Comedy · Drama · Family · Fantasy
French (Le Ballon rouge)
1956 · Directed by Albert Lamorisse · 34 min
A small boy on his way to school in a grey Paris neighbourhood finds a bright red balloon and takes it with him. It seems to follow him as if it had a will of its own. Almost wordless, the film is a short fable told through images.
Why it matters in cinema history
A defining example of the poetic short and of French postwar fantasy for children. It shows that a half-hour film with no star and almost no dialogue could reach international audiences and prizes.
Watch with intention
Watch it as a silent comedy in colour, where a balloon is cast and directed like a performer.
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