Red Balloon

UPC: 715515028820

Studio: Criterion

MPAA Rating: NR   Contains:[Child Classic]

Summary: Most of French director Albert Lamorisse's films celebrate the miracle of flight, but few were as landmark as his 1956 short subject The Red Balloon. The story, told with a minimum of dialogue, concerns a little boy (played by the director's son Pascal) who comes across a helium-filled balloon. As he plays with his new acquisition, the boy discovers that the balloon seemingly has a mind of its own. The little red orb follows its new "master" all through the streets of Paris, then dogs the boy's trail into the schoolroom, which drives the teacher to comic distraction. Towards the end, it seems as though boy and balloon will be parted forever....but director Lamorisse has a delightful surprise in store for us. In an unusual move, The Red Balloon in its American TV premiere was introduced by Ronald Reagan as an episode of the CBS anthology G.E. Theater on April 2, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Children's/Family

Awards: Best Specialized Film – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Prix Louis-Delluc – French Film Critics Circle Best Original Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Palme d'Or for Short Film – Cannes Film Festival Best Foreign Film – National Board of Review

Red Balloon

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 04/29/2008

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: DD1 Dolby Digital Mono

Runtime: 34 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) French

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- The Red Balloon
1. Logos/Opening Credits [1:58]
2. Pascal in Paris [4:05]
3. A Walk in the Rain [3:46]
4. "Obey Me, And Be Good" [3:56]
5. School [4:29]
6. Flea Market [5:04]
7. Pascal Buys a Pastry [2:42]
8. The Chase [4:27]
9. All the Balloons in Paris [3:55]
10. Color Bars [:00]

Lucia Bozzola

A classic short film and a beloved children's story, Albert Lamorisse's Le Ballon Rouge (1956) radiantly celebrates the ability of a child's imagination to take flight. Starring Lamorisse's winsome son, Pascal Lamorisse, and the most expressive crimson helium and rubber object ever, Le Ballon Rouge's tale about a boy and his eponymous object is a touching fable of friendship and loss, as the balloon takes it upon itself to join the boy in his daily activities. Floating along with the boy, the balloon wreaks comic havoc on the boy's daily routine, and moves lyrically through his Paris neighborhood; their seemingly doomed adventures reach a magical conclusion that caps the film's visual beauty. A prize winner at Cannes and the New York Film Critics Circle's Best Foreign Film, Le Ballon Rouge even enchanted the Academy enough to win the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, a rare honor for a short (not to mention foreign and dialogue-free) film, and a testament to its durable, fanciful charm. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Paul Perey  Actor 
Sabine Lamorisse  Actor 
Michel Pezin  Actor 
David Séchan  Actor 
Wladimir Popof  Actor 
Georges Sellier  Actor 
The Children of Ménlimontant  Actor 
Renée Marion  Actor 
Renaud Séchan  Actor 
Albert Lamorisse  Director 
Albert Lamorisse  Screenwriter 
Maurice LeRoux  Composer (Music Score) 
Pascal Lamorisse  Actor 

Country: France