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Product Description: Newly restored and available for the first time on DVD Albert Lamorisse's exquisite The Red Balloon remains one of the most beloved children's films of all time. In this deceptively simple nearly wordless tale a young boy discovers a stray balloon which seems to have a mind of its own on the streets of Paris. The two become inseparable yet the world's harsh realities finally interfere. With its glorious palette and allegorical purity the Academy Award-winning The Red Balloon has enchanted movie lovers young and old for generations.System Requirements:LENGTH: 34 minutes Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY UPC: 715515028820 Manufacturer No: CC1746DDVDAmazon.com: The late French filmmaker Albert Lamorisse made this classic, 1956 short work about a lonely little Parisian boy (Pascal Lamorisse) befriended by a large red balloon, which seems to have a will of its own. As with his preceding short, 1952's White Mane, Lamorisse took home a grand prize from the Cannes Film Festival for The Red Balloon, and the latter film also won an Academy Award. There have been some stimulating pieces of film criticism (some pro, some con) written about the aesthetics of this little movie over the years, but there's no question it makes for a touching, allegorical piece always certain to prompt conversations among viewers of any age. --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews:
- The Joy of Flight: Filmed within the environs of Paris's working class Ménilmontant neighborhood, Albert Lamorisse's delicate and nearly silent 1956 short film The Red Balloon is the story of a lonely, seemingly friendless, young boy named Pascal who one day finds a bright, round red balloon tied to a lamppost. However, this red balloon is not just any red balloon because it seems to be sentient and quickly bonds with the boy and follows him to school and to bakeries. The boy seems to finally have a friend, but almost as soon as he meets the balloon others, mainly adults, want to take it away and some, mainly young boys, want to destroy it.
The Red Balloon is a beautiful, quiet film that is heavily tinged with melancholia. Pascal's day to day life seems to be as dreary as the streets of Ménilmontant and the moment he finds happiness, others out of jealousy or pure spite desire to take the happiness away from him by destroying the one thing that genuinely seems to care for and listen to him, so therefore Lamorisse does a fine job depicting both the beauty and ugliness that can be found in this world and within the hearts of both adults and children.
The Red Balloon has been criticized as being "capitalistic" in the fact that the boy's happiness is based on a material object and as be "blatantly Christian" because of its ending with Pascal airborne thanks to the selfless sacrifice of the red balloon. While there might be underlying themes such as these, they do not take away from the enjoyment of the film as a whole. Highly recommended. Also, the new DVD release by Janus Films is absolutely stunning. - Simply amazing!!: I remember seeing this when I was in Nursery School (which means i was about 4). This movie had that much of an impact on me that I remember it this many years later (I'm..cough cough...40). I was an only child and seeing this lone boy with his balloon...bullied and beaten down...but triumphant in the end was such an incredible message to send to children. This should be required viewing for all of todays kids...maybe it would help to soften them up a little. What memories....
- A beautiful classic restored!: Like so many others, I first saw this wonderful short film as a child. Decades after, I'm happy to say that it's even more magical & moving than I'd remembered. No doubt the sobering experience of growing up has added to the richness & depth of the deceptively simple story, which has the purity & directness of a parable. There's so much here! The innocence of childhood, the defiance of unfeeling authoriy, the individual vs. the mob, the power of the imagination -- and all of it told with a subtle touch that's as light as a feather. There's nothing heavy-handed or maudlin here. Pascal is treated with the dignity a sensitive child deserves, without any false sentimentality or condescension. And the ending is magnificent!
Restored to its full Technicolor glory, drenched in color, and taking us on a wide-eyed tour of Paris in the 1950s, this Criterion release is a treasure. While we might have asked for DVD extras, there's really no need for them -- the film stands eloquently on its own. While current films for children are instantly dated by fleeting pop culture references & glib attempts at crass humor, "The Red Balloon" is timeless. Most highly recommended! - Beautiful and Relevant!!!: I think I first saw this film when I was in second grade. It was shown on one of those noisy, old projectors at school. Having been a kid who felt really out of place, I related to it a great deal.
Looking at it as an adult, I realize that the same issues of bullying and the one non-fighter amongst the fighters continue to exist in our schools. In some ways, the final chase scene is quite frightening, yet I am sure that many a kid could still relate to it. I think the final escape scene is every bullied child's fantasy.
You don't have to have been bullied or have major issues to enjoy this film. The story overall is quite charming. And the ballons are as much fun as the people, if not more at times. The images of Paris have a sacral-idyllic quality to them while seeming pleasantly ordinary at the same time.
The DVD, being remastered, has excellent color and sound quality. It not only is cleaned up, but I could swaer there is another half minute or so of footage. Anyone who saw a rickety 16 mm version years ago will be quite pleased. It really is an amazing experience! - Totally Enchanting! *****: One of the most vivid and wonderful memories of my childhood, I first went to see The Red Balloon (1956) at the cinema as a ten year old boy in April, 1957. Over fifty years later, this morning, I received this Criterion / Janus DVD from amazon.com and it's worth every penny. Superbly and lovingly restored, obviously from the original negative, there isn't a mark on it anywhere and the image is crystal clear. We fans of The Red Balloon have been waiting for a release like this for years. I'd have said it looks like a new film, but no modern film has Technicolor as lovely as this.
Forget about that terrible quality Korean import DVD that people have had to put up with for so long. This is the version to go for and when you see it, you'll see just how wonderful the film looked originally to those 1950's cinema audiences of long ago. Pascal Lamorisse is totally enchanting. He reminds me of myself as a five or six years old boy and I can identify with him only too well. This is, without the slightest doubt, the best children's film of all time. It is totally beautiful and highly recommended. It is also very touching and may make you cry, no matter how young or old you are. Five Stars! David Rayner in Stoke-on-Trent, England, UK.
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