About

Among the most renowned of their films, and often cited by Martin Scorsese as one of his personal all-time favourite films, Powell and Pressburger’s passions for magic-realism, inventiveness, and subversiveness reach a consummate whole, diving through cinematic spaces, dimensions, colours, and movements in this loose adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen story.

Under the overpowering mentorship of impresario Lermontov (Anton Walbrook), prodigious ballerina Vicky Page (Moira Shearer) becomes an overnight sensation. But she is soon confronted with an impossible choice when her blossoming romance with composer Julian Craster (Marius Goring) draws the ire of Lermontov. Illuminated in sumptuous Technicolour, and brought to life in a synthesis of artistic expressions involving talents from multiple nationalities and disciplines, the film also features a stunning ballet sequence that seamlessly merges theatrical stylisation and cinematic wizardry. The Red Shoes boldly considers the nature of art and the passion that fuels its pursuit, as well as the concept of cinema itself. The film won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction - Set Direction (Colour) and Best Music.

The Red Shoes will screen from an imported, restored 35mm print.