Amazon.com video review:
The late French filmmaker Albert Lamorisse made this classic,
1956 short work about a lonely little Parisian boy (Pascal Lamorisse)
befriended by a large red balloon, which seems to have a will of its
own. As with his preceding short, 1952's White Mane,
Lamorisse took home a grand prize from the Cannes Film Festival for
The Red Balloon, and the latter film also won an Academy
Award. There have been some stimulating pieces of film criticism (some
pro, some con) written about the aesthetics of this little movie over
the years, but there's no question it makes for a touching,
allegorical piece always certain to prompt conversations among viewers
of any age. --Tom Keogh
