This film was released on Friday 18th December 2015 and is no longer screening. 

Vicky Page (Moira Shearer) is a young ballerina who becomes an overnight sensation in this classic backstage drama. Schooled by her instructor, the imperious Lermontov, to forget everything but ballet, she nevertheless finds herself falling for charming composer Julian Craster (Marius Goring).

With The Red Shoes, directors Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger perfected their idea of the ‘composed film’, where every aspect of production serves the whole, the remarkable mid-film sequence in which dance, drama, surrealistic design and painterly colour coalesce into a beautiful whole being typical of their unique approach. It remains a remarkable cinematic experience.

Notes by David O’Mahony

IFI Age Recommendation: 10+

Screening as part of IFI Festive Favourites 2015. Click for more seasonal screenings this December.