S
Steve-o
Guest
Anyone remember these 1950s short films? It seems like they were always shown in 5th grade classrooms and my class was no exception. Both of these films have stayed in my memory and both were so sad, but uplifting. I guess that’s why schools show these films in classrooms for the youngsters, to imbue a sensitivity in the children, so that we might not all become monsters.
I loved the Red Balloon, with the French boy who is the outcast among his schoolmates and “befriends” a floating red balloon. The two run around Paris(?) and I recall that the ancient city with it’s cobblestone streets and shops were a revelation to this southeastern US kid. Who can forget the red balloon falling to earth after being pierced and then the all the thousands of multi-colored balloons rise to the sky and bringing the boy with them. Beautiful imagery.
The Steadfast Tin Soldier was the most profound to me and it also is the most sad of the two films. A toy soldier is taken on a journey through many different ways and I especially remember him barely escaping a paddleboat’s power. The ending is probably the saddest I’ve ever seen in a child’s film. There was a narrator for the soldier, I believe.
Now where the heck can I get these films today???
I loved the Red Balloon, with the French boy who is the outcast among his schoolmates and “befriends” a floating red balloon. The two run around Paris(?) and I recall that the ancient city with it’s cobblestone streets and shops were a revelation to this southeastern US kid. Who can forget the red balloon falling to earth after being pierced and then the all the thousands of multi-colored balloons rise to the sky and bringing the boy with them. Beautiful imagery.
The Steadfast Tin Soldier was the most profound to me and it also is the most sad of the two films. A toy soldier is taken on a journey through many different ways and I especially remember him barely escaping a paddleboat’s power. The ending is probably the saddest I’ve ever seen in a child’s film. There was a narrator for the soldier, I believe.
Now where the heck can I get these films today???
