the red shoes

After seeing Black Swan with Colleen a couple weeks ago, I learned from a friend that director Darren Aronofsky had been greatly influenced by the 1948 film, The Red Shoes, when directing his own film. Allegedly, Martin Scorsese suggested to Aronofsky that he watch The Red Shoes while he was making Black Swan.. and if it's true, it shows.

While Black Swan is an intensely beautiful film filled with lovely costumes, creepy images, and an incredible performance by Natalie Portman, there's little it can do to truly compete with The Red Shoes. The Red Shoes is a beloved classic.. and where Black Swan frightens with chaotic blood and gore, The Red Shoes frightens with subtle imagery and dark foreshadowing. No matter which you prefer, they are both amazing movies that need to be seen to be believed.

I watched The Red Shoes for the first time last week and was instantly hooked. Since then, I've been busy talking to anyone and everyone about the film.. it has haunted me. The film's early technicolor roots are lushly decadent, its performances are excellent, and the dancing scene near the middle of the film is breathtaking. I've never been that into ballet or dance movies, but the costumes, the color, the locations, and most importantly, its ties to dark Danish folklore, sucked me in completely.

So last night, I photographed some screenshots of the film for you. I hope you enjoy! You can find more photos at my Flickr. And for those of you who are Netflix users, the film is available on instant queue right now.. if you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend watching it!