The Red Balloon

Tonight, I sat here browsing Amazon, and I just fell upon it. The Red Balloon. I must have it. Funny, I can't remember if it made me laugh or cry. I just know that it is a memorable part of my childhood, and if I have an opportunity to recapture some little memory of a more simple time in my life, then I must seize that opportunity.

To all the other "kids" out there who remember this film... I'll see you on the playground.


FIVE STAR FILM - ZERO STAR DVD... what a shame!   March 7, 2003
Paulo Leite (Lisbon, Portugal)
75 out of 81 found this review helpful

This film is an absolute work of art! It tells the beautiful story of a young boy and his only friend: a big red balloon. Their friendship is true and the living balloon follows the little boy wherever he goes. They play with each other, trust each other... they are together for good!

A very simple and beautiful story... one that makes you remember how good it is to be a kid. ...all the possibilities... all the imagination and the innocence we lose when we grow up. This film will touch everyone who sees it.

The only problem is the print they used for this DVD. Absolutely horrible! Full of scratches and marks... (there are silent films in better shape!) it seems someone dragged the film stock on a street to make it look bad. I cannot believe such an important film had such a lack of caring. The soundtrack is also bad and the rich Technicolor is gone. I was lucky enough to see this film on the big screen during the seventies and... believe me... it was beautiful. Nothing like this.

I knew this print was bad because I read the other reviews, and yet, I bought it because I felt I must have it (for I love this film). But it was still shocking to see how bad a bad print can be.

I think this film is a masterpiece and I will buy it again if this is ever restored and released again... but this is an european film and I do not see that (restoration... or a new print) coming soon. So I bought it anyway - think like this: not even in France this film is available... go figure why!

A beautiful film that is worth every scratch... but it is a shame... Films like this one should be seen over and over and I am sure if it was to be rereleased it would be a success. Perhaps one day someone like Criterion (who for once released it in Laserdisc a looong time ago) will take this film and give the treatment it deserves.

By the way, the DVD comes with an american animated cartoon : "The Pincushion Man". It is about a ballon-like city with ballon-like characters. The print is equally bad. It is an early thirties "silly symphonies-like" color cartoon produced by Castle Films. The film is nice and it leaves you wondering about how many great films are there left to rot. ...


A touching evocation of childhood fantasy and escape.   November 24, 1998
fb@odn.de (Herzogenaurach, Germany)
31 out of 32 found this review helpful

I can't remember the first time I saw this wonderful film, but I know that I will watch it many times more. I think it is one of the most moving, evocative stories about childhood that I know. It is, in my opinion, an authentic vision of childhood retreat into an inner world that is free of mean parents, bullies, and scornful teachers. The last scene is a great symbol for the escape from the loneliness and pain of growing up that many children experience. I believe that adults as well can surely empathize with the little boy in the story as he tries to make his way in the world that seems so cruel. This film is a real classic.


ONE OF THE BEST SHORT FILMS EVER MADE!!!! RESTORED!!!!   March 11, 2008
Paulo Leite (Lisbon, Portugal)
19 out of 23 found this review helpful

I used to study in a school where there was a film theater. Back in the 70's, I still remember once a week all the kids and teachers together watching movies. THE RED BALLOON was one of them. It was instant love.

Simply put, this is one of the best short film ever made. No kidding. Put them all together and this film will easily be in the all-time top five. An absolute work of art!

It tells the beautiful story of a young boy and his only friend: a big red balloon. Their friendship is true and the living balloon follows the little boy wherever he goes. They play with each other, trust each other... they are together for good!

A very simple and beautiful story... one that makes you remember how good it is to be a kid. ...all the possibilities... all the imagination and the innocence we lose when we grow up. This film will touch everyone who sees it. The ending is unforgettable.

Congratulations to Criterion for releasing again (they released it previously on Laserdisc, many years ago), this time on DVD, such a magical film... restored to its full glory. All the Technicolor glory with beautiful colors that I am sure nobody who sees it will ever forget.

A true cinematic experience that is rare nowadays - in a world where children entertainment is populated by violence, sex and razzle-dazzling special effects...

This is a true great film for everybody.


An enchanting film for the child in each of us.   February 21, 2008
G. Merritt (Boulder, CO)
17 out of 23 found this review helpful

After first seeing them as a child, I recently experienced a theatrical double feature of the beautifully restored prints of The Red Balloon and White Mane, finally available in DVD format. (The Criterion Collection released a laserdisc of the films in 1986.) French award-winning filmmaker, Albert Lamorisse is best known for The Red Balloon (Le Ballon rouge) (1956), which not only earned him the Palme d'Or Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, but an Oscar that same year (the only dialogue-free film ever to win the award). His two children, Pascal and Sabine are featured in the film. With a running time of just thirty-four minutes, The Red Balloon follows the adventures of a young boy (Pascal), who discovers a sentient red balloon in the Menilmontant neighborhood of Paris. The balloon befriends Pascal and then follows him through the streets of Paris, drawing inquisitive looks from adults and envious looks from other children. The balloon upsets the authoritarian figures in Pascal's life, namely his teacher and mother. After the balloon is destroyed (or crucified like Jesus, as some critics have suggested) by a gang of neighborhood bullies, Pascal is transported above Paris by a cluster of balloons. This is an equally poignant and truly enchanting film that will captivate children of all ages.

G. Merritt