The Red Shoes

UK 1948
134 minutes
Directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
Leading players - Anton Walbrook, Marius Goring & Moira Shearer

Synopsis

The Red Shoes is a film in total contrast to anything else emerging from the British cinema of the period . Imaginative, magical, melodramatic, it is an extraordinary tale of romance and artistic obsession, distinguished by flawless performances from Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook and Marius Goring.

The story, echoed by the ballet within the film, is based on Hans Christian Andersen's tale of a pair of magical shoes that permit their wearer to achieve perfection in dance, but tragically will not allow her to stop. A young dancer, Victoria (Moira Shearer), falls in love with a talented composer, Julian (Marius Goring), thus incurring the wrath of the tyrannical impresario, Boris Lermontov (Anton Walbrook), who predicts a brilliant future for her. Julian and Victoria marry, but Lermontov ruthlessly attempts to come between them, threatening Victoria's career and forcing her to choose. Tragedy ensues.

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Powell and Pressburger jointly wrote, produced and directed the film, which was a tremendous critical and commercial success. Oscars were awarded for the colour Art Direction and for Brian Easdale's score, magnificently performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Beecham. There were also nominations for Best Screenplay and Best Picture. The ballet sequence was the inspiration for the ballet in 'An American In Paris' (also to be screened this season), and is flawlessly performed by Shearer, Leonide Massine and Robert Helpmann.

There is a wide variety of glorious locations - London, Paris, Monte Carlo - and some magnificent settings. Still considered the best ballet film ever made, you don't have to be a balletomane to enjoy it.