A nice bit of business in the movie ether today – in The Guardian Mr Scorsese talks to Steve Rose about his love for ‘The Red Shoes’ – one of the most gorgeous-looking and serious-about-human-pathology films ever made, the new print of which he’ll premiere at Cannes tomorrow:
‘Movie directors are desperate people. You’re totally desperate every second of the day when you’re involved in a film, through pre-production, production, post-production, and certainly when you’re dealing with the press,’ says Marty. (He should consider co-hosting a film podcast.)
Steve Rose continues on the film’s mystique:
“It’s easy to forget how obscure most movies were in the days before DVD, video on demand, or even VHS. Studio boss J Arthur Rank lost faith in the commercial potential of The Red Shoes on first seeing it, and sent only a single print to the US. So for two years it played continuously at a single movie theatre in New York, before eventually breaking out to become a huge success, picking up Oscars in 1949 for best art direction and music. Scorsese saw it that first time in colour; after that, the only way to see such movies was on television. “Even with commercial breaks, in black and white, and cut to about an hour and a half, it still had a powerful magic,” [Scorsese] says. “The vibrancy of the movie and the sense of colour in the storytelling actually came through. Then, eventually, the prize was to track down a 16mm Technicolor print. I was able to do that a few times.” The rest of the Powell/Pressburger back catalogue Scorsese would track down one film at a time. “We were in a process of discovery.”
The Red Shoes is electrifying as it drags us along in a frenzy of dance, music and emotion. Anton Walbrook is the eye of the storm; playing God to the people around, him who are full of desperate hope. Marius Goring and Moira Shearer poured their souls into this film, showing us how our dreams can be ripped from us to serve the cruel mind of a despotic impressario. We feel their pain as their genius is exploited; yet envy their vision and desire to fulfil their ambitions. Do we have to sell our souls in order to stay true to our dreams?
I don't see Walbrook's character as particularly cruel -only unconcerned by anything other than “The Art”. He has a one-track mind. You're either in or your out. Make your choice and live with it. Cruelly unperturbable, yes, but admirable all the same.
Thanks for the link Gareth.
The Red Shoes is electrifying as it drags us along in a frenzy of dance, music and emotion. Anton Walbrook is the eye of the storm; playing God to the people around, him who are full of desperate hope. Marius Goring and Moira Shearer poured their souls into this film, showing us how our dreams can be ripped from us to serve the cruel mind of a despotic impressario. We feel their pain as their genius is exploited; yet envy their vision and desire to fulfil their ambitions. Do we have to sell our souls in order to stay true to our dreams?
I don't see Walbrook's character as particularly cruel -only unconcerned by anything other than “The Art”. He has a one-track mind. You're either in or your out. Make your choice and live with it. Cruelly unperturbable, yes, but admirable all the same.
Thanks for the link Gareth.