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22/03/2023

100. Birthday of Marcel Marceau

W-FILM also celebrates the 100th birthday of mime Marcel Marceau: With his facial expressions and only a few gestures, he expressed more hope, joy or pain than many a Greek drama. A grand master of mime, Marcel Marceau portrayed the awkwardness of human beings and conveyed the unspeakable through "cries of silence."

In the documentary "The Art of Silence" director Maurizius Staerkle Drux traces the legacy of this artist of the century, interweaving exclusive archival footage with a personal, contemporary view.

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As the tragi-comic clown “Bip”, the famous pantomime Marcel Marceau still inspires people all over the world today. Iconic: the white striped shirt, the face painted white and the battered silk hat with the red flower. However, the tragic background of his art remained hidden for a long time. His Jewish father was murdered in Auschwitz, whereupon Marceau joined the Resistance. With his cousin Georges Loinger, he smuggled Jewish children across the border into Switzerland. Along with gestures and mimes, he taught them not to speak in dangerous situations. Silence promised survival. Influenced by silent film greats like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, he created a unique art form from it after the war, which his heirs continue to this day.

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