Marcel Marceau started out as a butcher. Ironically, his great nemesis was Klaus Barbie, the infamous Nazi torturer known as the Butcher of Lyon.
Marceau is, of course, known as the master of mime, but during World War II he was a vital participant in the French Resistance, directly or indirectly saving many, many Jewish children by shepherding them across the Swiss border.
Writer director, Jonathan Jakubowicz’s film RESISTANCE chronicles Marceau’s life from apprentice butcher and budding actor to anti Nazi activist from the invasion and occupation of France to the Allied liberation of Europe.
From Strasbourg sausage seller to lionhearted Lyon counterfeiter and child smuggler, the film focuses on Marceau’s enduring hope and in the power of art to entrance, especially children, even in the darkest hours. In a time when unbridled hatred ruled over Europe, Marcel Marceau proved just how much we can achieve if we keep believing in good over evil, in resistance over revenge, in perseverance in the face of persecution.
Jessie Eisenberg plays the young Marcel with probably too much sophisticated swagger for the fledgling performer turned freedom fighter at the start, but the characterisation catches up as the Nazi occupation ratchets up and the race gathers apace to save as many children as possible.
Clémence Poésy plays Emma, the fearless, no nonsense resistance fighter who Marcel falls for. It is a beautifully poised performance as her character transitions through a number of experiences that range from heart warming to harrowing to unalloyed heroism.
RESISTANCE follows all the tropes of the WW II resistance fighter movies – the hero’s initial reluctance, reticent romance finally reciprocated, subterfuge, suspense, betrayal, torture, personal sacrifice for the communal good- and delivers a solid story of art versus atrocity, tenacity of truth over tyranny, the veracity of kindness over viciousness.
Oppressors would have it that resistance is futile, but as RESISTANCE illustrates, resistance is fertile, ensuring the growth of a new generation is the greatest victory over evil. As true today as it was during World War II.
RESISTANCE is available to rent from Foxtel Store and releases theatrically as cinema attendance restrictions ease.