Endlessly fascinating,dark and bright, The Red Shoes (1948) employs every branch of the cinematic arts to sweep the audience off its feet,invigorated by the transcendence of art itself,only to leave them with troubling questions.Representing the climax of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's celebrated run of six exceptional feature films,the film remains a beloved,if unsettling and often divisive,classic.Pamela Hutchinson's study of the film examines its breathtaking use of Technicolor,music,choreography,editing and art direction at the zenith of Powell and Pressburger's capacity for'composed cinema'. Through a close reading of key scenes,particularly the film's famous extended ballet sequence,she considers the unconventional use of ballet as uncanny spectacle and the feminist implications of the central story of female sacrifice.Hutchinson goes on to consider the film's lasting and wide-reaching influence,tracing its impact on the film musical genre and horror cinema,with filmmakers such as Joanna Hogg,Sally Potter,Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma having cited the film as an inspiration.
MEDIA REVIEWS
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLCISBN: 9781839026065Number of pages: 112Dimensions: 190 x 135 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
Hutchinson knows how to be both expansive and economical with an expert's confidence and a fan's enthusiasm.(Hutchinson is) en pointe on everything from the ballet's ecstatic agony and queer readings to the film's influence,and at her best showing how Shoes frames a key question:'How far would you go for art'Stuffed with insight and background.An excellent close reading...A record of remarkable artistic freedom made possible for a prolifically imaginative director and writer to cast their spells,enthusiasm and love.
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