The Red Shoes (1948)
Starring Moira Shearer, Marius Goring, Anton Walbrook, Léonide Massine, Robert Helpmann, Albert Bassermann, Ludmilla Tchérina, Esmond Knight
Directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
Expectations: High, but cautious. I’ve heard lots of great things.
The Red Shoes is one of the classic films that I’ve purposefully neglected for no good reason. The title never enticed me and I’m not a big ballet fan, so I always figured I’d get to it later. After seeing Black Swan a couple of months back, my interest level was raised quite a bit, as that film was able to make me not only enjoy the ballet aspects, but make me feel like I had been missing out on a great art form. So when The Red Shoes passed into my hands through no effort on my part, I figured now was the time to check it out. Simply put, it’s incredible. From the cinematography to the lighting to the acting to the dance, every aspect is carefully utilized and crafted for maximum potential. This is the first film I’ve seen by the noted team of Powell & Pressburger and boy does it make me interested to see some more of their work.