This seminal dance film, created Powell and Pressburger, in which an impresario takes a ballerina under his wing, deftly combines interpretive dance with drama. This acclaimed adaption of a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale results in a marked triumph of artistic collaboration and modernity. More than any other film, THE RED SHOES deals with the dangerous, magical process by which art is distilled from preparation and effort.

Powell and Pressburger, who called their unique creative partnership The Archers, were no strangers to controversy. Each film they made together aimed it's barb at complacency and tackled a new creative challenge. They intended for this story, of a ballerina's life backstage, to turn into a manifesto for the claims of art over mundane life. Through a young dancer's eyes, unforgettably played by Moira Shearer, we meet a young composer, played by Marius Goring, and we enter a ballet company under the leading dancer and choreographer Robert Helpmann. At the center of the company is the malevolent charming impresario Boris Lermontov. Lermontov lives through his creations. People and relationships are ruthlessly subordinated to a drive that inevitably reminds us of the drive to make films. Under the authoritarian rule this charismatic ballet impresario, his proteges realize the full promise of their talents, but at a price: utter devotion to their art and complete loyalty to Lermontov himself. Under his guidance, the young ballerina is poised for superstardom, but earns Lermontov's scorn when she falls in love with the composer of "The Red Shoes," the ballet Lermontov is staging to showcase her talents.

DVD Features

Region 1 Encoding
Keep Case
New Digital Transfer Supervised by DP Jack Cardiff
Audio Commentary by Film Historian Ian Christie, Featuring Interviews With Stars Marius Gorin and Moira Shearer, Jack Cardiff, Composer Brian Easdale, and Martin Scorsese
Jeremy Irons Reads Excerpts From the Novelization and Original Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tale
Martin Scorsese's Collection of Memorabilia From the Film
Rare Publicity and Behind-the-Scenes Production Stills
"The Red Shoes Sketches" - An Animated Film of Hein Heckroth's Painted Storyboards, With a Comparison to the "Red Shoes" Ballet as an Alternate Angle
Theatrical Trailer
A Powell and Pressburger Filmography With Clips and Stills
Optimal Image Quality: RSDL Dual-Layer Edition
English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired

Moira Shearer: Dancer/Actress
Anton Walbrook: Austrian Actor
Robert Helpmann: Actor/Dancer/Choreography
Marius Goring: British Actor
Austin Trevor: British Character Actor
Esmond Knight: British Character Actor
Eleanor Berry: 
Derek Elphinstone: 
Marie Rambert: 
Joy Rawlins: 
Irene Browne: 
Albert Basserman: German Actor
Ludmilla Tcherina: 

Michael Powell: Director/Writer/Producer
Emeric Pressburger: Producer/Writer/Director

Emeric Pressburger: Producer/Writer/Director
Michael Powell: Director/Writer/Producer

Michael Powell: Director/Writer/Producer
Emeric Pressburger: Producer/Writer/Director
Keith Winter: 

Brian Easdale: 

Reginald Mills: Editor/Sound

"...Lush, beloved....Overripe appeal..."
"...A treat from start to finish....Magical..." -- Rating: A+
"...The most popular British film of its day launched an international ballet craze..."
"[O]ne of the most exquisite color films ever made. Jack Cardiff's gorgeous three-strip Technicolor cinematography creates the kind of deep, vivid hues that will leave viewers literally gasping."