The Red Shoes

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The Red Shoes

Released Sep 6, 1948

2h 13m

Drama

Romance

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

66 Reviews

91%

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10,000+ Ratings

In this classic drama, Vicky Page (Moira Shearer) is an aspiring ballerina torn between her dedication to dance and her desire to love. While her imperious instructor, Boris Lermontov (Anton Walbrook), urges to her to forget anything but ballet, Vicky begins to fall for the charming young composer Julian Craster (Marius Goring). Eventually Vicky, under great emotional stress, must choose to pursue either her art or her romance, a decision that carries serious consequences.

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Critics Consensus

The Red Shoes is one of the best-looking movies ever, and blends multiple moods and styles with balletic grace.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

The Red Shoes showed me I could transcend who I was born as and become who I knew I was supposed to be.

Rated: 4/4

Nov 16, 2023

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George Campbell Dixon

Daily Telegraph (UK)

These faults, if faults they be, may well be outweighed by the beauty of the ballet sequences and music, by the skill with which Mr Powell always uses colour, and by Miss Shearer's endearing charm.

Mar 9, 2015

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TIME Magazine

A lingering, calf-eyed look at backstage ballet's little world of overworked egos and underdone glands.

Mar 9, 2015

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Chance Solem-Pfeifer

Willamette Week

The Red Shoes... remains a beguiling love story, a world-class use of color-as-storytelling and a touchstone film for any artist torn up inside about the enriching power of their art versus the destructive forces of perfectionism.

Jan 22, 2025

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Rich Cline

Shadows on the Wall

Powell and Pressburger's films stand up because they tap into the human condition while pushing cinematic boundaries, and this is one of their most indelible fables.

Rated: 5/5

Dec 12, 2023

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Victor Pineyro

Seventh Art Studio

Black Swan wouldn't exist without The Red Shoes, a film about the most primitive human emotions, through the most exquisite forms of art. Powell-Pressburger were absolute masters of their craft. Incredible film. Full review in Spanish

Rated: 9/10

Apr 8, 2022

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Luca D

The acting was good enough not top tier, but what carries this movie is some of the best choreography I have ever seen, and great set designs accompanied by an amazing soundtrack. Overall a big creative melting pot that is a lot of fun to watch and listen to.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/26/25

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Will G

A great film. It is about a ballet performance and they travel to France. The ballet is about a woman who can’t stop dancing when she wears these red shoes. Martin Scorsese owns the original red shoes.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/25

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David K

This is a film I've watched multiple times but never really watched closely. However, re-watching as part of TCM's "The Art of Artifice" where they focus on Production Design in the pre-CGI era, I was mesmerized. I watch about 500-600 movies each year, and am so glad to have put this one in focus for the beauty of the production.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/31/25

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Lars N

It's influence aside, impressive as it is, it's a bit to melodramatic to my liking

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/21/25

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Gertrude F

The film itself much resembles a ballet. The beauty and the grace, the tragedy, everything comes together- a harmony of visual spectacle and great storytelling.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/21/24

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David C

A simply beautiful and stunning piece of cinema.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/26/24

Full Review

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Michael Powell

Director

Emeric Pressburger

Director

Moira Shearer

Victoria Page

Anton Walbrook

Boris Lermontov

Marius Goring

Julian Craster

Robert Helpmann

Ivan Boleslawsky

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Synopsis

In this classic drama, Vicky Page (Moira Shearer) is an aspiring ballerina torn between her dedication to dance and her desire to love. While her imperious instructor, Boris Lermontov (Anton Walbrook), urges to her to forget anything but ballet, Vicky begins to fall for the charming young composer Julian Craster (Marius Goring). Eventually Vicky, under great emotional stress, must choose to pursue either her art or her romance, a decision that carries serious consequences.

Director: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Producer: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Screenwriter: Hans Christian Andersen, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, Keith Winter, Marius Goring
Distributor: MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Criterion Collection
Production Co: The Archers, Independent Producers
Genre: Drama, Romance
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 6, 1948, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 23, 2017
Runtime: 2h 13m
Sound Mix: Mono

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