Flight of the Red Balloon

• Inspired by Albert Lamorisse'sic 1956 Academy Award®-Winning short*, Flight of the Red Balloon is the latest masterwork from director Hou Hsiao Hsien (Three Times, Millennium Mambo). Expanding on the key elements of Lamorisse's short - a young boy, a red balloon and Paris - Hou weaves the tale of a boy, Simon (Simon Iteanu) dealing with the increased fragility of his loving yet preocc

One of the most famous short films ever made, The Red Balloon is a childhood fantasy with appeal for viewers of every age. It is the story of Pascal, a lonely French boy who befriends a wondrous red balloon which follows him everywhere--to school and church--and even hovers outside his window when he is in his room. Filmed entirely in the picturesque back streets and narrow alleys of Old Montmartre, the film has been acclaimed through the world as an immortal masterpiece of lyrical poetry. The Red ! Balloon is both a beguiling fantasy and a touching allegory on the magic powers of love and friendship. The late French filmmaker Albert Lamorisse made this classic, 1956 short work about a lonely little Parisian boy (Pascal Lamorisse) befriended by a large red balloon, which seems to have a will of its own. As with his preceding short, 1952's White Mane, Lamorisse took home a grand prize from the Cannes Film Festival for The Red Balloon, and the latter film also won an Academy Award. There have been some stimulating pieces of film criticism (some pro, some con) written about the aesthetics of this little movie over the years, but there's no question it makes for a touching, allegorical piece always certain to prompt conversations among viewers of any age. --Tom Keogh Inspired by Albert Lamorisse's classic 1956 Academy Award®-Winning short*, Flight of the Red Balloon is the latest masterwork from director Hou Hsiao Hsien (Three Times, Millennium Ma! mbo). Expanding on the key elements of Lamorisse's short - a y! oung boy , a red balloon and Paris - Hou weaves the tale of a boy, Simon (Simon Iteanu) dealing with the increased fragility of his loving yet preoccupied mother, Suzanne (Academy Award® - Winner Juliette Binoche** of The English Patient, Caché). When a Taiwanese film student, Song (Fang Song), is hired to help care for Simon, a unique extended family is formed - utterly dependent on each other yet lost in separate dreams mirrored by a delicate, shiny red balloon.