THE RED BALLOON (1956)

THE RED BALLOON
Directed by Albert Lamorisse
Starring Pascal Lamorisse

This was the most popular film strip in the entirety of Mars Elementary School in Berrien Springs, Michigan when I was in first grade. I have such fond memories of this movie that I seriously doubt that I'll be able to write an unbiased review of it. But here goes.

“The Red Balloon” is a French film that's only about 34 minutes long. Officially, this makes it a short film, which makes it very unusual that the Oscar that it was nominated for, and ultimately won, was NOT Outstanding Live Action Short, but Outstanding Original Screenplay. To my knowledge, this does not happen at any other time in Oscar history. I will probably be proved wrong, but for now it's an oddity to me. It's less odd, but still kind of interesting, that the film that won the Oscar for Outstanding Original Screenplay had virtually NO dialogue in it. But I'm reminded that a screenplay is more than just spoken word. It's stage direction, setting, and overall feel too.

“The Red Balloon” is about a boy who finds a red balloon floating in the streets of Paris. He decided to keep the balloon, and soon we realize that the balloon is smarter than your average red balloon. It is a living thing. It has feelings and fears, just like us. For a little boy who is looking for a friend, the red balloon is a perfect fit.

Not all is well, however. There are lots of bullies in Paris, and they would like to pop the balloon. This struggle makes up the rest of the film. We laugh as bullies are outsmarted by a balloon and we worry as things begin to look grim.

The imagery of the balloon dancing around the screen is one of my fondest memories of my childhood, and it still is very magical, even though I now can very easily see the strings leading off screen to people who are pulling it and giving it life. This is a great movie. Children of all ages will love it. It's a testament to the value of friendship and a surprisingly funny film. Watching the personified balloon dance around the screen filled my 6-year-old with joy.

As I mentioned earlier, “The Red Balloon” won the Oscar for Outstanding Original Screenplay. The other nominees were “The Bold and the Brave”, “Julie”, “The Ladykillers”, and “La Strada”.

This review was written on June 8, 2008