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Rating:  - THE Perfect Movie!!
If you've never seen this one before, you're in for a treat. I had heard of The Red Balloon for years, but never got around to watching it until last week. What a surprise! Even though an earlier reviewer has said (too much) about what happens in the movie, it's impossible to capture the joy and wonder and sheer delight of this film. More than one hardened film critic has said that each viewing of this movie takes you back into the wonder of childhood.
It's also a great movie to study, for film students, writers, etc., of how character - in this case, the character of the balloon - can be created without dialogue.
This is a how a child feels the world, that everything in it is alive and has its own personality.
What a perfect movie, finally restored and on dvd.
Update: this restored version just came today, and I want to say it is so much more beautiful than what I saw on cable TV. This is a great restoration. Thanks Criterion!
Rating: - An International Masterpiece
"The Red Balloon" has lost none of its childlike magic. This 1956 French short remains among the most enchanting 34 minutes captured on celluloid. After decades of inferior public-domain copies, director Albert Lamorisse's colorful fantasy has been gloriously restored in a stunning 35mm print. It should be seen by everyone.
Rating: - ONE OF THE BEST SHORT FILMS EVER MADE!!!! RESTORED!!!!
I used to study in a school where there was a film theater. Back in the 70's, I still remember once a week all the kids and teachers together watching movies. THE RED BALLOON was one of them. It was instant love.
Simply put, this is one of the best short film ever made. No kidding. Put them all together and this film will easily be in the all-time top five. An absolute work of art!
It tells the beautiful story of a young boy and his only friend: a big red balloon. Their friendship is true and the living balloon follows the little boy wherever he goes. They play with each other, trust each other... they are together for good!
A very simple and beautiful story... one that makes you remember how good it is to be a kid. ...all the possibilities... all the imagination and the innocence we lose when we grow up. This film will touch everyone who sees it. The ending is unforgettable.
Congratulations to Criterion for releasing again (they released it previously on Laserdisc, many years ago), this time on DVD, such a magical film... restored to its full glory. All the Technicolor glory with beautiful colors that I am sure nobody who sees it will ever forget.
A true cinematic experience that is rare nowadays - in a world where children entertainment is populated by violence, sex and razzle-dazzling special effects...
This is a true great film for everybody.
Rating: - An enchanting film for the child in each of us.
After first seeing them as a child, I recently experienced a theatrical double feature of the beautifully restored prints of The Red Balloon and White Mane, finally available in DVD format. (The Criterion Collection released a laserdisc of the films in 1986.) French award-winning filmmaker, Albert Lamorisse is best known for The Red Balloon (Le Ballon rouge) (1956), which not only earned him the Palme d'Or Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, but an Oscar that same year (the only dialogue-free film ever to win the award). His two children, Pascal and Sabine are featured in the film. With a running time of just thirty-four minutes, The Red Balloon follows the adventures of a young boy (Pascal), who discovers a sentient red balloon in the Ménilmontant neighborhood of Paris. The balloon befriends Pascal and then follows him through the streets of Paris, drawing inquisitive looks from adults and envious looks from other children. The balloon upsets the authoritarian figures in Pascal's life, namely his teacher and mother. After the balloon is destroyed (or crucified like Jesus, as some critics have suggested) by a gang of neighborhood bullies, Pascal is transported above Paris by a cluster of balloons. This is an equally poignant and truly enchanting film that will captivate children of all ages.
G. Merritt
Rating: - I echo that FINALLY!!
Finally, finally finally!! I have been waiting for this movie to come out on DVD for sooo long! A classic --every kid who went to school in the 70s remembers seeing this at school. great little movie! At last!!
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