Marcel Marceau paints a masterpiece you'll never see—but can't unsee.
short from of Series “The Art of silence: pantomimes with Marcel Marceau and his partner Pierre Verry”. Mime makes the invisible visible and the visible invisible. Marceau’s sometimes comical - but always graceful - interpretation of The Painter in Central Park allows the viewer to “see” objects which are not there.
Acting
Marceau's invisible brushstrokes deserve an Oscar.
Practical Effects
Zero props, infinite imagination—pure theatrical sorcery.
Director
John W. Barnes
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This short was part of an educational series PBS ran in schools, meaning generations learned silent storytelling from a French mime in gymnasiums.
Marceau's Bip character influenced everything from Mr. Bean to Pixar's WALL-E—this is where wordless physical comedy became cinematic language.
US
