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 3 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:

Dance she did, and dance she must - between her two loves

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Genres:

Drama | Music | 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)

Opening Weekend:

£13,336 (United Kingdom), 13 December 2009, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$10,900,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Archers,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

Upon completion of the film, J. Arthur Rank did not immediately release nor distribute it. The master film reels, instead, were stored for nearly a year on the Rank Studio transportation delivery-loading docks, exposed to the elements of the weather. Saddled with the film, Rank decided to release it to small art house theaters in London. The public enthusiastically endorsed the film, establishing its popularity. Universal Pictures, in 1951, acquired the North American distribution rights to the film, primarily placing it in art house movie theaters. The San Francisco Fine Arts theater screened the film four times daily for two years to sold-out houses.

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Goofs

The length of Julian's cigarette changes dramatically (gets longer and then gets much shorter than he could smoke it down to in the short time between shots) whilst he's playing the piano for Vicky in Lermontov's office.

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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

Featured in That's Dancing! (1985)

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Soundtracks

The Ballet of The Red Shoes
Music by Brian Easdale
Performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (as The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)
Conducted by Thomas Beecham (as Sir Thomas Beecham, Bart.)

User Reviews

Powell and Pressburger's ballet fairytale

`Why do you want to dance?' Anton Walbrook asks of Moira Shearer part way through Powell and Pressburger's inventive ballet film. `Why do you want to live?' is her cool response. Suggested by the Hans Christian Andersen story and a project long in development by P&P, this sumptuous colour production allows Shearer to display her excellent ballet skills alongside Robert Helpmann and Leonide Massine, and all three are excellent.

In fact, the `Red Shoes Ballet' alone is enough to recommend this movie in the strongest terms. Also in the cast is P&P regular Marius Goring, as the composer pushed aside for the lure of the stage. Walbrook, as the emotionless impresario who is only alive within the confines of his art, is superb, and perhaps only his role as Theo in `Colonel Blimp' served him better.