Проект Ефименко Екатерины

Biography Madame Tussaud

Madame Tussaud whose first name is Marie was born in France in 1761. Her father, a soldier, was killed in battle two months before her birth. She lived with the mother who worked as a housekeeper for the doctor who had a wonderful skill of modelling anatomical subjects in wax. Soon Marie and her mother with the doctor Curtius moved to Paris.

   France was approaching the Revolution.   At the time of the revolution Marie and her mother were imprisoned for some time.

   The time of terror came to an end.   In the following years she married a French engineer, Francois Tussaud and by 1800 had given birth to three children: a daughter who died and two sons.

Madame Tussaud's talent

Marie soon discovered she had a talent for observation and remembering the details of faces.

   Dr. Curtius acted as a teacher to Marie, schooling her in the techniques of wax portraits. Thanks to him she used a scientific approach in wax portraiture. She was soon allowed to model the great figures of the time. Among them were Francois Voltaire and the American statesman Benjamin Franklin.

Benjamin Franklin 

      Francois Voltaire 

Benjamin Franklin                                                                                     Francois Voltaire

Madam Tussaud's Museum

Madam Tussaud's is the most popular and talked about wax museum in the world. There are wax models of the famous and infamous, both living and dead, from every walk of life.

Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Marilyn Monro, Michael Jackson, Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie Chaplin, the British Royal family, Bill Clinton, Jack the Ripper ... There is no other place where you can see all the celebrities at once, even if they are only wax figures. So if you want to rub shoulders with kings and queens or the latest pop stars, or probably with notorious criminals, this is the place to go.

The museum is situated in Marylebone Road, not far from the street which is famous as the home of the first great detective in fiction, Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.

There's usually a long queue in front of the museum. No wonder! Many tourists would consider their trip to London worthless if they didn't visit the famous Madam Tussaud's. There are several halls at Madam Tussaud's. Highlights include the Grand Hall, the Chamber of Horrors and "The Spirit of London" exhibition.

The wax figures are standing and sitting, and sometimes even moving and talking. They are extremely realistic and when they look at you, their eyes sparkling, you often feel uncomfortable in their company. Computer controlled figures (they are called audioanimatronics) are especially popular with the visitors.

New models are being produced all the time while the old ones are quietly removed from display. Over the years hundreds of celebrities have made their way to Madame Tussaud's studio. Most people agree to be portrayed, but some refuse. Mother Teresa was one of the few who declined, saying her work was important, not her person.

The figures

Video

http://rutube.ru/tracks/5255586.html

English –Russian Vocabulary

a soldier                                                  солдат        

killed                                                       убитый

housekeeper                                           экономка

wonderful                                               замечательный

skill                                                          мастерство

approaching                                           приближается   

imprisoned                                             тюрьму

two sons                                                  двух сыновей

married                                                   женат

daughter                                                 дочь

following                                                 после

wax portraiture                                      восковой портрет

remembering                                         помнить

schooling                                                обучение

the techniques                                        методы

scientific                                                 научный

approach                                                 подход

observation                                             наблюдение

produced                                                 производства

every walk of life                                     всех сферах жизни

celebrities                                               знаменитости

shoulders                                                плечи

queens                                                     королев

place to go                                              место, чтобы пойти

is situated                                               находиться

queue                                                      очередь

worthless                                                бесполезный

several halls                                            несколько залов

exhibition                                               выставка

standing                                                  стоячий

sitting                                                      сидящий

sparkling                                                 сверкающий

uncomfortable                                        неудобный

controlled                                               контроль

especially                                                особенно

dead                                                         мертвый