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British drama film written, directed and produced by the team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, known collectively as The Archers. The film is about a ballerina who joins an established ballet company and becomes the lead dancer in a new ballet called The Red Shoes, itself based on the fairy tale ‘The Red Shoes’ by Hans Christian Andersen.

The film stars Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook and Marius Goring and features Robert Helpmann, Léonide Massine and Ludmilla Tchérina, renowned dancers from the ballet world, as well as Esmond Knight and Albert Bassermann. It has original music by Brian Easdale and cinematography by Jack Cardiff, and is well regarded for its creative use of Technicolor.

The film premiered on 6 September 1948 in the UK and on 22 October 1948 in the USA.

At the 21st Academy Awards, The Red Shoes won awards for Best Original Score and Best Art Direction, as well as nominations for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing. A favorite film of dancers and dance enthusiasts – as much for its detailed and realistic behind-the-scenes view of the dance world as for the outstanding dance sequences – this film inspired Kate’s song The Red Shoes and her film The Line The Cross And The Curve. A side by side viewing of the latter with the original film reveals many ways in which Kate’s creative decisions were shaped by careful study of this film.

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