The Red Shoes (1948)
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An aspiring ballerina must choose between her artistic career and her personal life after being cast in a haunting new ballet.
The story
Victoria Page is an aspiring ballerina who joins the prestigious Ballet Lermontov. The company's director, Boris Lermontov, tests her dedication by forcing her to choose between her burgeoning career and her burgeoning romance with the composer Julian Craster. As the company prepares for a new production, the girl finds herself caught in a web of artistic ambition and personal sacrifice. The narrative follows her journey through the rigors of rehearsal and the complexities of her relationship with Julian, all while under the watchful, demanding eye of Boris, who views her as his ultimate artistic success.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Victoria Page joins the Ballet Lermontov under the direction of Boris Lermontov. Boris casts her in a new ballet, 'The Ballet of the Red Shoes,' and hires Julian Craster, a talented composer, to score it. While Julian and Victoria fall in love, Boris becomes possessive of Victoria's talent. After a period of success, the couple marries and moves to London, where their careers diverge. During a trip to Cannes, Boris convinces Victoria to return to the ballet. On the night of her comeback in Monaco, Julian arrives to support her, but they are forced to choose between their love and her art. Victoria chooses the ballet and, during a performance, she puts on the titular red shoes. In a tragic climax, she jumps in front of a train, and Boris announces to the audience that she is unable to dance ever again.
- First release year
- 1948
- Runtime (minutes)
- 134
- Production countries
- United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Michael Powell; Emeric Pressburger
- Writers
- Michael Powell · screenplay; Emeric Pressburger · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Moira Shearer · Victoria Page; Anton Walbrook · Boris Lermontov; Marius Goring · Julian Craster; Léonide Massine · Grischa Ljubov; Ludmilla Tchérina · Irina Boronskaya; Robert Helpmann · Ivan Boleslawsky
- Genres
- dance drama; musical drama
- Themes
- Art versus life; Sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- tragic; impressionistic; dreamy
- Premise and plot tags
- ballet; fairytale; romance
- Source material / true-story basis
- The 1845 fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim, particularly in the United States, and was considered a major financial success. While some dance critics criticized the realism of the ballet sequences, it was widely praised for its cinematography and score, becoming a celebrated classic of the Powell and Pressburger partnership.
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Original Score · win; Golden Globe Award · Best Original Score · win
- Production trivia
- The film was the first British film to gross over $5 million in US theatrical rentals.; The film was used as inspiration for several works, including a 1993 album by Kate Bush.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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