So I saw The Red Balloon the other day. It's basically a kids movie from 1956. I have vague memories of watching it in kindergarten like 40 some odd years ago and I think at the time I was enthralled, even though what little dialogue there is in the movie is all in French and really just mostly consists of a young boy running around yelling "Le Balon! Le Balon!" It's only about 34 minutes long but you know those French movies, it feels like it's an hour at least. As a child I'm sure I was enamored watching a young boy and his big balloon running around town making his classmates jealous, because that's what we all wanted to do. However, upon further viewing through my aged cynical eye the story has a different meaning and appears totally different to me today. Here forthwith my brief synopsis of The Red Balloon:
Boy rescues balloon from lamp post
Boy and balloon fall in love while they frolic throughout Paris
Balloon is tragically killed in a vicious gang attack
Boy suppresses his grief and pain by succumbing to a balloon orgy
Fin!
There I've just saved you 34 minutes of you life. The movie seems a little creepy these days and the French boys in their fancy school clothes are as mean to the boy and his balloon as any kids today. Which is odd considering some of the are wearing what look like skorts and some look like they were dressed by their mothers and probably should be the actual subject of mockery by others, but here they have all banded together to get that balloon. The movie does nothing but reinforce those stereotypes about the French as nasty and mean, so they have no one to blame but themselves. But hey maybe you are into creepy mean French and if that's your thing well....get help and still unless you are under the age of 6 you don't need to see this 'movie'. Oh and get this--it won an Oscar?! Yes, I was shocked about that too for a small moment until I remembered some past Oscar winners: Around the World In 80 Days, Oliver! and ugh--Crash?!--Hollywood just congratulating themselves for addressing racism--with a star-studded cast of thousands!
But I digress...the movie is by Albert Lamorisse and in a brilliant show of nepotism he cast his son as the boy and also his daughter is in the movie in brief scene where the boy and the red balloon do some weird flirting with a girl and her blue balloon---that's just icky. I bet you'll never look at the movie again the same way now. Even after all this if you still want to see the movie, well then...I repeat my earlier statement..get help.
Boy rescues balloon from lamp post
Boy and balloon fall in love while they frolic throughout Paris
Balloon is tragically killed in a vicious gang attack
Boy suppresses his grief and pain by succumbing to a balloon orgy
Fin!
There I've just saved you 34 minutes of you life. The movie seems a little creepy these days and the French boys in their fancy school clothes are as mean to the boy and his balloon as any kids today. Which is odd considering some of the are wearing what look like skorts and some look like they were dressed by their mothers and probably should be the actual subject of mockery by others, but here they have all banded together to get that balloon. The movie does nothing but reinforce those stereotypes about the French as nasty and mean, so they have no one to blame but themselves. But hey maybe you are into creepy mean French and if that's your thing well....get help and still unless you are under the age of 6 you don't need to see this 'movie'. Oh and get this--it won an Oscar?! Yes, I was shocked about that too for a small moment until I remembered some past Oscar winners: Around the World In 80 Days, Oliver! and ugh--Crash?!--Hollywood just congratulating themselves for addressing racism--with a star-studded cast of thousands!
But I digress...the movie is by Albert Lamorisse and in a brilliant show of nepotism he cast his son as the boy and also his daughter is in the movie in brief scene where the boy and the red balloon do some weird flirting with a girl and her blue balloon---that's just icky. I bet you'll never look at the movie again the same way now. Even after all this if you still want to see the movie, well then...I repeat my earlier statement..get help.
Last posts trivia answer: No Betty Crocker was not real, nor was she based on a real person. She was the creation of business woman Marjorie Child Husted
This posts trivia question: Which Oscar did The Red Balloon win?
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