I personally am blown away by how affectively this film employs show, don't tell and uses set-up's and pay-off's and stakes to create drama around what, one would think, would be a rather undramatic subject. I am also very impressed with the film's use of color.
While commenting on this little treasure, think about the following:
- In what specific ways does the filmmakers' use of color add to the film?
- What techniques does the writer use to encourage the audience to be invested in the balloon's survival? Did those techniques work for you? Why or why not?
- In what ways can this be considered a French New Wave film? Explain (thoroughly).
Or maybe you'd like to do some cultural research. I would really like to know why the balloons in the film are so large. Is that a French thing, a 1950's thing, or just a stylistic choice for the movie?
hey, sup.
ReplyDeletei think that the colors the filmmaker uses is brilliant because its almost like a black and white film with sploches of color tossed in, but in a much more subtle way because its just really desaturated not quite all the way black and white.
i think that its not only the techniques the writer used but also the filmmaker or whoever was in control of the movements of the balloon. because the way the balloon moved defiantly seemed like the movements a little kid or even a little puppy would move. which kinda helps the audience want the balloon to stay alive so that they can watch this sweet cute little kid puppy balloon do more stuff.
yeah-zak.
Yeah, I think they had a lot of fun making this movie, especially controlling the balloon. Watching this made me want to make something similar in a class sometime.
DeleteIn a way, I see this as a really cute, vivid portrayal of a piece of a child's childhood. I see the little themes of friendship, bullying, and happiness thrown in there - the innocence of a child and a balloon, the obvious relationship between the two, haha. Adds to the sentimentality.
ReplyDeleteOh, fun fact, the director's son plays the main boy. :) How scary to watch your kid climb ten feet up or so with the possibility of breaking his neck, all for a balloon.
The boy seems to have dreary, dull days, until this magnificent red balloon pops into his life. (Whether he stumbles upon the balloon or the balloon finds him, I don't know.) It seems that no one wants the kid to have the balloon, all the other kids are trying to kill it, and the teachers won't allow it inside. (except that part I understand.)
I enjoyed that even though there was no dialogue, the visuals were so perfect to portray to you what was going on. The editing in The Red Balloon seemed very top notch, I think. You can tell the difference between an older film that is not a French New Wave, and a one that is. The Red Balloon, for it's time, was very artistic. It is colorful, it is unique and certainly very different from the usual. It's fresh, NEW. Which is what the French New Wave can be all about. (If Ive got the concept right?)
After thinking about it some more, I really loved The Red Balloon - though I don't think it's the BEST film or particularly anything mind blowing, I can most definitely appreciate the artsy style and the innocent story of childhood that goes with it.
I think you sum up well how I feel about the film too: not mind blowing but artistically well done and cute and fun.
DeleteThe color in this film was beautiful; I didn’t even notice my first few times watching it. But how much they made the balloon stand out so much more, I watched this movie again last night to do my second movie on. And I would pause the movie and look at the frame and the placing and everything made every frame look like a painting of its own.
ReplyDeleteThe playfulness and how the little boy loved the balloon made me want it also. How it was like his little pet… I don’t know I just love this movie; it makes you care about it also. And it’s cute when they hide from each other and play. The music sets a good tone in everything also. Its seems pretty “French new wavey” to me cause it was just obviously very artistic, with the color, and the music, and the simple but deeper meaning behind it.
My favorite part is the end. It’s amazing how they lifted him up in the air and it is extremely cute and sad. I just love it. I love this movie. Sorry for doing it again for my second film.. haha
It's great that you are watching this movie so many times and doing things like watching it frame by frame! I'd love to read about some specific observations you made about specific moments in the film as you watched it frame by frame.
DeleteColor played a huge role in this movie. i love how everything just went together and everything complimented each other. The bright red balloon made a gloomy place bright and inviting. This movie is a work of art all the colors and shades and shadows made it that much more interesting and easy to watch.
ReplyDeleteI want a balloon for a best friend! haha, It was really cute how they were so playful and they never left each others side just like me and my best friend, attached at the hip. When all the school kids were trying to steal his balloon it made me think of how much i try as hard as i can to protect my best friend from everyone around us. And she'll do the same for me.
I have watched it probably 3 times since we watched it in class, i love it! its probably in my top ten of favorite foreign films. I could watch it over and over, and this weekend me and my best friend are going to watch it together. I have had her watch almost all of the movies we've watched in class.
Haha! That's great that you loved it so much and are sharing it with the world. Yay!
DeleteI like what you wrote: "The bright red balloon made a gloomy place bright and inviting." I hadn't thought of how the colors signify how the balloon is a refuge or simple source of joy in a cruel world but that's true. In many ways this is a film about the dynamic between hardship and hope in life.
And that's what i loved most about it. (:
DeleteI liked the color choices in this movie. It seemed like everything was kind of diluted, except for the balloons. It kind of made the balloon feel other worldly. More so than it already was. It also made it feel like we should pay extra attention to this balloon, and care about what it's doing.
ReplyDeleteI think the way the filmmakers made the balloon feel like just another little kid was a good way to make us care about what happened to it. Instead of just being a regular old balloon, or just a balloon that followed the kid around, it actively played around with him. It listened to him, and helped him out of some situations. I also think that maybe having the film be an almost silent film was a way of making the balloon seem more like a person. If everyone talked every 3 seconds, it would remind you that the balloon can't talk, and is a balloon. But if almost no one ever talks, it doesn't seem that out of place. And most of the time you probably won't even think about it.
I think that this is a pretty good film. When I was first watching it, I was interested in what was happening, but I didn't think much of it. But the more I do think about the movie, the more I'm remembering and appreciating the subtle little things. And just the fact that this movie is weird and ridiculous.
I love what you have to say about how the color of the balloon, the way the balloon acts, and the sparse dialogue all help us to see the balloon as a character rather than an object and therefore care deeply about the balloon's safety. Great observations!
DeleteCarlos Lopez
ReplyDeleteI loved the fact that they used alot of color in this film and its just a realy great movie.
now what I didn't like is the ending instead of helping the fallen balloon they all just carried the kids away
Yeah, I thought the balloons would help the fallen balloons too and was kind of disappointed that they didn't It made it feel like the balloons were heartless. They should have at least done something like bury their fallen comrade. But, then I felt better about the ending when I read Bree's comment about color above. It helped me see that this is a film about the dynamic between hardship and hope in life. The balloon represents hope for the child amidst a cruel world. When the balloon is killed by the other children, it seems that hope cannot survive in this hostile planet we call home until even more balloons come to carry the kid away from terrestrial difficulty.
DeleteAnd again, Carlos, please write MUCH more in your responses!
I liked how the balloon had a personality. It had humor. I think that's what brought people into the film and made them care about the balloon. It really felt like it was alive. The boy had a connection with the balloon too. And yes I think the writer did a great job at making people care about the balloon, just by giving it a personality.
ReplyDeleteWhat I want to know is where did this idea come from? Why a RED balloon? But it did like the color in this film. I liked how dull it was in the background and then the red was so dominant, it reminded you that the balloon was more important then the rest of what was going on. It's almost like it's from the boys point of view where what he's focused on, is the colorfulness.
This movie is pretty abstract and different. I think that's why is a new wave film because it's not your typical film. I really like the oddness of it all. I like stories with different elements.
Over all, good movie.
Sir Whovian, Out!
It's a good thing I know who "Sir Whovian" is -- don't forget to include your name, Autumn ;)
DeleteI bet the answer as to the director's inspiration for the film is only a few google searches away.
Nice comments about how the film builds an emotional connection with the balloon, the use of color, and the awesome oddness of the movie.
In response to your second paragraph: amen! And I think that your large-balloon-as-attention-director-thesis is a feasible one.
ReplyDeleteHey it's tucker
ReplyDeleteThis movie was well done in the short span o the movie. I found it very interesting how the gave the one balloon characteristics like a common Pet such as a dog or a cat. It made the audience feel as though the balloon was as important as the boy taking care of it. It also tied into the reason why the balloon dying was such an important key point in the movie as well as an emotional one as well. The writer made it important that the balloon survived because it portrayed the boy's one true friend that was both loyal and important to the boy.
I enjoyed this movie a lot but I did not like the fact the made the balloon pop, I had the idea in my mind that the boy and the little girl were gonna be together and hopefully their balloons would have drifted apart with each other as well, this would have been a brighter ending and would have shown a little more happy emotion rather than the depressed one when the ballon was finished.
However at the end of the movie was also my favorite part because you just see swarms of balloons go and save the boy and give him new found happiness.
This movie was really great, and I would be glad to recommend it to most of the people I know.