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The Red Shoes

Synopsis

We are proud to showcase the new digital print of the vibrant Powell & Pressburger masterpiece. The Red Shoes was produced as a blazing manifesto for Powell & Pressburger's belief in total cinema, shooting on location in Covent Garden and on the Riviera, and integrating dance, music, décor and stylised acting in a phantasmagoria which would influence the Hollywood musical.

 

Reviews

"Wrapped up with gorgeous sparkly colour, off-the-beaten-track classical music selections, and a sinister edge that perfectly catches the ambiguity of traditional as opposed to Disney fairy tales, this remains a luminous masterpiece. *****" David Parkinson, Empire

"A superb ballet of the Red Shoes, based on a Hans Andersen fairy tale, is staged with breathtaking beauty out-classing anything that could be done on the stage. It is a colorful sequence, full of artistry, imagination and magnificence. The three principal dancers, Moira Shearer, Leonide Massine and Robert Helpmann, are beyond criticism." Variety

"Responsible for turning more moviegoers into wanna-be prima ballerinas per capita than any other film, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s ode to the agony and the ecstasy of dancing is still joyous and moving [...] It’s always been essential viewing; thanks to this hallucinogenically gorgeous restoration, the expressionistic landmark now feels genuinely life-altering. *****" David Fear, Time Out (New York)

 
Awards

Oscar 1949 - WINNER
- Best Art Direction (Hein Heckroth, Arthur Lawson)
- Best Music (Brian Easdale)

Golden Globes 1949 - WINNER
- Best Motion Picture Score

BAFTA Awards 1949 nomination
- Best British Film

Venice Film Festival 1948 nomination
- Golden Lion (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger)

 

LAST SEEN

This film was last shown at Cornerhouse on Thu 14 January