Hindsight

Classic Kids, or 100 films that the kids in your life have to see by 13 or else!

Day 75:  The Red Balloon (1956)

We use to watch this little French film every year in elementary school.  I hear they no longer show it, so sad, because the film is a gem.   Only 34 minutes long, the film is about a young French boy who one day finds himself being followed by a Red Balloon.  The mute Balloon follows the boy, Pascal on his way to school, and even into his classroom.  The balloon waits outside for Pascal until Pascal finishes classes, and then Pascal the the Red Balloon find adventures.   The boy and the balloon are often framed in long shot as they move across the cityscape, so The Red Balloon offers some beautiful images of a Paris suburb in the middle 1950s.  Directed by Albert Lamorisse, there is barely any dialogue, just music to mimic emotion.  Lamorisse's son in real life, plays the main role of the boy, Pascal, in the film.

Themes:  Friendship, Perspective, Childhood, Imagination, Play
Media Literacy Question For Kids:   Why did the filmmaker create a short film versus a longer feature version of this story?  How did the long-shots frame the relationship between the boy and the balloon?  Why is there so little dialogue?  How does music play a role within the film?