Powell & Pressburger: The Red Shoes (PG)

UK | Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger | Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook, Marius Goring

Vicky Page, an aspiring ballerina is torn between her dedication to dance and her desire for love when she is cast in an adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Red Shoes. While her imperious instructor urges her to forget about anything other than ballet, she begins to fall for the charming young composer Julian Craster. Driven to a breaking point, Vicky must choose between her twin desires and carry the consequences of her decision. This sinister and atmospheric masterpiece, with beautiful photography from Jack Cardiff concludes our season.

Screening as part of Cinema Unbound: The Creative Worlds of Powell + Pressburger, a UK-wide film season supported by National Lottery and BFI Film Audience Network. bfi.org.uk/powell-and-pressburger.

Art and Obsession
Culminating in our final film in the season, we present a series of films on art and obsession. The origin of story of The Red Shoes was inspired by an incident in Hans Christian Anderson’s childhood where he saw his father create the most beautiful shoes for a customer but when she insulted him he destroyed them. Inspired by this we look at other obsessives in cinema, who take the creative spark to an obsessive extreme.

A ballet dancer is torn between the man she loves and her obsession for dance.