Marcel Marceau- in memoriam by Claudia Sonea

On Saturday in Paris a star took its rightful place on the blue sky; the mime legend Marcel Marceau died due to unrevealed reasons. However, the causes are not that important, the thing that really matters is his legacy. Besides the fact that the mime that dates to ancient Greece was revived thanks to him, Marceau was a hero during World War II and a bunch of children who are now grown ups owe him their life. He was a Jew born Marcel Mangel on March 22, 1923, in Strasbourg, France. Charles, his father, although he was a butcher, he had great love of song and introduced him in to the world of music and theater at an early age. Chaplin, Buster Keaton and the Marx brothers were the ones that captivated his interest and later on inspired him in his performance. When the Nazis entered eastern France, his family fled to the southwest and changed their name in Marceau to trick the invaders into believing they are French. He and his brother Alain decided to enter the French Resistance, helping children to escape the deportation by altering their age on the identity card. Later on he became the inside man for Gen. George S. Patton's army. In 1944 a tragedy fell upon his family; his father was deported to Auschwitz, the concentration camp. As a mime, the entire performance was a live representation of his experiences. A spectrum of characters took live through his talent of miming. At the Theatre de Poche, a smoke-filled Left Bank cabaret, Marcel got to perfection with the mime acting, creating his personal trademark that become famous across the world after his mid 1950s debut in America. He performed in Asia, Europe, United States, Cuba, interpreting characters from a waiter to a lion tamer to an old woman knitting, and to the best-known Bip. Youth, Maturity, Old Age, Death was an act that showed the cycle of life in just few minutes, while Public Garden was the act pointing out his amazing talent, miming in a park all the characters from little boys playing ball to old women with knitting needles. Besides his Legion of Honor and his countless honorary degrees, Marcel was also invited to be a United Nations goodwill ambassador for a 2002 conference on aging. President Nicolas Sarkozy stated that France is losing an eminent ambassador and Prime Minister Francois Fillon praised Marceau saying that he will remain a legend because he succeeded to break all languages barriers. Let's keep a moment of silence in the loving memory of someone that left a trace behind and enriched everyone.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070923/ap_on_en_ot/obit_marceau;_ylt=ApFuU5YJcKGGPtL_LxOgHICs0NUE

by Claudia Sonea for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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