The Red Shoes - Criterion Collection
by Emeric Pressburger
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Albert Bassermann, Derek Elphinstone, Eric Berry, Irene Browne, Marius GoringDirector: Emeric Pressburger
Primary Contributor: Marius Goring
Primary Contributor: Moira Shearer
Primary Contributor: Walbrook, Anton
DVD: 2 Layers, Region Code 0
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: Academy Ratio, 1.33:1
Running Time: 134 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-05-18
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Criterion
Movie Reviews of The Red Shoes - Criterion Collection
Movie Review: Both Beautiful and Trivial
Summary: 4 Stars
A great many people--including Martin Scosese--have stated that seeing THE RED SHOES fueled their desire for a career in the arts, and over the years the film has acquired quasi-legendary status as an intellectually profound, emotionally stirring motion picture that investigates the deep personal sacrifices a career in the arts requires. But while I found the film visually stunning and interesting in concept, I also found it simplistic in its statements on the nature of art and nothing short of trivial melodrama in terms of plot.
Very loosely based on the goings-on in the famous Serge Diaghilev ballet company, the film concerns a rising dancer (Moira Shearer) and rising composer (Marius Goring) who fall under the spell of an inflexible impressario (Anton Walbrook), who leads them to create a new ballet: The Red Shoes, based on the famous Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale. The ballet turns both dancer and composer into stars--but so far as the impressario is concerned art leaves no room for human affection, and when the dancer falls in love with the composer professional and personal tragedy is the result.
THE RED SHOES is particularly famous for its portrait of backstage life and the fifteen-minute "Ballet of the Red Shoes" sequence, which was the first of its kind in a major motion picture. Moira Shearer, who was a major dancer at the time of the film, is more of a dancer than an actor, but she carries the demands of the script very well. The remaining cast, however, overplays shamelessly, and when combined with the trivial plot and equally trivial script--well, let's just say that the whole thing acquires a slightly ripe quality and it is difficult to feel a great deal of interest in the characters or their personal difficulties.
Even so, THE RED SHOES is nothing short of visually stunning. It is easily among the finest Technicolor films made, and the attention to design detail is elegant, beautiful, and imaginative. Although certain camera techniques have dated poorly, the "Ballet of the Red Shoes" is indeed worthy of its fame, and Shearer is exceptionally attractive in her screen debut. The Criterion DVD presents the film in near-pristine condition with a truly memorable audio commentary. Recommmended, but don't expect too much in terms of depth.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Summary of The Red Shoes - Criterion Collection
A glorious Technicolor epic that influenced generations of filmmakers, artists, and aspiring ballerinas, The Red Shoes intricately weaves backstage life with the thrill of performance. A young ballerina (Moira Shearer) is torn between two forces: the composer who loves her (Marius Goring), and the impresario determined to fashion her into a great dancer (Anton Walbrook). Criterion is proud to present The Red Shoes in its DVD premiere.It's been said that this 1948 classic has been responsible for the ballet lessons of more young girls than any other film. It's not hard to understand why: Michael Powell and Emerich Pressburger's dark fairy tale presents the ballet as an exquisite, magical work of art; but under the theatrics and glory is an all-consuming lifestyle with the power to destroy those who love it perhaps too much. Moira Shearer practically glows as Victoria "Vicky" Page, a young woman consumed by a will to dance who is accepted into the highly prestigious ballet company run by perfectionist Boris Lermontov (Anton Walbrook). Meanwhile, a gifted young composer, Julian Craster (Marius Goring), is brought on board as an orchestra coach, and later conductor and composer of the ballet that will make Vicky's name: The Red Shoes, one of the most beautiful and dramatic dances ever captured on film. Professional and personal jealousies soon pull this creative team apart, however, and Vicky is torn between her love of Julian, her responsibility to Boris, and her need to dance. Powell and Pressburger recast Hans Christian Andersen's sad story as a modern romantic melodrama, highlighted by beautiful dances and shot, not as stage ballets, but rather as expressionist cinematic dramas on impossibly grand sets awash with bold color and beautifully captured in glorious Technicolor by cinematographer Jack Cardiff. It's a brilliant melding of dance and drama as Vicky's real life mirror's the tragic story she danced in the Red Shoes ballet. --Sean Axmaker
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