DRAMA • ROMANCE • MUSICAL
A gifted young ballerina is torn between love and her devotion to dance as she rises to stardom under the demanding direction of a renowned ballet impresario. Visually breathtaking and emotionally powerful, The Red Shoes is a timeless masterpiece celebrating the passion, sacrifice, and beauty of artistic ambition.
October 16-18, 2026
Festival dates
Capitol Theatre
Port Hope, Ontario
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Release Year
1948
Runtime
134 minutes (2 hours 14 minutes)
Rating
Not Rated
Genre
Romance, Musical
Director
Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
Country
United Kingdom
Language
English
Studio
Pinewood Studios / Victorine Studios
Sunday October 18, 2016
10:35 AM
Capitol Theatre
Port Hope, Ontario
Hans Christian Andersen’s dark fairy tale “The Red Shoes” did double duty in the 1948 film of the same name by The Archers (the producer-writer-director team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger): it provided the storyline for the ballet creation featured in the movie, and it also suggested the plot for the work as a whole. Ballerina Moira Shearer made her feature film debut, performing alongside other leading dancers of the Forties. And, by the end of The Red Shoes, the titular footwear have become a character in their own right. The movie has long been a favourite of balletomanes and cinéastes alike.
The film's famous 17-minute ballet sequence was created specifically for the screen, combining dance, music, and visual effects in ways audiences had never seen before. It remains one of cinema's most celebrated dance sequences.
Broadcaster and author Ludovic Kennedy saw Moira Shearer in the film, declared instantly that he would marry her, and tracked her down—leading to a wedding just two years later.
The iconic 17-minute central ballet sequence took a staggering six weeks to shoot and utilized over 120 individual painted backdrops designed by Hein Heckroth.
Cinematographer Jack Cardiff subtly manipulated camera speeds during the dance sequences to make the performers appear as though they were momentarily hovering mid-air.