{"id":36516,"date":"2016-03-23T09:36:27","date_gmt":"2016-03-23T16:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=36516"},"modified":"2020-12-17T00:34:25","modified_gmt":"2020-12-17T07:34:25","slug":"red-shoes-the-1948","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=36516","title":{"rendered":"Red Shoes, The (1948)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;You cannot have it both ways. A dancer who relies upon the doubtful comforts of human love can never be a great dancer. Never.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Poster-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-36517\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Poster-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Poster-85x128.jpg 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Poster.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAn aspiring ballerina (Moira Shearer) is accepted into a troupe run by a dictatorial manager (Anton Walbrook), and soon gains fame as his leading dancer &#8212; but her romance with the company composer (Marius Goring) jeopardizes her chances at lasting fame.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Anton Walbrook Films<\/li>\n<li>Aspiring Stars<\/li>\n<li>Ballet<\/li>\n<li>Career versus Marriage<\/li>\n<li>Michael Powell Films<\/li>\n<li>Ruthless Leaders<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that this &#8220;classic by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;regarded as the best ballet film ever&#8221; &#8212; is &#8220;simultaneously romantic and expressionistic, a daydream and nightmare, a psychological drama and fairy-tale, a typical  backstage musical and highbrow art&#8221;. He notes that  its &#8220;glorious&#8230; movement, color, opulent sets, lavish costumes, all surrounded by music&#8221; &#8212; along with &#8220;the identifiable career-vs.-marriage conflict which Shearer tries to resolve&#8221; &#8212; make it a film &#8220;many American females&#8230; have the most emotional attachment to, along with <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3361\"><em>The Wizard of Oz<\/em><\/a>, another film that blends fantasy and reality&#8221;. I&#8217;m not sure how widely viewed <em>The Red Shoes<\/em> is anymore these days &#8212; Darren Aronofsky&#8217;s <em>Black Swan<\/em> (2010) seems to have usurped its status as the hippest, most psychologically complex ballet drama &#8212; but there&#8217;s no debating it remains a mesmerizing classic of the genre, accurately and respectfully showing us life behind the scenes for dedicated performers who put dance above all other goals in their lives. <\/p>\n<p>In his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>, Peary names Walbrook Best Actor of the Year for his role as Boris Lermontov, and provides a detailed analysis of his character. He writes that Walbrook &#8220;gives a sad, disturbing portrait of a complex, frustrated man who is so dedicated to his art &#8212; he calls ballet his religion &#8212; that he suppresses his human qualities&#8221;, hiding &#8220;behind a defense comprised of a stone face, an authoritative position that allows for no dissenters, and smart, smug remarks and answers to everything&#8221;. He points out that Walbrook is &#8220;so devoted&#8230; to ballet that he feels betrayed when anyone fails to share his vision and would compromise their talents for something as trivial as love and marriage&#8221;. Of course, these days, the choice between marriage and a career &#8212; or even motherhood and a career &#8212; isn&#8217;t nearly as black-and-white, thus dating this critical element of the storyline; but Walbrook&#8217;s personal insistence that the two are mutually exclusive (Shearer and Goring rightfully disagree) is what lies behind the film&#8217;s driving dilemma. <\/p>\n<p>Peary has some quibbles about the film. He posits that the central rendition of &#8220;The Red Shoes&#8221; ballet &#8220;shouldn&#8217;t be stylized at all&#8221; given that &#8220;it was staged by purist Walbrook&#8221;, and that &#8220;because of the cinematic liberties and excesses of the ballet sequences, it&#8217;s impossible to readjust to [the] realistic sequences that follow&#8221;. Hogwash on both counts: the mix works just beautifully, and there&#8217;s no reason to believe Walbrook&#8217;s character wouldn&#8217;t stage such elaborate ballets. Meanwhile, Peary argues that while &#8220;the first half of the film is masterful, the second half is miserable&#8221;, given that &#8220;the male directors [have] manipulated us into disliking Walbrook so much that we have trouble realizing that what he wants for Shearer is what is best for her&#8221;. In <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>, he writes that Walbrook &#8220;is presented&#8230; as if he were a sinister villain in this modern-day fairy tale&#8221;, but that &#8220;the selfish [Goring] is [actually] the piece&#8217;s villain&#8221; given that he has apparently asked Shearer &#8220;to give up dance&#8221;. I don&#8217;t see this as the case at all. While it&#8217;s true that Walbrook&#8217;s character has &#8220;finer qualities&#8221; &#8212; i.e., &#8220;he gives both Julian [Goring] and Vicky [Shearer] their big breaks, instinctively believing in them and putting himself on the line on their behalf&#8221; &#8212; he&#8217;s ultimately a brilliant yet flawed petty tyrant whose narcissistic worldview and insistence on maintaining absolute control become his (and Shearer&#8217;s) fatal undoing. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Anton Walbrook as Lermontov<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Walbrook.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Walbrook.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"992\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-36668\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Walbrook.png 992w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Walbrook-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Walbrook-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Walbrook-768x557.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 992px) 100vw, 992px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Moira Shearer as Victoria Page<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Shearer.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Shearer.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"992\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-36669\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Shearer.png 992w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Shearer-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Shearer-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Shearer-768x557.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 992px) 100vw, 992px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A fascinating look at behind-the-scenes ballet life<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Behind-the-Scenes.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Behind-the-Scenes.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"992\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-36664\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Behind-the-Scenes.png 992w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Behind-the-Scenes-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Behind-the-Scenes-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Behind-the-Scenes-768x557.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 992px) 100vw, 992px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Many stunning dance sequences<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Dance3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Dance3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"992\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-36667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Dance3.png 992w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Dance3-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Dance3-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Dance3-768x557.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 992px) 100vw, 992px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Dance2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Dance2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"992\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-36666\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Dance2.png 992w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Dance2-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Dance2-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Dance2-768x557.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 992px) 100vw, 992px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Dance.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Dance.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"992\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-36670\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Dance.png 992w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Dance-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Dance-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Dance-768x557.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 992px) 100vw, 992px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Jack Cardiff&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"992\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-36665\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Cinematography.png 992w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Cinematography-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Cinematography-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Cinematography-768x557.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 992px) 100vw, 992px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Excellent use of diverse and exotic locales<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Locales.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Locales.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"992\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-36663\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Locales.png 992w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Locales-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Locales-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Red-Shoes-Locales-768x557.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 992px) 100vw, 992px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a unique cult classic. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cult Movie<\/li>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0040725\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1948\/10\/23\/archives\/the-screen-in-review-the-red-shoes-a-british-film-about-the-ballet.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/moria.co.nz\/fantasy\/red-shoes-1948.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/index.php?page=review&#038;id=2415\">Q Network Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/reviews\/43354\/red-shoes\/\">DVD Talk Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s3250red.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/87881\/the-red-shoes#articles-reviews?articleId=78414\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;You cannot have it both ways. A dancer who relies upon the doubtful comforts of human love can never be a great dancer. Never.&#8221; Synopsis: An aspiring ballerina (Moira Shearer) is accepted into a troupe run by a dictatorial manager (Anton Walbrook), and soon gains fame as his leading dancer &#8212; but her romance with the company composer (Marius Goring) jeopardizes her chances at lasting fame. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Anton Walbrook Films Aspiring Stars Ballet Career versus Marriage&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=36516\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36516"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36516\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58189,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36516\/revisions\/58189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}