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Movies / On DVD / The Red Balloon
The Red Balloon

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The Red Balloon (1955)

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Reviews Counted:15

Fresh:15

Rotten:0

Average Rating:8.4/10

Runtime: 34 mins

Genre: Childrens

Synopsis: Perfect for all ages, this beautiful French film is a short with music and sound but no dialogue. The focal point is a bright red balloon, the psychological companion of a young French boy as he... Perfect for all ages, this beautiful French film is a short with music and sound but no dialogue. The focal point is a bright red balloon, the psychological companion of a young French boy as he goes to school and plays with his friends. This classic won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. In 2008, Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao Hsien reimagined the beloved film as THE FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON. [More]

Director: Albert Lamorisse

Director: Albert Lamorisse

Reviews for The Red Balloon

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1 - 15 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
tomato

Kate Fuscoe

As enjoyable for adults who wistfully view scenes of post-war France in all its black and white chicness, as it is for kids.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 19 2007 02:03 PM

Time Out

tomato

Lamorisse has a unique talent for crawling under the skins of little people.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 19 2007 02:02 PM

Channel 4 Film

tomato
59/100

Gabe Leibowitz

For those of us who don't have childhood memories driving our analysis, it's a passable kids movie that could be so much more.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 05 2009 04:47 PM

Film and Felt

tomato

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Enchanting.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 08 2008 09:11 PM

Combustible Celluloid

tomato
3/4

Paul Schrodt

The story of a boy and his toy, The Red Balloon is widely praised for its narrative and visual "purity," but not enough is said about the movie's delightful manipulation.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 26 2008 07:24 AM

Slant Magazine

tomato
5/5

David Cornelius

The key to its lasting endurance is in its simplicity.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 23 2008 01:03 PM

DVDTalk.com

tomato
5/5

Don Willmott

if you missed it as a child, now is the time to make sure you seek it out and watch it.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 09 2008 03:48 PM

Filmcritic.com

tomato
4/4

Sean Means

It's the perfect little movie.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 24 2007 01:44 PM

Salt Lake Tribune

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Brian Gibson

A cinematic landmark . . . Lamorisse's film floats off, with the breeze of magic-realism, into a feeling of escape and peace.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 15 2007 01:16 PM

Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)

tomato
4/4

Steven Rea

A beautiful little meditation on childhood, on imagination literally taking flight.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 13 2007 02:48 PM

Philadelphia Inquirer

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4/4

Rob Thomas

These are two unique and unforgettable family films -- one an essential part of world cinema, the other an underseen gem -- that a new generation deserves the chance to get acquainted with

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 07 2007 08:57 AM

Capital Times (Madison, WI)

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Beverly Berning

... one of the best loved films in cinema history.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 28 2007 10:01 PM

culturevulture.net

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Douglas Pratt

The results made exciting, memorable cinema, but could just as easily have turned into disaster. There seems to be no escaping the darker side of innocence.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 19 2007 02:04 PM

DVDLaser

tomato
5/5

One of the best-loved and least-sentimental children's films of all time.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 19 2007 02:02 PM

TV Guide's Movie Guide

tomato
4/5

Bosley Crowther

An utterly charming little story.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 19 2007 02:00 PM

New York Times

 
 
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