The Red Balloon (1956) Le ballon rouge (original title)

Director:

Albert Lamorisse

Writer:

Albert Lamorisse (written by)

Release Date:

11 March 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Fantasy | Short

Plot:

A red balloon with a life of its own follows a little boy around the streets of Paris.

Plot Keywords:

Balloon | Boy | Red Balloon | School | Following

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 wins

Cast

Pascal Lamorisse	...	Pascal the Boy
Georges Sellier	...	Shopkeeper
Vladimir Popov	...	Tennant
Paul Perey
René Marion	...	Pascal's Father
Sabine Lamorisse	...	Little Girl
Michel Pezin
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Renaud	...	Twin in red (uncredited)
David Séchan	...	Twin in red (uncredited)

Directed by
Albert Lamorisse

Writing credits
Albert Lamorisse		(written by)

Produced by
Albert Lamorisse	....	producer

Original Music by
Maurice Leroux		(as Maurice Le Roux)

Cinematography by
Edmond Séchan

Film Editing by
Pierre Gillette

Production Management
Michel Pezin	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Edmond Agabra	....	assistant director
André Fontaine	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Pierre Vuillemin	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Pierre Goupil	....	assistant camera

Production Companies

• Films Montsouris

Distributors

• Lopert Pictures Corporation (1957) (USA) (theatrical) (no subtitles)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1961) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• Home Box Office (HBO) (1999) (USA) (TV)
• Showtime Networks (2001) (USA) (TV)
• Nickelodeon Network (2000) (USA) (TV)
• Home Vision Cinema (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Janus Films (2007) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Cafegroove (2008) (Japan) (theatrical) (restored version)
• Sound & Media (2008) (UK) (DVD)
• Park Circus (2008) (UK) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Atypfilm (2009) (Czech Republic) (DVD)
• Crest International (2008) (Japan) (theatrical) (restored version)
• Sparfrämjandet (196?) (Sweden) (theatrical) (16 mm)
• Terrafilm (1957) (Sweden) (theatrical) (35 mm)
• Valio-Filmi (1957) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1986) (Finland) (TV) (as MTV2)
• Network (2010) (UK) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI) (1995) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI) (1996) (Sweden) (VHS)
• VideoRama (????) (Finland) (video)
• VideoRama (1981) (Sweden) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Nonesuch Records  soundtrack

Also Known As:

"Le ballon rouge" - France (original title)

Runtime:

34 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Switzerland:0 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:0 (canton of Geneva) | USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | South Korea:All | Australia:G | Sweden:Btl | UK:U (DVD rating) | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Films Montsouris

Trivia:

This film had its American network television premiere as a special episode of "G.E. True Theater" (1953) on CBS in 1961. However, it was broadcast in black and white.

Goofs:

Continuity: The boy comes up to the front window of a bakery shop and peers in, and we see him eyeing the display of bakery goods. Then the camera position changes so that we see the boy from the inside of the bakery, but from the inside looking out, the selection and arrangement of displayed items is suddenly quite different than what we just saw from the outside view.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Nostalgia Critic: It (#3.50)" (2010)

Why do I remember the music?

With the little grey cells thinner on the ground nowadays, music recall has sadly become a casualty. Asking me to hum a bit of Mozart from memory (I love Mozart) will draw a blank most days. What price then that the gentle melody that accompanies this lovely film came easily back to me over forty years as I read through the postings. It surprised me that no one has highlighted the film's music; for me it eased the belief that a child's balloon trailing a piece of string could display intelligence, devotion, a sense of humour, and then great pathos in its dying. Of course, if this was acting, it was great acting, and how good to hear that the film has resurfaced. I shall continue to watch the listings until it make it onto terrestrial TV, and the get-together will not disappoint. I know this. When I hummed the theme tune through, tears came to my eyes.