The Red Shoes (1948)

A young ballet dancer is torn between the man she loves and her pursuit to become a prima ballerina.

Directors:

Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Writers:

Hans Christian Andersen (fairy tale), Emeric Pressburger (original screenplay)

Stars:

Anton Walbrook, Marius Goring, Moira Shearer

Won 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marius Goring	...	Julian Craster
Jean Short	...	Terry
Gordon Littmann	...	Ike
Julia Lang	...	A Balletomane
Bill Shine	...	Her Mate
Léonide Massine	...	Ljubov (as Leonide Massine)
Anton Walbrook	...	Boris Lermontov
Austin Trevor	...	Professor Palmer
Esmond Knight	...	Livy
Eric Berry	...	Dimitri
Irene Browne	...	Lady Neston
Moira Shearer	...	Victoria Page
Ludmilla Tchérina	...	Irina Boronskaja (as Ludmilla Tcherina)
Jerry Verno	...	Stage-Door Keeper
Robert Helpmann	...	Ivan Boleslawsky

Storyline

Under the authoritarian rule of charismatic ballet impressario Boris Lermontov, his proteges realize the full promise of their talents, but at a price: utter devotion to their art and complete loyalty to Lermontov himself. Under his near-obsessive guidance, young ballerina Victoria Page is poised for superstardom, but earns Lermontov's scorn when she falls in love with Julian Craster, composer of "The Red Shoes," the ballet Lermontov is staging to showcase her talents. Vicky leaves the company and marries Craster, but still finds herself torn between Lermontov's demands and those of her heart.

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Plot Keywords:

ballet | ballerina | dancer | dance | composer | 

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Taglines:

A Dancing, Singing, Swinging Love Tale

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English French Russian

Release Date:

6 September 1948 (UK)

Also Known As:

Las zapatillas rojas

Filming Locations:

D&P Studios, Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Archers, The, Independent Producers

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (as Colour by) (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There is a frequent complaint that comes up by viewers as to why, in the final sequence, Vicky is wearing the red ballet shoes *backstage* when the story and ballet opens with her in a different pair of shoes. Vicky's dresser is clearly seen carrying the white/pale pink shoes that she wears in the beginning and is ready to give them to Vicky to change into, when she has her final 'impulse' to run out to the balcony. (She was probably just checking, or breaking in, the shoes in the first place, but the symbolism of the red shoes controlling her life wouldn't translate if she wasn't seen wearing them.) In his autobiography, Michael Powell recalled that Emeric Pressburger complained about this discrepancy whilst they were writing the screenplay. Powell recalled, "I was a director, a storyteller, and I knew that she must. I didn't try to explain it. I just did it."

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Goofs

Just before Julian Craster begins to play the piano for the first time for Lermontov, the shadow of a boom mic can be scene moving into position, projected against the wall behind him.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[holding doors closed]
Doorman: They're going mad, sir. It's the students.
[From outside]
Julian Craster: Down with tyrants!
Manager, Covent Garden: All right, let them in.

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Crazy Credits

The end of the film finishes with 'Finis' instead of 'The End'.

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Connections

Referenced in Inside the Actors Studio: Martin Scorsese (2002)

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Soundtracks

Giselle
(uncredited)
Music by Adolphe Adam
Arranged by Gordon Jacob
Played by rehearsal pianist

User Reviews

A Very Creative Movie About Creative Artists At Work

The resourceful approach that characterizes so many of the Michael Powell/ Emeric Pressburger collaborations makes "The Red Shoes" one of the most creative and interesting of any of the "back stage" movies that show the lives and dreams of creative artists at work. The characters are quite interesting in themselves, and the story brings out some worthwhile aspects of each of their natures while giving a realistic and often fascinating look at their world.

By no means do you have to be a ballet fan to appreciate and enjoy the story or the settings. While fully convincing in themselves, they are also set up so that the most important aspects and conflicts of the plot could easily be applied to those working in other creative fields as well.

Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook, and Marius Goring make a nicely balanced and intriguing trio of main characters. The opening scenes work very well in bringing them together while being enjoyable to watch in themselves. From there, the creative tensions are built up steadily as the story itself becomes even more interesting. The script makes use of the best conventions of its genre, while never allowing itself to become formulaic.

There is also a good deal of creativity in many of the individual sequences. The opening scene at the opera is particularly clever in playing off of a viewer's initial expectations. The most spectacular sequence is the "red shoes" ballet segment itself, a very imaginative and enjoyable mini-movie that also parallels some of the main story's most interesting ideas. All in all, "The Red Shoes" well deserves its reputation as a distinctive classic.