The Red Shoes is one of the most famous films from the producing, directing, and writing team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. An ambitious, expensive film, it went well over budget and was considered a flop when initially released in England. Stateside receipts were very good, however, surprising distributing studio executives who thought that a film about ballet would stiff.
The story has Boris Lermontov (Anton Walbrook) as the imperious director of a famed ballet troop. A quick judge of talent, he hires brilliant composer Julian Craster (Marius Goring) as a conductor, and attractive ballerina Victoria Page (Moira Shearer) as a dancer. Craster and Page rapidly move up the ranks of the company; Craster becomes a successful composer, and Page a prima ballerina.
While collaborating on a ballet adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's story "The Red Shoes", they fall in love. "The Red Shoes" is a great success, however, they are forced to leave the troop after jealous Lermontov learns of their romance. Unable to get work, the career of Page declines. She accepts an offer from her Svengali Lermontov to dance "The Red Shoes" once again, but can Craster prevent her from performing?
The film's centerpiece is the initial fifteen minute production of "The Red Shoes". Rather than simply film a stage presentation, the camera sometimes is from the perspective of the dancers themselves. Nifty special effects are used: a newspaper rises up to become a dancer; Page sees the faces of Lermontov and Craster superimposed over the 'good' and 'evil' characters in the ballet. The ballet becomes an allegory for Page's internal conflict, as she cannot please both of the men in her life.
As the romance angle of the film becomes accentuated, the acting becomes more exaggerated. Early traces of comic relief fade away. The actions of the leading actors become more impulsive and dramatic. The Red Shoes succeeds more as a romantic fable than a credible drama.
To make the ballet sequences more convincing, professional dancers were used as actors, rather than the other way around. This included not only leading lady Shearer, but supporting cast members Ludmilla Tcherina, Leonide Massine, and Robert Helpmann. Helpmann also served as the film's choreographer. Shearer was reluctant to take the role, and she probably initially regretted it. Her final, dramatic scene was filmed first. It required her to lie prostate at length under harsh lighting, hurting her eyes and giving her a sunburn.
The Red Shoes was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning for Best Score (Brian Easdale) and Best Art Direction. It was nominated but lost in the categories of Best Picture, Best Film Editing (Reginald Mills) and Best Story. (60/100)
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