The Red Shoes by Pamela Hutchinson

Endlessly fascinating, dark and bright, The Red Shoes (1948) employs every branch of the cinematic arts to sweep the audience off its feet, invigorated by the transcendence of art itself, only to leave them with troubling questions. Representing the climax of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's celebrated run of six exceptional feature films, the film remains a beloved, if unsettling and often divisive, classic. Pamela Hutchinson's study of the film examines its breathtaking use of Technicolor, music, choreography, editing and art direction at the zenith of Powell and Pressburger's capacity for 'composed cinema'. Through a close reading of key scenes, particularly the film's famous extended ballet sequence, she considers the unconventional use of ballet as uncanny spectacle and the feminist implications of the central story of female sacrifice. Hutchinson goes on to consider the film's lasting and wide-reaching influence, tracing its impact on the film musical genre and horror cinema, with filmmakers such as Joanna Hogg, Sally Potter, Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma having cited the film as an inspiration.

A study of Powell & Pressburger's 1948 masterpiece The Red Shoes in the BFI Film Classics series.

About the Author
Pamela Hutchinson is a writer, critic, film historian and curator based in the UK. Her previous publications include Pandora's Box (British Film Institute, 2020) and 30-Second Cinema (2019). She writes on early and silent film for Sight and Sound (including a monthly column), Criterion, Indicator, the Guardian, the Independent, the Financial Times, Empire and Little White Lies.

Reviews
Hutchinson knows how to be both expansive and economical with an expert's confidence and a fan's enthusiasm. -- Hannah McGill * Sight & Sound *
[Hutchinson is] en pointe on everything from the ballet's ecstatic agony and queer readings to the film's influence, and at her best showing how Shoes frames a key question: 'How far would you go for art?' -- Kevin Harley * Total Film *
Unmissable ... The Red Shoes employs the slyest wit as it teases out a kaleidoscope of themes in the greatest of all ballet films. -- Donald Clarke * The Irish Times *
Stuffed with insight and background. -- Robin Ashenden * The Spectator *
An excellent close reading ... A record of remarkable artistic freedom made possible for a prolifically imaginative director and writer to cast their spells, enthusiasm and love. * London Grip *



Book Information
ISBN 9781839026065
Author Pamela Hutchinson
Format Paperback
Page Count 112
Imprint BFI Publishing
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Series BFI Film Classics