The Red Balloon
- Pascal Lamorisse: Pascal
The Red Balloon is a French short film by Albert Lamorisse in the year 1956. The award-winning children's film tells the story of a boy who finds a big red balloon, which then no longer differs him from the side. The film made virtually dialogues. 1957 The Red Balloon was awarded an Oscar for best original screenplay.
Action
The little boy Pascal discovered one morning a big red balloon that is tied to a staircase in the Paris district Ménilmontant on a lamppost. He unties the balloon and takes him to school. Later on the way home he tries to protect the balloon from the rain. Back at home, the mother forbids him to keep the balloon in his room and banished the balloon before the window. But strangely not float away the balloon, but remains outside the window and can be captured by Pascal again eventually.
From now on the balloon for Pascal is a loyal companion and playmate, who willingly follows him next morning to school. When the boy climbs the bus, the balloon follows the boy as he is in the classroom, the balloon floats in front of the window, as if he's waiting for Pascal. Since this makes for unrest in the class, Pascal is imprisoned by the school director. But when the director is on the way to a meeting, follow him the balloon, which is very embarrassing to the Director so that he unnerved Pascal dismisses home. The unusual balloon but has also aroused the envy of other children who lie in wait for Pascal on the way home. Pascal makes the balloon fly away, knowing that he will return to him.
On Sunday, Pascal goes with his mother to church, where the secretly following balloon makes for excitement. Pascal has to leave the service with the balloon together. He moves through the streets, stopping at a bakery. There, it is possible some children to catch the balloon. Yelling they run away with the balloon. Pascal desperately seeking the balloon. He finally finds him and can free him. In a chase through the narrow streets of the city Pascal and the red balloon to escape at first, but then they 're surrounded by the other children. Pascal tried to release the balloon, but the balloon is hit by a slingshot. The air escapes and the balloon sinks to the bottom.
Pascal remains sadly back with the remains of the balloon. Since balloons tear suddenly going around the city and collect in Pascal. Overjoyed binds the boy together the balloons and floats along with them about it.
Reception
Even in the first publication on October 15, 1956 The red balloon in France with 1.3 million viewers became a popular success. The film critic and theorist André Bazin saw Lamorisses work exemplifies a film that is by focusing on the mise- en- scène " essential cinema ", and can tell his story more realistic by eliminating complex film cuts.
Even in the United States was the red balloon into a huge success, the film critic Bosley Crowther described the film as "a completely charming little story". End of March 1957 it was awarded an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay The Red Balloon; to date, no other short film received an Oscar outside the category " Best Short Film ".
Today is one of the red balloon to the classics of children's films. On the occasion of the re-release of the film in late 2007 saw the Austrian press the film is still as " gorgeous ", which is " universally understood ". The dialogues are " logically irrelevant ( and virtually non-existent ), the universality of his fable is balanced by the lush local color in style of poetic realism -. , And reveals the eventual double-edged a deep understanding of the utopias and the irrevocability of childhood " Even for the lexicon the International film sees the " poetic " short film a " jewel of the children's film that has lost none of its magic ."
The red balloon was used as a template for the published 2007 film Le Voyage du ballon rouge by Hou Hsiao -Hsien.
The musicians Tua and Vasee published in 2011 a video based on the movie. The song comes from the album Evigila, which was released in December 2010.
Awards
- International Film Festival of Cannes 1956: Palme d'Or for Best Short Film
- Louis- Delluc Prize 1956: Best Film
- Grand prix du cinéma français 1956: Best Film
- Oscars 1957: Oscar for Best Original Screenplay
- British Film Academy Awards 1957: Special Price