THE ART OF SILENCE
by Karen Pecota

Switzerland/Germany | 2022 Director/Writer: Maurizius Staerkle Drux

Swiss filmmaker Maurizius Staerkle Drux brings to light the heartbreaking past that molded the man, who became Marcel Marceau, the world's most famous mime in THE ART OF SILENCE.

Marceau was beloved as "Bip", the French clown of comedy and tragedy, dressed in the striped shirt, his face covered in white theatrical make-up, and wearing a battered silk hat with a red flower. His signature stage attire was so recognizable, as was his stage name, Marceau.

Born into a Jewish family with the last name Mangel, his family to leave their home in Strasbourg, France, when WWII broke out. Marceau fled to join the French Jewish Resistance, and tragically watched his father head to the concentration camp in Auschwitz, where he eventually met their maker.

Kept secret for a very long time was the journey Marceau took, along with his cousin George Loigner, in order to escape the Nazi stronghold. The two smuggled over 350 orphaned Jewish children across the French border into Switzerland, safely. How? With love and precision!

Marceau used the art of silence to save children and adults, many times over, from the clutches of the Nazi's German Border Patrol. A ruthless group feared by all. He taught the children gestures and mimes to communicate with each other, because this language of silence was necessary for survival. And, one they could easily learn because it was fun! This interaction was ideal, particularly in dangerous situations. Mime was the tool used for their salvation.

Marceau was clever and had to create many different situations so the children could cross the borders safely and avoid suspicion from the border patrol. One escape plan was that he would recreate a funeral procession because not only was it culturally natural, one could use many children.

After the war, Marceau took the mime and gestures that saved many and creatively transformed it into a theatrical art form. A salvation, both different and beloved, that the world needed; as well as, brought Marceau world fame through his talent. He performed roughly 300 shows a year over a forty-year period touring the world, working almost until he died.

Marceau's legacy lives on through countless performers who either learned from him, attended his mime school under the direction of Marceau's wife, Anne Sicco, or learned from others who have perfected the craft world-wide. Ron Mermin attended Marceau's school and became a famous clown. His Parkinson's diagnosis now limits his theatrical performances but he still uses mime to communicate and teach most effectively. Christoph Staerkle, the filmmaker’s father, was born deaf and has found mime to be an expression that has given him life beyond measure.

Drux says, "I grew up with a deaf father. From an early age, my visual attention was greatly nurtured, because my life sometimes resembled a silent movie." Adding, "With THE ART OF SILENCE, I reflect a part of my own life story and go beyond what is hidden behind Marceau's white mask." A synthesis of image and sound in his filmmaking, Drux continues, "I realized one thing, while spending time with Marceau's family, friends, and colleagues who carry on Marceau's art form in their own way, they have this in common: they all draw their art from silence, and have the strength to use it to change their lives."