the imagination Imagination i iThe l I tion of Bernstein pictures it is a hideous nightmare nightmare of human nature at its worst a a nightmare that is made all aU the more revolting by the magnificence and the realism with frith which it is produced The Tho great Bakst has designed the cos- cos costumes cos costumes has painted the splendid splendid splendid did scenery and Grassi has composed the haunting Assyrian and Jewish melodies which accompany the action But these beauties only accentuate the ugliness given the story itself and make it all the more revolting to the average thea thea- theatergoer theatergoer M Recent dispatches from Paris say Eay that t some lome omo critics go so far as to say the tho play should be a suppressed suppressed a stand most un- un unusual unusual un unusual usual for any one ono to take in Paris where j It the utmost freedom is allowed in every branch of art BernsteIn Bernsteins drama is an amazing die die- dis distortion I 1 of the In Inspiring story of Judith w as told in the apocryphal book of the same name name in the Old Testament Y BookY i AC to the story in the Book of Judith the Assyrian I King Icing sends sends at the head of I large army against the Israelites The general demands the destruction of the I C temple at Jerusalem and the people pre pre- prepare prepare i pare to resist resist him When the city of Bethulia is attacked its people are so near starvation that their leaders leaden feel I there is nothing to do but surrender I I It is then that Judith a beautiful and wealthy young widow offers to make the supreme sacrifice of her womanly honor In order to deliver her city from the tha In- In invaders In Invaders 1 Clothed In her richest attire and accompanied by her maid she goes v 4 over Clver ver to the hostile camp and Is at once t I I L c r rry ry conducted the presence of the sv fl t mighty general cs w r rr Y r s a d r wh gd n Yi g xEr ea N The leader xEra r Assyrian ms deeply i iY Y r a n t kY f fa t r i watt ahw Jewa smitten with her charms the r 4 e x r f a A Ab b close of a sumptuous ban ban- 1 q b for sf YS t y i he mates her to remain s etT with him in his tent over M k knight C Cawns awns d H Hr I night She smilingly accepts r the invitation but no sooner 8 aa I Is he asleep than Judith a seizing his sword strikes off his head and I II gives it to her maid n e I As related in thet c re w 6 e A Ato to torye Bible it is a pious rye a r story a heroic story t y ovan n rya I 7 v vova ova of the a story sacrifice F M e as n tl s of a noble woman Ass As's r rn a s f e Y h r told in the play of j Bernstein it itis is a II horrible i r d drama ram a a s r 1 Q drama of lust and rind blood lW Judith the Biblical heroine who has inspired a multitude of artists and writers writers writ- writ writers ers ers and is looked upon as a Joan of Arc by the tho Jewish people is pictured as II a sort of Salome a Salome who ho conceals her personal desires under the guise of sacrifice The Biblical Judith is a model of patriotism clothed in the white robe obe of purity and heroic disregard of self Bernstein the playwright tears this white robe away and shows us a psychopathic psycho psycho- pervert Salome as shown to us in Oscar Wildes Wilde's drama seems unnatural and re- re revolting revolting re revolting as she caresses the head of John the Baptist which has been cut off to please her whim But Judith is made to appear a II hundred times more mon mon- monstrous mon mon- monstrous monstrous than the impassioned impassioned Salome as she clambers up the wild rocks of the desert hill in a midnight storm to gaze gate into the tho dead eyes of the horrid head hanging from its gibbet For the eyes which fascinated her have the gone gone crows have picked them out and eaten them I Bernstein spares us none of the hor- hor horrible horrible hor horrible details in his hia play Judith al- al although al although though already once married is pIctured as a woman to whom the joys of love Jove ate are still unknown She becomes aware full blooded of the possibilities they hold for a full full- ull- ull blooded woman through the confession of a slave girl When Judiths Judith's young lover announces that he is going to the Assyrian camp to free the beleaguered city by assassinating she forbids him to go and takes tho task upon her own shoulders In her willingness to undertake this r dangerous mission she is act actuated ac according cording to Bernstein not by any noble patriotism but by a depraved curiosity to see soo what manner of lover this mon mon- monster monster monster ster of cruelty will make mako and how quick quick- quickly quickly quickly ly she can melt his coldness As soon as she is inside the tent of she becomes the conscience conscience- conscienceless conscienceless conscienceless less amp ramp who will stop at nothing to toc c capture the man she has marked for her prey 7 1 14 R Ry r T I y F ss swe F FF x t aj c t E Ev C v t Y F rr rrt r n 4 QI s F r rr r Y an N tl t Y k ks kr kr s r r 47 Judith one of the greatest heroines of the old Israelites as a pictured in Benj Benjamin Constants Constant's painting She is voluptuous charming madden madden- maddening maddening maddening ing This stern military the leader leader theman man whose whoso very no name a strikes terror to his enemies is enemies is completely bewitched by her wll wiles s So infatuated does he become that when finally he ho suspects that she has really come to kill him ho neither reproaches nor punishes her Then comes the thrilling scene when Judith is collapsing with fear tear lest she shebe shebe shebe be destroyed for tor her treachery and hole Holo- 1 r i c a j l 4 a cl n as L v Botticelli's f famous of Judt Judith Judth returning sword in hand to k h Bethulia and accompanied by her maid bearin bearing the ghastly head bead head of Holo w vr ina m in a silken cloth 1 IL 4 ti o a a M Mr r X Y R s d da a rF A M A curious old English engrav engrav- engraving engraving engraving ing of Judith and her maid J with the bloody head of the mighty Assyrian leader actually hands her his sword So completely fascinated is he by her beauty that he points out the spot on In his throat where a thrust of the keen blade lade will be most moat surely s fatal He is ready to give his hia life in order that his charmer may leap into fame as the savior of her people It is at this point that the playwright brings out his conception of Judiths Judith's de- de depraVIty depravity de depravity Instead of using the sword to todeal todeal todeal deal the blow that will save her people she flings herself passionately into Hole Holo- Holo arms an arms s and covers the tha throat he offered for her death thrust v with th burning burn burn- burning burning ing kisses The next neat ne t morning Judith realizes that her weakness has brought her none of the Joys of lovo that the slave girl had described to her and she is overcome with shame shamo and horror Completely disillusioned Eh shy resolves N I r- r K 7 cr to try to redeem hersel herself by S killing the genera general While Holp Holp- sleeps Judith creeps slowly him and and with the y ve sword he he had offered her the ni night ht before she cuts ruts off his Ius head and thus saves Israel flom destruction Y 1 Then pale andas and as harda hard a of Mac Mac- Macbeth Macbeth Mac 1 tit visage as Lady beth both she discloses to her maid the bloodiness oft of t rr her crime Her lIer hands and j gown are arc still dripping 4 Y with crimson end and the maid turns away aay in m honor and tl disgust y Can this be a the a maid asks and no wonder onder for forr r there is none of the trembling none of the shrinking of a woman in Judiths Judith's attitude Self possessed and calm she orders or or- or orders ders the maid to place the head of in a II purple silk bag hag and together they return to Bethulia v with th the ghastly trophy The people of Israel rejoice Their city has been saved and their high priestess has returned to them She seems overcome with sorrow but the people misinterpret her pensive aloof aloof- aloofness aloofness aloofness ness Only her lover understands when she says to him Tell me do you think that one can love without knowing ng IU its it And then Can a 8 being km kill the ob- ob object ob object Jeet of Its love ove Ho He understands from these questions what her real feeling kas as BBS toward Hole Holo- Holo phonies and he runs from her in horror Judith sits alone and reflects He was asleep I killed him while he slept His lips wore open His Ills aos e os were closed Ahl Ahi Ah His head up therel there 1 Then it is that she feels the urge of the tho same horrible craving that possessed the Salome the desire desiro to caress the head of her beloved While Whilo the tho thunder crashes and thea the tha i 1 t a 7 1 Y L becomes black and oppre se Judith climbs the he mountain where the head of of is 15 nailed by the thet thel thel l t l haIr The mountain becomes more and andI moie e desolate as shi sha climbs hl higher her and I higl er but she toils tolls on over I and over words nords of love for those eyes N the eyes ot o Her words recall those of Oscar Oscarr Wildes Wilde's when Salo Salome e seizes John the r i Baptists Baptist's head and sas sa's says I Ahl Ah I thou not suffer me to kiss thy mouth Well I will Ill kiss it now I will VIII bite it with my teeth teeth as one bites a ripe Yes Iw I w will l kist kiss thy mouth But wherefore dost Bost thou not look 1001 at atme atme atme me Thine eyes that were so 80 terrible so full of rage and scorn are shut now Wherefore are arc they shut I f I saw thee lhee and I loved thee Oh I I how I loved thee theol I I love lova thee yet yet I love lo only thee I 1 Iam Iam I am athirst for thy beauty I am hungry for thy body and neither wine nor ap- ap ap apples pIes ples shallI can can appease my desire What shall l I do now Neither the floods nor the tha great waters can quench my pas pm- passion pas passion sion lion And Herod the warrior king exclaIms I at this She Is la monstrous 1 I But Dut not so monstrous as the Judith of Bernsteins Bernstein's drama She continues her climb up the mountainside followed herY b by Y her lover who young pleads with her to return She spurns him him and he ho tall falls across her path his knife plunged In I his breast Quite unmoved by his fate Judith steps over the dead body and Holo reaches up for the gory head of Hole Holo- hanging on the gibbet among the th rocks The lightning flashes and Judith in ecstasy looks up into the face of her beloved only to find that the eyes eye she loved have ha been torn out by the crows Her IIer unnatural carrIOn self-control self de- de de deserts deI I her and she sinks to the ground with an unearthly shriek shriek-a shriek that brings to an end the most horrifying drama Paris has terrifically ever seen Been I Ip p lr r V rV o 4 t |
