Essay Example about The Red Shoes Film

The Red Shoes is a classic film that was very cinematic and creative. The areas of the film I wish to discuss are the films camera movements, the choice of shots and sequences in the film as well as the editing and the use of color in the film.

There were a few instances in the film where the movement of the camera was very noticeable and effective and really added a sense of drama and presence to the film. The first movements that caught my eye were in the very first scene in the theatre balcony where the students hear that the score was stolen. There is a shot from underneath of the students and it pans across their faces (05:31) . It is more of a round pan than a pan from left to right. This is also an instance of interesting shot choice but will talk more on that later. The second camera movement was when the young lady runs up the stairs and the camera is obviously on an inclined dolly and it tracks her up the stairs as she leaves the balcony (11:27). The most intense use of camera movement in the film came when Victoria was dancing in London and there is a spot where she begins to spin fast and then stop and then spin again and then stop and the camera is spun to match her POV and it was quite effective at making you feel dizzy and like you were there dancing (34:08). There was a spot where the camera followed a newspaper blowing down the street that seemed more theatrical because of the movement (54:19) and finally the last camera movement that I saw that was really effective was when Caster gets up to play the piano and then Victoria wakes up and the camera follows her around the bedroom as she looks outside and then goes to be by his side. (1:55:45)

The choice of shots and sequences throughout the film is the next discussion topic and there were numerous examples of this aspect. The first I enjoyed was the extreme angle of the horns 

in the opening scene. Then there was an scene where the candlelight played off of Victrorias hair. (15:00) Then at (27:30) we have the first instance of 5 of using the mirrors in rehearsal spaces to create leading lines and to double the size of the room that was effective as well. In Monte Carlo there was a harsh light shone directly on the actors in order to recreate the harsh light of the setting sun (00:50:12) I enjoyed the way they created moonlight at (00:53:47) with soft lights and also the way they created the moving steam from the locomotive that was moving down below them. I enjoyed that until I realized that they used that same effect to show her leaping in front of the train. During the Ballet there were numerous creative shots I liked. The first was when she was superimposed in front of herself to show her wishes to own the shoes (1:08:22). The second was the way the shoemaker was lit from underneath in order to show menace (1:10:30). Then there was a long shadow cast from offscreen reaching for the shoes in order to show the magic of the shoes. (1:12:50) Didn’t quite understand the dancing with the newspaper and her dress turning the same color as the newspaper and then back but that’s ok. There is a transition from a rehearsal to the office later on where the dancers are pointing their feet and we dissolve to the statue on the balcony and I found that transition effective as well. The film used motivated lighting throughout and two of my favorites happened at the birthday party. The strings of lights above and the spotlight shining in faces to create the effect of a car pulling up was quite striking. (1:33:40) There were two other motivated light choices made as well. When the light of the desk is shining on Casters face and there is a hard line across his forehead and then when Lermontov is sitting on his chaise and there is a lamp right next to him and a window open behind him (1:48:05). One of my favorite shots is when Victoria is in the carriage looking up at the balcony and she says she is going with him and he yells and throws the clothes down in jubilation. (1:47:33) This film is very adept at using open windows and lamps to give a reason for a light to be somewhere. The last camera shot I want to talk about is when the new dancer is coming and walks in front of the Brandenburg gate and it is set up in the rule of thrids.(1:51:22) Very striking image.

There are only a few editing choices I wish to discuss. The first goes hand in hand with something I’ve already covered and that was when Victoria was spinning in London and we go back and forth from her closeup to her pov. This could have been edited wrong and it would not have worked. The second is during the ballet and the lights are flashing and then it cuts to the shoes being on her feet immediately. (1:09:30) This actually could have been done better. Actually a lot of the editing throughout the red shoes seemed like it could have been performed better and kind of took away from the special effects they were attempting. I understand the difficulty of pulling off these effects without the aid of a green screen or an onset monitor to see how the shots are lining up. One edit near the end I did like was when Lermantov was upset that they got married and he hits the mirror and breaks it. There is a jump cut at impact and it worked for me. 

The final aspect of the film is the most subjective and that is the use of color throughout the film. I found that they tried to go with a particular color in a scene to paint a cohesive picture. The flowers always matched the drapes. From the burgundy on the balcony in the first scene to the red wheels on the wagons and cars in the streets it was quite obvious they left nothing to chance as far as color selection goes. It seems that the film was light with yellows and greens at the beginning and turned dardker with blues and reds near the end. One of my favorite combinations of color were the blue and gold on the statue carvings on the front of the balcony (1:06:32). The color was so very vivid thoughout the film, it was hard to narrow it down and give specific instances. Suffice it to say that it was quite evident that color was taken very seriously and given the attention it deserved. 

Was there ever a scene that you believe could have been done differently? There were a few, especially during the Red Shoes Ballet and multiple instances of superimposition were used to create special effects. I felt these were amateurish and distracting. The spinning newspaper that became a man and then went back to a man did not make sense at all. (1:14:41) The flashing lights on the red shoes could have been done better as well. Maybe a larger more distinct light. 

Was the story able to be followed from the cinemagraphic point-of-view? 

I feel that indeed it was. I felt the camera shots, angles and sequences were very well thought out and planned. The only exception being during the most important part of the film, the namesake ballet. It was quite confusing. The only real confusing part throughout were the French accents and the people actually speaking in French. I definitely found myself wishing I had turned on the closed captioning option. 

How did the color impact the story? 

I honestly don’t understand this question and I am 

afraid that I have missed some important thematic element of the film. I watched it once and was stopping it to take notes the whole time so maybe if I was able to watch it all the way through without interruption I could catch the impact of the color on the film. All I can say is what I stated previously, in that, it seemed brighter and lighter at the beginning and got darker and more subdued at the end. 

Do you feel that this film has aged well?  

I feel that the story is timeless since we are dealing with passion, art, love, jealousy and betrayal. I don’t think that it is a timely film for todays society as the ballet is not as popular as it once was and the arts and culture crowd is dwindling. I definitely believe it is a worthwhile film for a class on cinematography since it has no many artistic aspects. 

If you had the chance to create this film again would you? 

Honestly? For the right paycheck, perhaps. For pure artistic pleasure or a desire to see it recreated, I can’t say that I would enjoy that process. Maybe if the ballet were replaced with some other form of expression: i.e., a red guitar in a rock and roll band that won’t let the musician stop playing, unto his death, or a red car for a race care driver. Who knows? Thank you for the assignment. It was challenging and enjoyable and the first paper I have written in over 20 years.