The Red Balloon

The Red Balloon is a French Film (Le Ballon Rouge), which was directed by Albert Lamorisse in 1956. This short film was shot in Paris, France in the Menilmontant neighborhood. Albert won numerous awards from this film’s simplicity, creative screenplay and powerful message. The film, has very little French dialogue but used diegetic, nun-diegetic, and soundtrack music to help tell the story and build a deeper understanding and emotion attachment. The film follows a young boy (Pascal) who one day finds a big red balloon on top of a light post. Later discovers this balloons has a mind of its own because it follows him around. With the balloon he finds it harder to keep it because it isn’t allowed on the public transportation, school, nor

his home. He still finds a way to keep the red balloon close and protect it. Towards the middle Pascal has a quick encounter with a girl(Sabine Lamorisse) who has a blue balloon that also seem to have a mind of its own. To sum up the last couple of scenes Pascal encounter a gang of bullies, who are envious and want to destroy his balloon. Finally they over power him and take and destroy the red balloon Pascal had. While he was grieving similar minded balloons that were all shapes and colors floated to him. When all the shapes and sizes came together as a whole it was strong enough to pick him up and float him around. The combination of mise en scene and sound within the film traps the viewers into a continuous storyline with hidden meanings.
The opening shot is like various ‘City based’ films that provided a long shot of the setting which in this particular film was Menilmontant, Paris in 1956.

The first thing that catches your attention is the setting of the neighborhood and how grayish and dull it appears. Throughout the film the background setting continues with this grayish and dull point of view about this neighborhood but gave a naturalistic light. The film was set to go against the monochromatic dullness of post-war Paris. In addition, the setting is very large compared to the characters throughout this storyline. The setting overwhelm the characters in various scenes throughout the film. As a result of the directors using this technique the grayish dull and big setting it disconnects the viewers from the city so we can focus more on the message within the film. It gives the messages that no matter where you’re located us as individuals our comprehension on the hidden message is bigger than these

characters.
During the film Mise-en-scene plays a major role with coming together and unveiling the hidden secret. Elements that comes together like the props, actors’ movement and performance, and color. In the beginning the young boy (Pascal) came across a big bright red balloon on the top of the light post.
The big bright red balloon is a repeated prop throughout this movie and the light post is a semi-repeated prop.

With the technique of props in this film it helped together to pulling a deeper meaning because these prop all symbolized a meaning that contributed in this film. Pascal found the balloon on the top of the light post which gave us a lead way to form a meaning. Also, mirrors had a focus point at one time in the film. Mirrors represents two world of a parallel view. Light post are known to be a power source for energy and light. As Pascal continues it seems that the balloon becomes his best friend. This causes problems at home, school, and while trying to ride public transportation but eventually overcome. The characters movement and performance plays as a key element in the short film because there is very little French dialogue in the duration of this film. Their actions are watched closer because of this missing element. Then the characters target the red balloon from the boys in his neighborhood and they eventually capture and stone it until it deflates. This is relevant to the film because it give the message of society and how they do not like that is different. They would try to destroy whatever type of creativity you have to make you like everyone else. Colors can connect and contract objects in various figures throughout the film. Some people say to generally find a red balloon in such a gray environment symbolizing many things like hope, creativity, and

personality and freedom. Other appearances of color included that children’s coats and the characters clothes. Once scene in the movie the character ran out of school and some students had red in their clothing but very little and dark. Majority of the kids clothing were blues, grays, and teals. As the adults had worn darker colors like black, dark blue, and brown. Toward the end you send a shot of three balloons red, white, and blue in front of a sports bar that served burgers.

Colors were a major element that helped tied some loose knots throughout the movie. Everyone pretty much blended in with the environment like they were brain washed and life-less to the big world around them or stuck in a bubble. Most countries they don’t allow children to have too much freedom, creativity, and hope because they are under a strict government. Towards the end when Pascal was hurt that the kids destroyed his hope, freedom, and creativity. The scene of the American Flag colors came to his rescue because American culture always you to express your freedom and encourages you to excel in grow.
The Red Balloon also uses a great usage of sound to help create the story line. With films that has no dialogue it is very hard to get and still get the same emotional attachments to certain things with the characters do interact with each other. Albert did an excellent at using low dialogue, more music, and sound effects to form this movie. The sound track used in this films was more so a piano sound used with other instrument to draw the viewers and create a different type of emotion. He kept a calm, worried, and sometimes excited tempo throughout the movie that helped tie into the movie because it was focused on a child and there main emotions. I technique Albert used in this movie when he wanted to create the dramatic but sad part with to kill all the sound. As the balloon was popped and begin to fall to the ground the silence of the film made you engage for and it grabbed some emotion from with-in. Without the sound confusing our moods it related to the film because he is trying to let us know that when the balloon was popped that was a serious scene. Also going to the Diegetic noises through the film was important because it gave it that realism it needed. It helped tell us no matter how bland the movie is the sound helps bring a realistic reminder that ties in to the hidden meaning that was in the movie.
The importance of Mise-en-scene elements and sound in the film Red Balloon worked together to help display the meaning of the short film without dialogue. The short film was a parallel point of view from a kid’s untarnished view on life and the views through a child. Different societies adults do not allow children to have creativity, hope, and a untarnished view that is why he wasn’t allowed to take the balloon on the bus, school, or at home. The society is destroying kids’ point of view on life if they do not allow them to use their creativity in schools or in public places. The meanings that were pulled from this film were that children were born with hope and creativity for a brighter future and that is what the bright red balloon symbolizes. As this society tries to take away children’s hopes or when other kids destroy their dreams. No matter where you are from you can count on going to American to raise your children to have hope, freedom, and creativity. American would help support would help rebuild their hopes and views on life for them to succeed in life. When the balloons joined together and floated him over the city. It was like he was letting his creativity and hope help him leave the city which everyone is the same and blended together. The continuity editing provided