The Red Shoes
A flamboyant Technicolor classic based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale of the same name. Powell and Pressburger transposed the story to the milieu of the famous Russian Ballets Russes company.
Young ballerina Victoria Page is discovered by the charismatic impresario Boris Lermontov, who offers her the chance of a lifetime. As her career flourishes, she finds herself torn between her love for composer Julian Craster and her all-consuming devotion to dance. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, the film unfolds into a deeply emotional story about passion, sacrifice and artistic perfection.
Renowned for its sumptuous Technicolor photography, innovative visual style and the legendary seventeen-minute ballet sequence, The Red Shoes is widely regarded as one of the greatest achievements in British cinema. Powell and Pressburger created a work that has inspired generations of filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese and Damien Chazelle, and remains the definitive film about the irresistible power of art.