Figure 1.--This picture from the movie shows the red baloon and the boys' class. Note the diversity of clothes: smocks, short pamts, suits, knickers, track suirs, ect. Also notice the scarves and the one boy wearing Argyle kneesocks.
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Figure 1.--This picture from the movie shows the red baloon and the boys' class. Note the diversity of clothes: smocks, short pamts, suits, knickers, track suirs, ect. Also notice the scarves and the one boy wearing Argyle kneesocks. |
The Red Baloon is one of the best known French films. Even Americans who can not name a French film, can usually recall this award winning film. It also provides a view of Frencg boys' clothes popuar during the 1950s.
A children's book, The Red Baloon with photographic illustrations was published in 1956 and proved vey popular. It proved popular and was made into a movie.
The movie is about a little French boy with the school satchel who finds a red balloon and it becomes his best friend and follows him aroung Paris.
I am not sure about this as it has been some time since I have seen the movie, but I believe the clothes worn by the boys was changed in the movie.
Most of the boys in the book wear short pants. This is despitye the fact that it is winter and cold. Many of the boys wears jackets, coats, sweatersm and scarves in some scenes, although other boys are in shirt sleeves. There ia a diversity of clothes, including suits, smocks, sweaters, suspender shorts, regular short pants, long pants, a track suit, and even one knicker suit. Somocks are not nearly as common as they once were. Only a few boys are wearing them. Smocks are only seen at school. Apparently boys took them off as soon as they came home. Boys wear both kneesocks and ankle socks. Several boys wear sandals.
I'm not positive yet about the movie costuming.
Figure 2.--This is another image from the book. All of these boys wear short pants. Several are wearong sandals, but not kneesocks. |
One reviewer recalls watching the film every year at his elmentary school. The Red Balloon was probably the first movie to make me aware of the concept of things being poetic, even though he didn't have a name for it.
There is no dialogue except when Pascal, the boy yells "baloon, baloon" in French. Also the movie was made in 1956 and that year it won the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, the New York Film Critics Award and it won the Best Film of the Decade- Educational in 1968.
The little boy who plays Pascal is Pascal Lamorisse, the son of the writer and director of the movie Albert Lamorisse.
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