Oran na h-Eala is a journey through time, offering the viewer a glimpse into the life of Moira Shearer, who was arguably one of the most charismatic and iconic people in the world of international ballet. Seeing the film's opening credits was a welcome surprise, I could immediately point out visual similarities between the short film and "The Red Shoes", the prolific ballet drama that took the world of cinema by storm in 1948. However, it's not only the opening credits where the short film pays ode to the emblematic film, it inspires its visuals as well as its direction. It is exactly a little before 1948 that we must travel to, at a time when the young ballerina was just being proposed to star in The Red Shoes.
The film is beautifully shot and each frame might as well be a painting. There's no doubt a bit of that fairy dust magic is going on behind the cameras that charmed The Red Shoes in the first place. The film's lead, Shannon Davidson lights up the screen with her incontestable flare and charm. She really brings Moira's torn spirit to life with her astounding performance and drives home the point to the audience. She is complimented by an equally stunning Powell and Pressburger duo, that haunt and nag her to no end.
The parallels between "Oran na h-Eala" and "The Red Shoes" are very interesting to me. Vicky Page was given the opportunity to choose between her dreams and her longing for love and ended up choosing neither or both, who is to say. The short film takes a similar position to when portraying Moira Shearer's career defining decision. Instead this time, torn between cinema and ballet, she did make the choice and it is the ballerina that ended up dying. The short asks an interesting question, "What if Moira had stayed behind to pursue her dreams of becoming prima ballerina?" Would we still have come to know her as the star she was or would she have eternally stayed in Margot Fonteyn's shadow?
The short film is a must watch for fans of Powell and Pressburger's "The Red Shoes" and Moira Shearer but remains an educative watch to newcomers as well.
The film is beautifully shot and each frame might as well be a painting. There's no doubt a bit of that fairy dust magic is going on behind the cameras that charmed The Red Shoes in the first place. The film's lead, Shannon Davidson lights up the screen with her incontestable flare and charm. She really brings Moira's torn spirit to life with her astounding performance and drives home the point to the audience. She is complimented by an equally stunning Powell and Pressburger duo, that haunt and nag her to no end.
The parallels between "Oran na h-Eala" and "The Red Shoes" are very interesting to me. Vicky Page was given the opportunity to choose between her dreams and her longing for love and ended up choosing neither or both, who is to say. The short film takes a similar position to when portraying Moira Shearer's career defining decision. Instead this time, torn between cinema and ballet, she did make the choice and it is the ballerina that ended up dying. The short asks an interesting question, "What if Moira had stayed behind to pursue her dreams of becoming prima ballerina?" Would we still have come to know her as the star she was or would she have eternally stayed in Margot Fonteyn's shadow?
The short film is a must watch for fans of Powell and Pressburger's "The Red Shoes" and Moira Shearer but remains an educative watch to newcomers as well.