In a Box, Again.

With Heads & Tales complete and not very much time before we are separated from our teacher, we just decided to watch a video today. And today's choice? None other than Marcel Marceau. Who's he? Only the greatest mine this world has ever seen. Mr. Marceau recently passed away last September. Though we didn't watch the video for very long, we were able to see two of Marceau's mimes. The first, called "The Sculptor", was rather ordinary with a sculptor pondering what to make and having a hard time building it. What really set Marceau's miming from the usual pantomimes we do in class was that his movements were especially staged and set in the sense that he would be striking poses for the first few minutes, almost as if they were prescribed. I really liked how Marceau would provide sound effects in addition to the background music by subtly stomping his feet to give the effect of chiseling the clay and so on. The second mime was related to youth, maturity, and old age, all subjects quite abstract. I got the basic gist of what he was performing as he evolved from a fetus to a walking man and eventually frozen in death, but it was quite boring. For our own pantomimes that we're scheduled to perform in 2 weeks or so with background music, I believe I'll be straying away from any of those kinds of topics.

Well anyways, back to Marceau. Originally names Marcel Mangel, Marceau and his brother adopted the last names "Marceau" in order to hide their Jewish origins as they lived near Germany during World War II. In 1947, Marceau created "Bip" the clown, who in his striped pullover and battered silk opera hat had become his alter ego, somewhat like Chaplin's own "Little Tramp". This clown supposedly symbolized the fragility of life. Marceau's silent exercises included classic works like The Cage, Walking Against the Wind, The Mask Maker, and The Park were described as works of genius. After recieving the renowned Deburau Prize, Marceau formed his Compagnie de Mime Marcel Marceau, the only company of mimes at the time. The ensemble played in theatres around Paris. After seeing Marceau's work, I can understand the acclaim that surrounds his name, but I don't think pantomime is really for me. The physicality just isn't there for me. But isn't he something?