The Red Shoes, the singular fantasia from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (Black Narcissus, The Small Back Room), is cinema’s quintessential backstage drama, as well as one of the most glorious Technicolor visual feasts ever concocted for the screen. Moira Shearer (The Tales of Hoffmann, Peeping Tom) is a rising star ballerina romantically torn between an idealistic composer and a ruthless impresario intent on perfection. Featuring outstanding performances, blazingly beautiful cinematography by Jack Cardiff (Black Narcissus, The African Queen), Oscar-winning sets and music, and an unforgettable, hallucinatory central dance sequence, this beloved classic, now dazzlingly restored, stands as an enthralling tribute to the life of the artist. 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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August 3, 2010
#1
Review by Donna Bowman
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Many of Powell and Pressburger’s films explore the life of the artist and the power of the artistic imagination. In THE RED SHOES and PEEPING TOM, most notably, the writer-directors reveal the sacrifices that art sometimes demands from its acolytes.Balletophiles often praise THE RED SHOES, but one need not be a fan of ballet to be amazed by the film’s emotional power and extraordinary staging. On the Criterion DVD, the saturated reds that represent the artist’s blood sacrifice, and the cool aqua-blues that represent the (false) promise of life and romance outside of art, appear with unmatched vividness. Powell is a master of color, and has influenced a generation of filmmakers (through the advocacy of his admirer Martin Scorcese) with his theories about how color and music contribute to the thematic impact of a film.Anton Walbrook, who plays the impressario Lermontov in THE RED SHOES, is one of Powell and Pressburger’s favorite actors, appearing to stunning effect in THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP as well. Moira Shearer, the actress/dancer who plays the lead, made her reputation on THE RED SHOES. She also dances in one segment of the rarely-seen Powell/Pressburger masterpiece THE TALES OF HOFFMAN.The Criterion DVD has the beautiful sound and picture we’ve come to expect from the Voyager Company. Interesting disc features include: an audio track of Jeremy Irons reading from the original Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, the complete text of Powell and Pressburger’s novelization of the movie, an extensive collection of Scorcese’s memorabilia, and a comparison of the Red Shoes Ballet with the filmed storyboard sketches the directors used as a guide. One wonderful addition for Powell and Pressburger fans is their filmography — brief descriptions with cast lists and dates for all their films, most of which also have film clips included. It’s a chance to see scenes from some of the long-lost works in their catalogue.
August 3, 2010
#2
Review by James R. Powell Jr.
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I’ve seen the original film of “The Red Shoes” a number of times over the years and just loved it. The story, ballet, music, color, actors, and the whole production are superb! Later I acquired the RCA SelectaVision CED video disc edition (two parts) in the early 1980s. The CED issue unfortunately was prone to frame skipping, occasionally syncopating the ballet sequences. Still later, I obtained the Paramount VHS hi-fi release (1987). There was no frame skipping with the VHS tape, but the tops of all the frames tended to be somewhat bent and fluttery. Alas, I found no remedies for these problems.Without question, this DVD release is the best of the lot, technically. And, I liked the additional background material contributed to this DVD edition. The DVD has great color with clear, well focused images. The only deficiency, in my opinion, is the movie sound track which sounds dated (1947), however it’s on par or better than the forementioned VHS release.Overall, I would class this DVD movie as one I would have to take, along with others, to a desert island on which I subsequently became marooned.
August 3, 2010
#3
Review by Ivy Lin
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Although the opening credits claim that “any similarity to real-life persons or events are purely accidental” don’t be fooled: Boris Lermontov, the autocratic Russian ballet impresario, is obviously modelled after Serge Diaghilev. Like Boris, Diaghilev had a series of relationships with his “proteges” (like Vaslav Nijinsky or Leonid Massine), and when these proteges left his bed to marry (women), Diaghilev would get enraged and kick them out of the company. “Ballet Lermontov” like “Ballet Russes” produced a mix of classical ballet works as well as new compositions with then unknown composers. The character of Julian Crasten is a stand-in for the likes of Stravinsky, Debussy, Prokofiev et al. whom Diaghilev supported. The real-life Diaghilev was always surrounded by a crew of male “helpers” (called the homosexual mafia) — it is this way in the film too. And once he fired his male dancers, Diaghilev would often spend years trying to get them back into the company. In the movie, prima ballerina Irina is coldly dismissed when she marries, but is accepted back when Vicky leaves.
Vicky Page’s descent into madness as she is pulled implacably apart by Boris and her husband is a thinly disguised substitute of the tragic career of the schizophrenic Vaslav Nijinsky, who was fired by Diaghilev after his marriage, and lost his fragile hold on reality. Vicky’s most famous ballet is the “red shoes.” Nijinsky’s was “Spectre de la Rose,” which had him dressed in a red rose-petal costume. The finale of the ballet has him leaping out a window.
But, art does not exactly imitate life. Anton Walbrook’s portrayal of Boris is much colder, icier, then the real-life Diaghilev. He has the streak of white hair, but he (wisely) does not make himself into a Diaghilev caricature. He is skinny, whereas Diaghilev is portly. There’s no cane, no monocle, no hat. Plus, Diaghilev was genuinely and passionately attached to his “proteges”, whereas Boris’s obsession with his proteges is sexless and almost detatched.
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger have put together a good, if melodramatic story. The young Moira Shearer is radiant as Vicky Page, an ambitious ballerina. “The Red Shoes” (a story by Hans Christian Andersen) refers to the ballet which makes Vicky’s career — in the ballet, the ballerina is forced to dance in her red shoes until death. It’s an obvious symbol of the struggle between total, monastic devotion to art, and the desire to have a normal life. When Vicky falls for Julian Crasten (Marius Goring), the composer of the Red Shoes ballet, complications of course develop.
The movie benefits from strong casting. As Boris, Anton Walbrook makes the character creepy, cold, and self-centered, yet not a villain. In his quiet rage he is both terrifying and pitiable. He can be gentle too: when he asks Vicky back to the ballet, he says “We already miss you. Do you miss us?” Real life ballet danseur Robert Helpmann is rather fey as the leading dancer of Ballet Lermontov, and Leonid Massine is super-hammy as the ballet master Ljubov. Most of all, Moira Shearer, with her bright red hair, obvious balletic talent, and soft-spoken determination, makes the movie more than just a backstage soap.
Looking at this movie now, Julian actually becomes more unsympathetic. He is condescending about the ballet, and there’s no ssign that he appreciates Vicky’s dancing. The marriage, after initial passion, seems to turn loveless. His ultimatum to Vicky to give up dancing is incredibly selfish. So Boris’s hold on Vicky is understandable. At one point, Boris asks Vicky, “Do you want to live?” She replies, “I want to dance.” This movie makes us understand why such an attitude is possible.
August 3, 2010
#4
Review by C. O. DeRiemer
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This is a magnificent movie, one of the most voluptuous ever filmed (in Technicolor), one of the most influential, and one of the most satisfyingly melodramatic. Every bit of it works. At the most simplistic, it’s a fairy tale, Hans Christian Andersen’s The Red Shoes, that takes place in a ballet, which is repeated in real life.
At the heart of the movie is Boris Lermontov (Anton Walbrook), the imperious impresario of The Ballet Lermontov. He can be cold, charming, ruthless. At a party he says, “If some fat harriden is going to sing, I must go. I can’t stand amateurs.” He’s enigmatic except for his dedication to ballet. At that same party he meets Victoria Page (Moira Shearer), a young ballet dancer, and is intrigued by her.
“Why do you want to dance?” he asks her.
“Why do you want to live?”
“I don’t know exactly why, but I must,” he says.
“That’s my answer, too.”
He brings her into his ballet company and also hires Julian Craster, a young composer. Later, with three weeks to create a ballet, he has Craster compose the music to the story of The Red Shoes. Victoria Page will dance it. It is a triumph, but Page leaves the Ballet Lermontov to marry Craster. Lermontov is outraged and swears he’ll never see her again. She needs to dance, though, and Lermontov slowly realizes he wants her back, completely dedicated to dancing, because he can make her a great dancer. He subtly woos her back to dance the ballet again, with tragic results.
The ballet of the red shoes is the story of a young girl, engaged to be married who loves to dance and longs to go the village fair. She spies a pair of red dancing shoes in the window of a shoemaker. Despite the reluctance of her fiance, she dons the shoes and begins to dance. She has a joyous time. As she tires, however, the shoes won’t let her stop dancing and she can’t take them off. She dances until she dies.
The movie works so well on so many levels. Anton Walbrook is marvelous. He can be cold and demanding and devious as Lermontov, but he conveys exactly Lermontov’s utter dedication. At the end of the movie when Lermontov, alone on the stage, announces to the audience Victoria Page’s death in a strangled kind of breaking screech…well, you’ll sit up straight. Moira Shearer, who was in fact a young ballet dancer at Sadlers’ Wells and had to be coaxed to take the role, is a gorgeous creature and a first-rate dancer. She carries off the acting requirements very well. With her flaming red hair, she is just a wonder to look at and appreciate.
And then there is The Red Shoes Ballet itself. This was the first time a movie’s story line was interrupted for an extended dance piece. The music by Brian Easdale is so memorable that I doubt anyone who hears it will forget the main theme. Powell directed the ballet as a surreal fantasy. It starts on the stage of the theater, then shifts to a stage that was never built in a real theater, then shifts into pure cinema. After The Red Shoes, other musicals suddenly had to have ballets — An American in Paris, Singin’ in the Rain, and on and on — but none has ever been better than this.
The Red Shoes is a magnificent movie. It deservedly remains one of Powell’s and Pressburger’s great accomplishments.
The Criterion edition is just about flawless with true color and great clarity. The commentary that accompanies the movie is fascinating.
August 3, 2010
#5
Review by Daniel J. Hamlow
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The Red Shoes was one of the best ventures by The Archers, the joint production company by Briton Michael Powell and Hungarian emigre to Britain Emeric Pressburger, considered to be the definitive film marrying ballet and cinema.The story of the Red Shoes by Hans Christian Andersen forms the basis for the story of aspiring dancer Victoria Page, aspiring composer Julian Crasster, and ballet company impresario Boris Lermontov, who takes on the latter two under his wing. Crasster’s involvement begins when portions of his work Hearts Of Fire is appropriated in a ballet, and he’s given the job of orchestra coach, when he confronts Lermontov. Page comes to the attention of the maestro when the latter snubs an offer by the girl’s aristocratic aunt to see her dance. To the Russian, ballet is more than poetry and motion, but his religion, and hence, not an audition. He tries her out at a separate audition, where she makes the final cut.Lermonotov decides to stage his next ballet based on Andersen’s tale, with Victoria as the principle (Victoria Principle? just kidding) and Crassner as the composer. The ballet is a hit, for Lermontov and the whole film, as it’s the highlight of the entire movie, with Victoria’s flaming red hair a marked contrast to her pale skin and outfit, the ruby red shoes forming a near-symmetry, as they are on her toes. The choreography as well as the music is masterful. Despite Lermonotov and Crassner’s insistence that “the music is all that matters,” for us the film viewer, it’s also the colours and dancing that do as well. Indeed, though the cinematography missed an Oscar, the score and art-direction/set decoration did not.However, as demonstrated by the departure of his previous star, Irina Boronskaya due to marriage, the authoritarian Lermontov takes this personally, almost a heresy to his religion of ballet. To him, a dancer relies on the doubtful comfort of human love. Once that doubt is removed, goodbye dancing shoes, tights, exercise bar, hello high heels, stockings, and kitchen. He is determined to make Page a master dancer, and anything that comes in the way, he sees as a detriment to himself.As for the original story, it’s of a girl who puts on a pair of enchanted red shoes that keep on dancing even when the girl doesn’t want to. This movie is a reinterpretation of it, where the ballet soon turns to real life.This was Moira Shearer’s debut film, and first of only six movies, and the young Scot creates a vivid but fragile and fairylike Victoria, aspiring dancer, the subject of her Svengali-like mentor, and emotionally tortured between being a dancer and a housewife. As she did ballet from age six, an ideal choice. And Ludmilla Tcherina, who plays Irina and who just recently died, was a former prima ballerina of the Monte Carlo ballet, so another great choice. And admire or hate his petty authoritarian personality, Anton Walbrook’s powerful personality drives the movie. But Leonide Massine as the flamboyant, camp dancing coach Grigori Lyubov steals the show. Shearer, Massine, and the two directors would be reunited in The Tales Of Hoffman.A visual triumph in the dancing scenes, as is the foreign location footage. Oh, and the Archers team wasn’t the only one inspired by Andersen’s tale, as Kate Bush created a reinterpretation of it in her The Line, Curve, and Cross short film.