This film biography based on the life of Marcel Marceau is about the most important mime of all time and probably the most famous in the world. He joined the Jewish resistance group "Résistance" in France to save thousands of orphans.
At the beginning, General Patton, played by Ed Harris, introduces the mime Marceau to the allied troops after the liberation of France. At the end of the movie, Marceau reflects his war experiences in his mime show. In a flashback, the film recounts the early life of Marceau, who is played by Jesse Eisenberg. His acting performance was completely convincing, he was consistently nuanced and convincing and believable in his role. I have seen the German dubbing and can't comment on Jesse Eisenberg's original accent. I'm also not a mime expert and can't say anything negative about this interpretation of moving. The focus of the film is not on the pantomime technique, this is not the main focus here but serves as a means to an end, to put a smile on the faces of traumatized children and to take away some of their fear. It is therefore not important to me whether this performance is perfect.
Marceau, who was inspired by Chaplin, initially ekes out a living with small gigs and a job in his father's butcher's shop (Karl Markovics). His art is actually the most important thing to him, much to his father's annoyance. It's nice that the little interpersonal offshoot of father and son continues to be told in the background. Karl Markovics is also always a pleasure to watch.
Marceau wants to join the group, but not just because he wants to impress a girl (Clémence Poésy), but also because he realizes that he has genuine compassion for these homeless and often parentless children. He can make them laugh, but with his physical agility he can also teach them useful tricks, such as climbing and hiding in trees. There are some touching moments between Marcel and the children, as well as some acts of pure courage from all involved. The movie shines with a great performance from Clémence Poésy but also from Matthias Schweighöfer as Klaus Barbie, the head of the Gestapo in France (and known as "The Butcher of Lyon"). Through his actions and sadistic tendencies, the brutality of war becomes clear, which was particularly hard to bear at times in the hotel scenes.
The moments of pure horror are well presented, but never overly graphic. You can feel the stress of the resistance struggling to get the children to safety and the pain of tragic loss.
The direction is reliable - the pacing is good and the tension becomes more gripping as the story progresses. It's a harrowing alternation between the humanity of Marcel and the cruelty of Klaus Barbie. The soundtrack was great and always fitting.
The movie completely picked us up, we empathized, trembled, smiled and even shed a few tears at the end. We were touched by the courage, tenacity and love that can be felt in the movie.
----- Conclusion:
Excellent - Filmmaker Jakubowicz has delivered a fascinating story of heroism and courage. This is another story that deserves to be remembered. " Résistance" is definitely worth seeing.
At the beginning, General Patton, played by Ed Harris, introduces the mime Marceau to the allied troops after the liberation of France. At the end of the movie, Marceau reflects his war experiences in his mime show. In a flashback, the film recounts the early life of Marceau, who is played by Jesse Eisenberg. His acting performance was completely convincing, he was consistently nuanced and convincing and believable in his role. I have seen the German dubbing and can't comment on Jesse Eisenberg's original accent. I'm also not a mime expert and can't say anything negative about this interpretation of moving. The focus of the film is not on the pantomime technique, this is not the main focus here but serves as a means to an end, to put a smile on the faces of traumatized children and to take away some of their fear. It is therefore not important to me whether this performance is perfect.
Marceau, who was inspired by Chaplin, initially ekes out a living with small gigs and a job in his father's butcher's shop (Karl Markovics). His art is actually the most important thing to him, much to his father's annoyance. It's nice that the little interpersonal offshoot of father and son continues to be told in the background. Karl Markovics is also always a pleasure to watch.
Marceau wants to join the group, but not just because he wants to impress a girl (Clémence Poésy), but also because he realizes that he has genuine compassion for these homeless and often parentless children. He can make them laugh, but with his physical agility he can also teach them useful tricks, such as climbing and hiding in trees. There are some touching moments between Marcel and the children, as well as some acts of pure courage from all involved. The movie shines with a great performance from Clémence Poésy but also from Matthias Schweighöfer as Klaus Barbie, the head of the Gestapo in France (and known as "The Butcher of Lyon"). Through his actions and sadistic tendencies, the brutality of war becomes clear, which was particularly hard to bear at times in the hotel scenes.
The moments of pure horror are well presented, but never overly graphic. You can feel the stress of the resistance struggling to get the children to safety and the pain of tragic loss.
The direction is reliable - the pacing is good and the tension becomes more gripping as the story progresses. It's a harrowing alternation between the humanity of Marcel and the cruelty of Klaus Barbie. The soundtrack was great and always fitting.
The movie completely picked us up, we empathized, trembled, smiled and even shed a few tears at the end. We were touched by the courage, tenacity and love that can be felt in the movie.
----- Conclusion:
Excellent - Filmmaker Jakubowicz has delivered a fascinating story of heroism and courage. This is another story that deserves to be remembered. " Résistance" is definitely worth seeing.