|
|
 |
|
Drop everything to see this splendid Technicolor restoration – recently presented as a gala at both the Cannes and Bologna film festivals – of the film Martin Scorsese has chosen as one of the five greatest in the history of cinema. Raymond Durgnat wrote that its final ballet is “the peak of cinema;” and even Seijun Suzuki (!) has it on his list of ten greatest films. No matter how many times you have seen The Red Shoes – its devotees are hard core recidivists – the film demands another viewing, especially in a print as deluxe as tonight’s. (Brian de Palma claims he decided to become a film director after seeing, not Peeping Tom as one might expect, but The Red Shoes. And Martin Scorsese had a Cossack shirt made in the style of Lermentov’s, so taken was he with the “cruelty and beauty of his character.”) Moira Shearer is the young ballerina whose dedication to her art, as in the Hans Christian Andersen tale of the title, leads to tragedy. Anton Walbrook is the ruthless impresario Lermentov who discovers the ballerina and then drives her to life-threatening extremes. (Powell wrote in his memoirs: “When it came to . . . that devil Lermentov, there was no question in our minds who should play him, and give a performance filled with passion, integrity and, yes, with homosexuality.”) Exquisitely designed, danced and acted, The Red Shoes is one of cinema’s most beloved classics. Bring enough tissues to share with your neighbour.
Restored by UCLA Film & Television Archive in association with The British Film Institute, The Film Foundation, ITV Global Entertainment Ltd., and Janus Films, with funding provided by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, The Film Foundation, and the Louis B. Mayer Foundation.
Rated PG.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|