A Career in the Arts vs. a Romantic Relationship

By Christopher P. Jacobs
Staff Writer

What is one of the favorite films of gritty gangster-film director Martin Scorsese, creator of “Shutter Island,” “Raging Bull,” “Taxi Driver,” “Mean Streets,” “Goodfellas,” and more? It may seem unlikely, but it is a 1948 British-made drama about a headstrong young ballerina called “The Red Shoes.”

Scorsese loved the film so much, in fact, that he was a major force behind a massive two-and-a-half-year frame-by-frame digital restoration of the badly deteriorating original negatives, a restoration finally finished last year and premiered to great acclaim at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

That restoration came out on Blu-ray in England over a year ago, region-locked for European players only, but finally appeared from Criterion in the United States about four months ago. (And Criterion discs are half-price this week only at Barnes & Noble Bookstores, if you can find it in stock.)

An old Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, “The Red Shoes” is a parable about a young woman who wants to dance, puts on a pair of magical slippers that make her dance beautifully, but then they will not stop dancing and will not be taken off. She must literally dance herself to death. The film, written, produced, and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, interpolates the fairytale into a modern story of commitment to a career and works in a lavish, fanciful, and colorful ballet of the original fairytale.

An ambitious dancer (real-life ballerina Moira Shearer) hopes for a career with a famous ballet troupe. Its director (Anton Walbrook) recognizes her talent and drives her to do her best on the promise that she will commit wholeheartedly to her career. However, she soon falls in love with the company’s music master and resident composer (Marius Goring) and the couple become conflicted between their love for each other and their own creative careers.

The first half or so of the “The Red Shoes” is an involving tale of struggling artists. For the last half, it slows down a bit to luxuriate in its own art and the various ballets within the film, and the plotting starts to become just a bit more of a self-indulgent soap-opera. It overcomes some minor script weaknesses, however, with its brilliant technical execution.

The film is stunningly photographed by Jack Cardiff, and won Oscars for its color art design as well as its music score. It received Oscar nominations for its often spectacular editing, its story, and for Best Picture. It should have gotten a nomination for color cinematography as well.

The film’s American success (after bombing in Britain) had an obvious influence on Gene Kelly’s dance films, particularly “An American in Paris,” filmed a few years later (and also available on a stunningly beautiful Blu-ray).

Criterion’s Blu-ray of “The Red Shoes” boasts one of the all-time best HD transfers of any film, old or new. The three black-and-white color-separation negatives were scanned, digitally repaired to remove mold damage and dirt, and then recombined to yield a vivid color image that is actually sharper than it appeared back in the original 1948 Technicolor film prints. The detail now visible in the image and the clarity of the colors greatly enhance the viewing experience over previous versions.

While the film may still drag in spots for some viewers, scenes that once seemed overly long and slowly paced now appear to go by much more quickly, since one has so much more to look at than before. The mono sound is also impressive, considering it was restored from optical master recordings, and had not been recorded magnetically.

Bonus features are also quite extensive. Besides a 28-page illustrated booklet and an original trailer in hi-def, there’s an audio commentary recorded back in 1994, and an audio recording by Jeremy Irons of a “Red Shoes” novelization. 

Martin Scorsese, who provides a video introduction to the film, obviously empathizes with the obsessed director of the ballet company, able to guide careers and control the artistic interpretations of others. Scorsese also hosts a hi-def video demonstration of the restoration process with before-and-after scenes.

Scorsese’s long-time film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, coincidentally, was married to the late co-writer-producer-director Michael Powell, and also appears in a bonus feature, interviewed at the Cannes screening of the film’s restoration.

There are large stills galleries, including one of Scorsese’s personal collection of “Red Shoes” memorabilia. In addition, there’s an interesting animated film of the color storyboards made for the “Red Shoes” ballet.

“The Red Shoes” is worth seeing for anyone seriously interested in any of the performing arts, and is obviously a must-buy for those who appreciate ballet.

THE RED SHOES on Blu-ray—Movie: B / Video: A+ / Audio: A /Extras:  A-

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