“The Red Balloon”

Some time in the late 1950’s, I saw a movie “The Red Balloon”. It was  acclaimed as an unusual movie (in England) because not only was it only 36 minutes in length, but there was minimal dialogue. What dialogue there was, was French (with appropriated sub titles), so the whole story was basically  told from a visual perspective…. and it was about nothing more than a balloon!

It was written, produced, and directed by Mr Albert Lamorisse, and he used his son to play the key role, and his daughter who portrays a little girl. From what little I know about the movie business, I would suggest that it was a very low budget production!

That movie made a huge impact on me as a young boy but, as generally happens, life intervenes and such experiences are slowly pushed back into history. Sometime around 10-15 years ago, “The Red Balloon” came up in a conversation and the emotions from the late 50’s were recalled, resulting in my watching it again (you have to love the internet!). Unlike many movies that do not repeat their original appeal, “The Red Balloon” once again created an emotional response!

This week, I read a Post which referenced balloons…

Blown by the Wind

… and once again my thoughts went back to “The Red Balloon”! Once again I watched it! Once again it was an emotional experience!

If you have 36 minutes to spare, the movie link is below. I am curious to hear your feelings about a short, low budget, no dialogue movie, in which the star is a red balloon!

The reason I find this fascinating is simply because we seem to be inundated with graphically visual and high action, “edge of your seat” movies … so why does this one hold my attention beyond my childhood? I have had no inclinations to revisit “Bambi” or the Disney “Peter Pan” which I also enjoyed, so the “nostalgia argument” is perhaps a little weak!

Food for thought.

 

38 thoughts on ““The Red Balloon””

    • Hi Nancy and welcome! You are quite correct about the movie because it can be a very simple “boy and balloon” story, or it can be graphic statement of our culture demonstrating greed, envy and destruction. It can also demonstrate caring and those other wonderful attributes of a loving relationship. It really is complex in its simplicity! 🙂

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  4. Reblogged this on A Momma's View and commented:
    I actually wanted to write a post about the journey of our lives but then, by coincidence, stumbled across this post and wow… what a great way to put in pictures what our journey is all about. Please watch. I’d love to hear your thoughts about it…

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  7. Glad you shared the movie link on here, its a treasure that needs to be shared! Bambi and Peter Pan were good movies, but they don’t have the emotional pull like this one, and I believe that is why this one still tugs at your heart! This one shows how you really don’t need words to express powerful statements. Sometimes words just get in the way. After watching it yesterday, I honestly had so many different emotions I wasn’t sure what to say, other than I knew that it was a special movie. The balloon had a heart, became real in the way he looked after the boy, and when those other balloons all came around…Yup, as much as it made me smile at that scene,that’s when I needed the tissues! Thanks again for sharing it and thanks for providing the link to my post above as well.

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  10. Wow, I just watched it and I can absolutely understand that it goes to heart. That balloon meant so much to that boy and it even seemed to have a life of its own. I cannot explain the whole picture I feel about it. But the balloon felt to me like a part of that boy, perhaps his inner being he took care of. It was liked and then again not appreciated. It was even chased. In the end after the long journey to protect his balloon it died but then all the other balloons came and showed him how much he means. There is a deep meaning behind and I would love to know the idea of the producers. It is a story that is perceived by the heart in first place. Wonderful!

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    • “….but then all the other balloons came and showed him how much he means.” Reading that one statement brought tears to my eyes, because that was the most emotional moment in the whole movie for me. Whether it was just the camaraderie of the balloons, or the fact that the boy was taken away from a cruel world, or whether they were simply thanking him for befriending one of their own…. who knows? I would need a Psych degree to answer that, which I do not have! So glad you enjoyed it Erika. 🙂

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