Stimulating cinema: Le Ballon Rouge (The Red Balloon)

Director: Albert Lamorisse
Year: 1956

A picture is worth a thousand words.

So goes the old saying, and it's especially true of "The Red Balloon," another highly-honored film. The film is virtually dialogue free, there are maybe only six or seven lines in the whole movie (which is short by the way, around 33 minutes). But the lack of words merely adds to the wonder of Lamorisse's treasure.

I'm afraid I am not going to be able to do this one justice; it is simply that good. It's a fantasy film for children, filled with enough wonder and mystery to keep any adult glued to the screen to. The plot is simple, a young boy (Pascal Lamorrise, the director's son) on the way to school one morning finds a large, red balloon. He and the balloon quickly develop a close friendship and the two are rarely apart. The balloon seems to have a mind of its own though, and this is where the element of fantasy really kicks in. The balloon is really a character in its own right and through the direction and photography of the film almost seems like its "acting." The balloon practically conveys emotions like happiness and fear.

I'm normally not terribly interested in the behind-the-scenes stuff that goes into making a movie. I won't read lengthy articles on camera angles, shot composition and the science of lighting. I know those things are all hugely important, but I am mainly concerned with the finished article. However, in the case of "The Red Balloon," I would really be interested to know how the director was able to make the balloon appear as if it was acting and what kind of camera work (tricks?) was used when shooting the balloon. Especially the final moments of the film, I would really like to know how they pulled that off. Is there anyone reading this who can point me in the direction of a "making of" article on this one? (And as a purely frivolous side note, does anyone have any theories as to why the boy is the only one in the movie not wearing a coat in what is obviously chilly fall weather? This is bothering me a whole lot more than it should!)

Don't let the "children's movie" tag scare you off. "The Red Balloon" is for anyone who was ever young, for anyone who ever had a friend and for anyone who ever wanted a friend. And as near as I can tell, that's just about all of us. According to the Wikipedia entry for this movie, the Belleville section of Paris which served as the backdrop for this movie was razed to the ground during the late 1960s and virtually everything we see in the film (streets, businesses, neighborhoods) no longer exists. A shame, but fitting, because movies like this don't exist in the present day either.