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.
Cast
| Pascal | Pascal Lamorisse |
| Shopkeeper | Georges Sellier |
| Tenant | Vladimir Popov |
| Pascal's mother | René Marion |
Credits
| Director | Albert Lamorisse |
| Screenplay | Albert Lamorisse |
| Cinematography | Edmond Séchan |
| Editing | Pierre Gillette |
| Director of production | Michel Pezin |
| Music | Maurice Leroux |
| Sound | Pierre Vuillemin |
by Brian Selznick
Nov 19, 2008
My first trip to Paris took place inside the darkened cafeteria of Warnsdorfer Elementary School in East Brunswick, New Jersey. A few times each year, the entire student body was brought together to watch movies cast from a rickety 16 mm projector at the back of the room onto a large white screen...
by Michael Koresky
Apr 28, 2008
The simplicity and emotional clarity of Albert Lamorisse’s 1956 The Red Balloon have made it one of the most beloved films of all time. The narrative...
by David Ehrenstein
Nov 9, 1987
The Red Balloon and White Mane have been acclaimed throughout the world as two of the finest films ever made for—and about—children. The stories French filmmaker Albert Lamorisse tells in these sharply crafted featurettes are quite simple, yet so skillful and subtle are the techniques...