The Red Shoes - Criterion Collection | 
| Director: Emeric Pressburger
Actors: Albert Bassermann, Eric Berry, Irene Browne, Derek Elphinstone, Marius Goring
Studio: Criterion
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.95
Buy New: $18.42
You Save: $21.53 (54%)
New (46) Used (13) Collectible (3) from $16.99
Rating:  67 reviews
Sales Rank: 4788
Format: Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 0
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
DVD Layers: 2
DVD Sides: 1
Picture Format: Academy Ratio
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 133 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.6
MPN: DRED070D
UPC: 037429128220
EAN: 0037429128220
ASIN: B00000IPHT
Theatrical Release Date: 1948
Release Date: May 18, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
It's been said that this 1948 classic has been responsible for the ballet lessons of more young girls than any other film. It's not hard to understand why: Michael Powell and Emerich Pressburger's dark fairy tale presents the ballet as an exquisite, magical work of art; but under the theatrics and glory is an all-consuming lifestyle with the power to destroy those who love it perhaps too much. Moira Shearer practically glows as Victoria "Vicky" Page, a young woman consumed by a will to dance who is accepted into the highly prestigious ballet company run by perfectionist Boris Lermontov (Anton Walbrook). Meanwhile, a gifted young composer, Julian Craster (Marius Goring), is brought on board as an orchestra coach, and later conductor and composer of the ballet that will make Vicky's name: The Red Shoes, one of the most beautiful and dramatic dances ever captured on film. Professional and personal jealousies soon pull this creative team apart, however, and Vicky is torn between her love of Julian, her responsibility to Boris, and her need to dance. Powell and Pressburger recast Hans Christian Andersen's sad story as a modern romantic melodrama, highlighted by beautiful dances and shot, not as stage ballets, but rather as expressionist cinematic dramas on impossibly grand sets awash with bold color and beautifully captured in glorious Technicolor by cinematographer Jack Cardiff. It's a brilliant melding of dance and drama as Vicky's real life mirror's the tragic story she danced in the Red Shoes ballet. --Sean Axmaker
Description
A glorious Technicolor epic that influenced generations of filmmakers, artists, and aspiring ballerinas, The Red Shoes intricately weaves backstage life with the thrill of performance. A young ballerina (Moira Shearer) is torn between two forces: the composer who loves her (Marius Goring), and the impresario determined to fashion her into a great dancer (Anton Walbrook). Criterion is proud to present The Red Shoes in its DVD premiere.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 62 more reviews...
 What Price Art? The Red Shoes Show the Price in Unapologetic Splendor January 6, 2009
Ed Uyeshima (San Francisco, CA USA)
One could find a lot to ridicule about this ripe 1948 melodrama since there are plenty of excessively theatrical moments trumpeting the more dramatic passages. However, the film's enduring appeal comes down to the cinematic artistry of the Archers, co-directors and co-screenwriters Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the British dynamic duo who had just released another classic, 1947's Black Narcissus. Visually, it's a stunning piece full of vibrant, stylized colors that fit the florid contours of the story adapted from the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. There is an audaciously surrealism that courses through the film, but the Archers don't lose sight of the love story at its core. Ballet enthusiasts have sung this film's praises for over six decades now, but there is much more to appreciate here.
After showing a horde of youngsters flooding the balcony of the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden for a ballet performance, the filmmakers settle their story on Victoria "Vicky" Page, an aspiring prima ballerina who comes from a wealthy London family and catches the attention of impresario Boris Lermontov. When his star dancer Irina Boronskaja decides to get married, Lermontov concludes she has forsaken her art and gives Vicky a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in the company's newest ballet, a fantasy piece based on Andersen's "The Red Shoes". Under Lermontov's unyielding tutelage, she learns the role of a young girl cursed to dance herself to death in a magical pair of red slippers. At the same time, prodigiously talented composer Julian Quentin, another of Lermontov's proteges, is completing the score for the ballet and unsurprisingly falls in love with Vicky. Despite the success of the ballet at its premiere in Monte Carlo, Lermontov forces Vicky to decide between her career and her pending marriage to Julian. The mounting pressure of the decision overwhelms Vicky and forces her to face unforeseen consequences.
All of 21 when she was cast, Moira Shearer is ideal as Vicky, as she is not only a striking, flame-haired beauty but an accomplished ballerina and an affecting actress. Despite a flood of offers after the film's release, she never made as significant an impression in her career, and the film itself would not be nearly as magnetic without her presence. She is showcased brilliantly in the mesmerizing fifteen-minute ballet sequence that is said to have inspired Gene Kelly to produce his magnificent ballet piece in An American in Paris. "The Red Shoes" ballet is boldly imaginative in its expressionistic visuals and the dream-like state in which Shearer dances to Brian Easdale's majestic score and Robert Helpmann's dramatic choreography. Pulling at Vicki in opposite directions, the two male leads perform admirably within the confines of their stereotypical roles - Marius Goring as the brilliant yet petulant Julian and especially Anton Walbrook who does a Barrymore-level turn as the tyrannical, smitten Lermontov (take note of the fastidious brocade robe he wears in an early morning scene). Major credit also needs to go to cinematographer Jack Cardiff, who did similarly impressive work in Black Narcissus and later became a director himself (Sons & Lovers).
As expected, the 1999 Criterion Collection DVD is a gem and a great tribute to the production. Actor Jeremy Irons reads excerpts from Powell and Pressburger's 1978 novelization of "The Red Shoes" and the original Andersen fairy tale. There are also slides of ardent fan Martin Scorsese's collection of "Red Shoes" memorabilia; publicity and behind-the-scenes production stills; and film clips and stills from the Archers' illustrious filmography. Particularly fascinating is "The Red Shoes Sketches", an animated film of Hein Heckroth's painted storyboards set to "The Red Shoes" ballet. The commentary track is the best feature even if it is a bit of hodgepodge with clips of audio interviews with Cardiff, Shearer, Goring, composer Brian Tisdale, and Scorsese. British film historian Ian Christie leads an entertaining discussion of the movie's development and production with Shearer surprisingly candid about the challenges in making the film. The original theatrical trailer rounds out the extras.
 Both Beautiful and Trivial October 2, 2008
Gary F. Taylor (Biloxi, MS USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
A great many people--including Martin Scosese--have stated that seeing THE RED SHOES fueled their desire for a career in the arts, and over the years the film has acquired quasi-legendary status as an intellectually profound, emotionally stirring motion picture that investigates the deep personal sacrifices a career in the arts requires. But while I found the film visually stunning and interesting in concept, I also found it simplistic in its statements on the nature of art and nothing short of trivial melodrama in terms of plot.
Very loosely based on the goings-on in the famous Serge Diaghilev ballet company, the film concerns a rising dancer (Moira Shearer) and rising composer (Marius Goring) who fall under the spell of an inflexible impressario (Anton Walbrook), who leads them to create a new ballet: The Red Shoes, based on the famous Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale. The ballet turns both dancer and composer into stars--but so far as the impressario is concerned art leaves no room for human affection, and when the dancer falls in love with the composer professional and personal tragedy is the result.
THE RED SHOES is particularly famous for its portrait of backstage life and the fifteen-minute "Ballet of the Red Shoes" sequence, which was the first of its kind in a major motion picture. Moira Shearer, who was a major dancer at the time of the film, is more of a dancer than an actor, but she carries the demands of the script very well. The remaining cast, however, overplays shamelessly, and when combined with the trivial plot and equally trivial script--well, let's just say that the whole thing acquires a slightly ripe quality and it is difficult to feel a great deal of interest in the characters or their personal difficulties.
Even so, THE RED SHOES is nothing short of visually stunning. It is easily among the finest Technicolor films made, and the attention to design detail is elegant, beautiful, and imaginative. Although certain camera techniques have dated poorly, the "Ballet of the Red Shoes" is indeed worthy of its fame, and Shearer is exceptionally attractive in her screen debut. The Criterion DVD presents the film in near-pristine condition with a truly memorable audio commentary. Recommmended, but don't expect too much in terms of depth.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
WHAT KIND OF BILLING IS THIS? September 15, 2008
Julian Barry
THIS IS ACTUALLY A REVIEW OF THE BILLING YOU GIVE THE ACTORS. HOW CAN YOU LIST ALBERT
BASSERMAN AND NOT MENTION EITHER ANTON WALBROOK, MOIRA SHEARER OR MARIUS GORING.
WHOSE IGNORANCE IS BEHIND THIS? THE FILM WAS I BELIEVE ONE OF THE FIRST FILMS TO BE
"ROADSHOWED" WHICH MEANS IT WAS A RESERVED TICKET. I SAW IT IN BOSTON WHEN I WAS A
COLLEGE STUDENT. IN FACT I SPENT A FORTUNE GOING TO SEE IT OVER AND OVER. IT HAD A
HUGE INFLUENCE ON ME AS A WRITER.
JULIAN BARRY
Torn between two loves. October 22, 2007
G. Merritt (Boulder, CO)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
There is so much to praise about this film. Based on a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen and filmed in Technicolor, The Red Shoes (1948) tells the memorable story of a determined young ballerina, Victoria "Vicky" Page (played by beautiful Moira Shearer), who becomes the lead dancer in a ballet about a woman who cannot stop dancing once she puts on a pair of red shoes. Ballet is Vicky's passion. She is recruited by Boris Lermontov (Anton Walbrook), the business-minded and demanding manager/impresario of the prestigious ballet troupe, Ballet Lermontov. The music for the ballet is to be written by Julian Craster (Marius Goring), a gifted young composer. Vicky and Julian fall in love as the premiere approaches, which infuriates Lermontov when he learns of their affair. He demands nothing less than Vicky's total loyalty to the ballet. When Lermontov fires Julian, Vicky leaves with him, a decision that ultimately forces her to choose between her love for Julian, her passion for dancing, and her contractual responsibility to Lermontov. The film ends on a truly dark and shocking note. Moira Shearer and Anton Walbrook bring fine performances to film. The Red Shoes will appeal to anyone interested in dance or the dance-on-film genre.
The Criterion edition of this film features a digital transfer, interviews with Marius Goring and Moira Shearer, Jack Cardiff, composer Brian Easdale, and Martin Scorsese, Jeremy Irons reading excerpts from Powell and Pressburger's novelization of The Red Shoes and the original Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale "The Red Shoes," Martin Scorsese's collection of Red Shoes memorabilia, and the theatrical trailer.
G. Merritt
This is the kind of film that truly inspires people to become dancers, filmmakers, artists, etc., etc.... September 8, 2007
Grigory's Girl (NYC)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I am a huge fan of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Their colloboration was one of the greatest and most unique in the history of cinema. This is probably their greatest film, even though there are others which are just as magnificent. This film is about ballet, the love of art, and the burning that artists have in their desire to create. I love the 20 minute ballet sequence in the middle of the film. The film "leaves" the stage, and we get a beautiful, emotional, poetic interpretation of The Red Shoes. It's almost like it's own little movie. Certain films like this can't really be described to anyone's satisfaction, as they inspire many emotions and feeling, and words cannot convey these things most of the time. The film is so beguiling and beautiful that it still inspires many filmmakers, dancers, musicians, and artists to this very day. One of my favorite exchanges of dialogue sums up this film....
Lemontov...why do you want to dance?
Vicki....why do you want to live?
Lemontov...I don't know exactly why, but I must.
Vicki...that's my answer too.
We must create...we have no other choice....
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