Issue Date: May 7, 2006
Look who's talking
A mime on the nearly wordless 1976 comedy "Silent Movie"
The Mel Brooks box set, out now, includes eight DVDs.
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THE PLOT: Disgraced alcoholic director Mel Funn (Mel Brooks) plans a comeback with a star-studded silent film. Buddies Marty (Marty Feldman) and Dom (Dom DeLuise) help him wrangle a cast that includes Liza Minnelli, Burt Reynolds and Anne Bancroft.
Insider's credentials: Gregg Goldston has performed mime for 30 years. He has studied under Moni Yakim, Stefan Niedzialkowski and Marcel Marceau (the latter appears in the movie). This summer, Goldston will teach mime at the American Ballet Theatre.
OVERVIEW: "A lot of times, people think physical comedy is just slapping pies in someone's face. But this movie goes beyond the gags; it's the ability of the cast as mime actors. We are following their train of thought without words."
Scene 15: Marcel Marceau -- Playing himself, renowned mime Marcel Marceau battles a hearty wind as he takes a phone call from Mel. After hearing the director's pitch, Marceau utters the sole audible line of the entire film -- "Non!"
"I studied with Marceau for 21 years, and he is both a humanitarian and an older brother to me. That scene is one of the cleanest bits of his work on film. It was done in his Paris apartment."
Scene 16: Pursuing Paul Newman -- Mel, Marty and Dom snag Paul Newman for their film after a goofy wheelchair chase.
"I love it because it's a double parody since Newman is a famous race-car enthusiast. Something I get asked about a lot is whether mimes can use props or music. I like to say mime is a wordless art, not a silent art. Props [like a wheelchair] or sound can take you a step closer or farther away from your illusion. As with all arts, you need to know the difference."
-- Rebecca Louie
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