Le Ballon rouge (1956)
Directed by Albert Lamorisse

Film Review

Le Ballon rouge is a rare gem of French cinema, a captivating short film which tells a simple tale of childhood innocence, completely untainted by false sentimentality.  Although it is a short film, which manages to avoid using dialogue for the most part, it has a surprisingly great deal to say about human nature, showing both the best and worst of humanity in a modern parable that speaks to anyone, whether you are five or ninety-five.   This is a rare film that successfully captures the essence of childhood, presenting a child's view of the world that is both convincing and engaging.

It is also a film which is highly enjoyable to watch, becoming hilarious as the balloon, apparently with a mind of its own, trails a young boy through the beautiful streets of Montmartre in Paris.  However, it is the tragic demise of the balloon near the end of the film which is most memorable, particularly as it has an almost Robert Bresson-like near-religious edge to it.  Who'd have thought that a mere balloon could provoke so many laughs and tears?

When Le Ballon rouge made its debut in 1954, it won the prestigious Palme d'Or in the short film category at Cannes.  It subsequently won an Oscar for the best original screenplay. The film has since enjoyed an enduring popularity the world over. Its director, Albert Lamorisse, has transposed the story into a children's book and then a popular stage play.  The film itself remains one of the best-loved and mostly widely seen of all French films.

Film Synopsis

One day, a solitary little boy named Pascal comes across a spherical red balloon tied to a lamppost.  Without hesitating, the boy releases the balloon and it begins following him as he continues wandering around the streets of Paris.  Wherever the boy goes, his new devoted companion is not far away.  They cannot communicate and yet, somehow, they have become inseparable.  The balloon unwittingly gets Pascal into trouble when it follows him into the classroom, and later it finds itself a friend of its own kind, in a pretty blue balloon belonging to a little girl.

As they resume their happy peregrinations around the capital, the bright red balloon attracts the attention of a gang of rough-looking older boys, who manage to draw it away from Pascal when he isn't looking.  The little boy soon recovers his ever-silent friend, but after a frantic chase the older boys viciously retaliate by throwing stones at the balloon.  Inevitably the balloon bursts under this monstrous onslaught and Pascal is left disconsolate.  But then a miracle happens.  A multicoloured ensemble of other balloons descend on the little boy and carry him up, until he is flying high above the city...