Lot Essay
Demosthenes, the Greek orator and statesman, was born in Athens in 384 B.C. Cicero, one of his most fervent admirers, related Demosthenes' tireless practice to make himself a great speaker: in order to correct a speech impediment which had afflicted him as a boy, he filled his mouth with pebbles, and tested his voice through exhausting excerises. Lecomte du Noy produces a powerful representation of the orator, while he tried to make his voice carry over the sound of the waves and the wind.