THE RED SHOES (1948) - ♦♦♦♦♦
Directed by - Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Written by - Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, Keith Winter (based on a fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen)
Starring - Anton Walbrook, Marius Goring, Moira Shearer
"THE RED SHOES has the ability to stand out even among the works presented in the great body of work by POWELL and PRESSBURGER, one of the most flawless in the history of cinema. It is not merely due to its reputation as the best film about the ballet ever, because in all effects it is far more than that.
The story can be narrowed down as being that of a young talented ballerina who must make the painstaking choice of choosing the man she loves or continue in her persuit of becoming a prima ballerina. The film, it must be said, is set at a time when marriage for a woman meant giving up her dreams in order to support the dreams of her man. Thus, it is just as significant to the film to see that the man she loves is a composer, who gets his break at around the same time as she does. Furthermore, the career of both relies on one man, the head of one of the most prestigious ballet companies in Russia where the film is set, the exacting and demanding Boris Lermontov, who is deeply enigmatic and of course disapproves of the union of their proteges, feeling they owe him more that he owes them, after he built their careers in his production of a ballet version of the HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN fable.
The fable too echoes the story of the film in a completely cohesive and poetic manner. It is the story of a girl who wishes to dance well, and her wish is granted in the form of a pair of red shoes. She soon finds out however, that the catch is that she will never be able to stop dancing, hence leading to the tragic irony of dancing herself to death, with a graceful tragicomic smile on her face as she fades away. Just as significantly, this production is shown in the majestic centrepiece seventeen minute ballet sequence that takes place in the middle of the film, forshadowing an inevitable tragic ending that can seemingly not be avoided.
THE RED SHOES represents the eternal struggle of the artist suffering for his or her art. Its incredible ability to blend in childish fairytale with more adult themes, even sexually charged in the complex relationship between the central three characters, is fantastic. It is indeed a tortuous affair. Lermontov, played by ANTON WOLBROOK, is just as charmingly elegant as he is disagreeable and stubborn. He is an ultimate representation of obsession, keeping his emotions well guarded and simultaneously representing just as convincing an argument as the young composer whom his ballerina loves, and who loves her. Furthermore, in seeing their affair as a betrayal, he lets his guard down whilst maintaining his natural stubbornness.
THE RED SHOES, however, would simply not have works had it not been for the incredible performance by MOIRA SHEARER. She was born to play this role. Her beauty and physical attributes embody the character of a ballerina to perfection, and her dancing is just as good as her acting. Part of the pain of seeing witnessing her character's ordeal comes from seeing her happiness fade away, and the perfect knowledge that one way or another, she is bound to be the loser in the end. It is a drama of fading youth, as harrowing as ever committed to the screen, but perhaps more than that it is the painstaking tragedy of a young woman, the kind familiar to readers of classic literature, and of women wishing to rebell against a preset discriminating system that shamelessly oppresses them.
As with any other POWELL and PRESSBURGER film, THE RED SHOES looks fantastic, and the attention to detail here is superb. The film takes place in Russia at the turn of the century, and is lavish leaning towards tacky. The choice seems obviously referring, once again, to the blending in of the fairytale with the real, something that the filmmakers are usually identified with."
Drama, UK
