A young ballerina Victoria Page
is torn between the man she loves, rising star composer Julian Craster, and a
career in Boris Lermontov’s ballet as prima ballerina, dancing The Red Shoes (based
on Hans Christian Andersen’s story).
The Red Shoes is maybe the
crowning achievement of the Archers (Michael Powell
& Emeric
Pressburger), the filmmaking team responsible for many of cinema’s greatest
works. As usual, the Archers work with their frequent collaborators on the
film, including: composer Brian Easdale
(whose brilliant score won an Oscar), cinematographer Jack Cardiff
(whose work is monumentally beautiful), and production designer Hein Heckroth
(who usually worked with the Archers as an art director and costume designer,
but for The Red Shoes he stepped up to produce un-matched work in 1940s cinema,
and he won an Oscar for it; he would go on to have a strong career as a
production designer, but The Red Shoes was his first). The film is probably the
Archers’ high profile as it was nominated for Best Picture (but lost to Laurence Olivier’s
Hamlet, which also very good
but not quite on the same level), their only nomination in the category.
The film stars Moira Shearer (a
real life ballerina), Anton Walbrook
(who is phenomenal in the role of Lermontov – just mesmerizing, and one of my all-time favorite performances), and Marius Goring.
Featuring in support are Robert Helpmann, Leonide Massine, Albert Basserman,
Ludmilla Tcherina,
Esmond Knight, Austin Trevor, Eric Berry, and Irene Brown, a
combination of strong character actors and world famous ballet dancers. Many of
the actors frequently worked with the Archers as well.
The Red Shoes is a masterpiece,
showcasing the true brilliance of the Technicolor look. It is a film that fully
embraces itself as a piece of art, while also completely engaging the viewer
emotionally. It is possibly the best film ever made (something I would argue
strongly, as it is among my absolute favorites). The Archers are often
forgotten when people talk about the greatest filmmakers in cinema’s history,
and yet they made a series of masterpieces and good films during the 1940s
unmatched by any other filmmaker during the decade. Their Technicolor trilogy (The
Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Black
Narcissus, and The Red Shoes –
although, you could add A
Matter of Life and Death in there too as it is partially in Technicolor and
partially in black & white) is their finest achievement. Those unfamiliar with
the Archers’ work will find themselves completely changed by their striking and
compelling films. I wish I could go back and watch these films again for the
first time. Plus, the Criterion Blu-ray releases of a few of their films are
just beautiful – with special thanks to Martin
Scorsese and Thelma
Schoonmaker.
Trailer: Here
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