Le ballon rouge (1956)

Director:

Albert Lamorisse

Writer:

Albert Lamorisse (written by)

Release Date:

11 March 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Fantasy | Short

Plot:

A red balloon with a life of its own follows a little boy around the streets of Paris.

Plot Keywords:

Balloon | Red Balloon | Color In Title | Children | Very Little Dialogue

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 wins

Cast

Pascal Lamorisse	...	Pascal the Boy
Georges Sellier	...	Shopkeeper
Vladimir Popov	...	Tennant
Paul Perey
René Marion	...	Pascal's Father
Sabine Lamorisse	...	Pascal's Mother
Michel Pezin

Also Known As:

The Red Balloon (USA) (new title)

Runtime:

34 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Switzerland:0 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:0 (canton of Vaud) | USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | South Korea:All | Australia:G | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Films Montsouris

Trivia:

The film won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, even though it has little dialogue.

Goofs:

Continuity: Just after the scene where the boy is turned away from boarding the bus, you see him running off with the balloon in his left hand and the satchel in his right however in the next shot it is reversed.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: The Crepes of Wrath (#1.11)" (1990)

The First Film I Saw...

This is one of the first films I remember seeing. My grandfather was kind enough to record it off of television for me when I was only one or two years old. I remember enjoying it alot as a very young child and I enjoy this film just as much, if not even more, today. I can appreciate the story more, now that I'm older. It is one of the truly best short films ever made, right up there with the best of Chaplin and other great short-film makers.