Le Ballon Rouge
Le Ballon Rouge is a short French film produced by Albert Lamorisse, released on the 11th of March 1956. Shot in Paris, it has won many accolades since its release just over 50 years ago, winning awards in both the BAFTA’s and the Oscars in 1957 this is in addition to receiving a special award in the prestigious Cannes film festival a year earlier. This remarkable 34 minute production is void of any real dialogue or spoken narrative; the plot unfolds through subtle and clever cinematography. Using only the acting of a cast consisting mainly of children, the star being the producer’s 6 year old son, this film manages to capture beautifully a simple symbolism for the essence and innocence of childhood. “Le Ballon Rouge” was released by the institution Film Montsouris in the children’s short fantasy genre.
The wider contexts of this film are very evident in the picture, throughout we get hints and indications that are apparent in the mise en scene and also the setting in which the media is shot. Set in 1956 just 11 years after the end of World War 2, we are made aware of the damage done to the French capitol by the war and the occupation of the Germans. The war damaged Parisian streets are filled with a sulking consuming grey color and the roads and pavements are ragged with holes and decaying construction. This all ready gives the audience an idea of a core foundation of the film; One aspect is the boy’s love and curiosity for everything around him, always exploring and searching, this is shown when the boy and the balloon play in the flea market. We can see that even in this emotion sapping climate of post war France, the Red of his balloon stands out from the crowd .The grey theme that runs in the film is a very powerful connotation that could infer many different things relating to the plot of the film and the wider contexts: A dull Paris full of monotony with a lack of inspiration, imagination and creativity. Almost as if the War has drained...