Pauline Fossil
Encyclopedia
Pauline Fossil is a fictional character in the 1936 children's book Ballet Shoes
by Noel Streatfeild
. In the 2007 film adaption she is played by Emma Watson
.
. He took her home and adopted her in the name of his great-niece Sylvia Brown. She was given the name 'Pauline' after the Apostle Paul, who was also rescued from a shipwreck. With blonde hair and blue eyes, Pauline is seen as the 'beauty' of the family, and as the eldest, she is often the one who takes the lead.
Pauline lives in London
, England
. When she was six, she started going to school, but she had to leave because her guardian could no longer pay the school fees. She was then tutored by Dr. Jakes and Dr. Smith, who were boarders in the house. Another boarder, Theo Dane, suggested that all three girls enrol at the Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training in order to bring in some money when they were old enough to work. Pauline was enrolled with her sisters Petrova
and Posy
at the age of 10. She showed some talent for dance
, but not as much as her talent for acting
. She soon became the best actress in her academic year. Her first role was Tyltyl in the Maurice Maeterlinck
's theatre
play The Blue Bird. When she was 12, she got her permission to work, and auditioned for her first professional role, Alice
in the theatre
play Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
. Although another student, Winifred, did a better audition, the director cast Pauline purely because she looked right for Alice, embarrassing Pauline and upsetting Winifred. Winifred became Pauline's understudy
. Pauline became very famous in the role, but the special treatment she was given as the lead actress meant that she also became egotistical, bossing her sisters around and expecting them to pick up after her. This backfired on her after she ended up being rude to the director, who punished her by replacing her with Winifred for that night's performance. This taught Pauline a lesson in humility and after Alice, she became a successful theatre actress, acting as Peaseblossom in A Midsummer Night's Dream
and King Edward IV in Richard III
.
Her performance in Richard III
led to Hollywood showing some interest. She screentested for the role of Henrietta Anne of England in the hit film about King Charles II
but found it difficult to adapt to film after being trained for the stage. Despite this, Pauline eventually convinced the director that she could act. After the film, Pauline returned to the theatre for the last time, playing the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella
. After Cinderella, Pauline signed a contract with a Hollywood studio and moved to California, accompanied by Sylvia.
Ballet Shoes (novel)
Ballet Shoes is a classic 1936 children's novel by Noel Streatfeild.Ballet Shoes and the other "Shoes books" have been popular worldwide, since their initial publications from 1936 to 1962.-Plot summary:...
by Noel Streatfeild
Noel Streatfeild
Mary Noel Streatfeild OBE , known as Noel Streatfeild, was an author, most famous for her children's books including Ballet Shoes . Several of her novels have been adapted for film or television.-Biography:...
. In the 2007 film adaption she is played by Emma Watson
Emma Watson
Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson is an English actress and model.Watson rose to prominence playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series. Watson was cast as Hermione at the age of nine, having previously acted only in school plays. From 2001 to 2011, she starred in all eight Harry Potter...
.
Pauline's story
When she was just a baby, she was adopted by Professor Matthew Brown. He found her during his travels, in a shipwreckShipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
. He took her home and adopted her in the name of his great-niece Sylvia Brown. She was given the name 'Pauline' after the Apostle Paul, who was also rescued from a shipwreck. With blonde hair and blue eyes, Pauline is seen as the 'beauty' of the family, and as the eldest, she is often the one who takes the lead.
Pauline lives in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. When she was six, she started going to school, but she had to leave because her guardian could no longer pay the school fees. She was then tutored by Dr. Jakes and Dr. Smith, who were boarders in the house. Another boarder, Theo Dane, suggested that all three girls enrol at the Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training in order to bring in some money when they were old enough to work. Pauline was enrolled with her sisters Petrova
Petrova Fossil
Petrova Fossil is a character in the book Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild, and two films which have been based on that book.-Petrova's story:...
and Posy
Posy Fossil
Posy Fossil is a character in the book Ballet Shoes and its two television adaptations. She was adopted by Professor Matthew Brown, called Gum, who took her from her mother, the dancer. She is portrayed by Sarah Prince and by Lucy Boynton...
at the age of 10. She showed some talent for dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, but not as much as her talent for acting
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
. She soon became the best actress in her academic year. Her first role was Tyltyl in the Maurice Maeterlinck
Maurice Maeterlinck
Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck, also called Comte Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911. The main themes in his work are death and the meaning of life...
's theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
play The Blue Bird. When she was 12, she got her permission to work, and auditioned for her first professional role, Alice
Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
Alice is a fictional character in the literary classic, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, And What Alice Found There. She is a young girl from Victorian-era Britain.-Development:...
in the theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
play Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
. Although another student, Winifred, did a better audition, the director cast Pauline purely because she looked right for Alice, embarrassing Pauline and upsetting Winifred. Winifred became Pauline's understudy
Understudy
In theater, an understudy is a performer who learns the lines and blocking/choreography of a regular actor or actress in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to appear on stage because of illness or emergencies, the understudy takes over the part...
. Pauline became very famous in the role, but the special treatment she was given as the lead actress meant that she also became egotistical, bossing her sisters around and expecting them to pick up after her. This backfired on her after she ended up being rude to the director, who punished her by replacing her with Winifred for that night's performance. This taught Pauline a lesson in humility and after Alice, she became a successful theatre actress, acting as Peaseblossom in A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
and King Edward IV in Richard III
Richard III (play)
Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
.
Her performance in Richard III
Richard III (play)
Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
led to Hollywood showing some interest. She screentested for the role of Henrietta Anne of England in the hit film about King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
but found it difficult to adapt to film after being trained for the stage. Despite this, Pauline eventually convinced the director that she could act. After the film, Pauline returned to the theatre for the last time, playing the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
. After Cinderella, Pauline signed a contract with a Hollywood studio and moved to California, accompanied by Sylvia.
Theatre
- The Blue Bird
- Author: Maurice MaeterlinckMaurice MaeterlinckMaurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck, also called Comte Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911. The main themes in his work are death and the meaning of life...
- Role: Tyltyl
- Author: Maurice Maeterlinck
- Alice's Adventures in WonderlandAlice's Adventures in WonderlandAlice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
- Author: Lewis Carol
- Role: AliceAlice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)Alice is a fictional character in the literary classic, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, And What Alice Found There. She is a young girl from Victorian-era Britain.-Development:...
- A Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
- Author: William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
- Role: Peaseblossom
- Author: William Shakespeare
- Richard IIIRichard III (play)Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
- Author: William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
- Role: henriettaHenriettaHenrietta may refer to:* Henrietta , a feminine given name, derived from the male name Henry- Places :* Henrietta Island in the Arctic Ocean* Henrietta, Missouri* Henrietta, New York* Henrietta, Ohio* Henrietta, Texas* Henrietta, Wisconsin...
- Author: William Shakespeare
- CinderellaCinderella"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
- Role: Fairy Godmother
Films
- Charles AboardCharles II of EnglandCharles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
- Director: M. Scholcky
- Role: Henrietta Anne of England
- Unknown Hollywood film