| Le Voyage en Ballon icture this: Oscar night, 1957. Up for and several documentaries. A little the main them, whose first few bars PBest Writing, Best Original Screen- known but fun fact is that in 1957 he are very close to what Burt Bacharach play for 1956 are The Ladykillers, La also invented a hugely popular board would come up with for his classic song, Strada, Julie, The Bold and the Brave, game, which Parker Brothers bought “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” and The Red Balloon. And the winner – Risk. Sadly, Lamorisse died in a he- is – , The Red Balloon. licopter crash in 1970 at the age of for- A little personal history with The Red Yes, you heard that correctly – the win- ty-eight. Balloon, if I may. I first saw The Red ner of the best original screenplay was a Balloon at the Lido Theater in Los Ange- thirty-five minute short film from . The Red Balloon featured Lamorisse’s les (one of three nearby neighborhood What are the odds of that ever happen- son Pascal as Pascal and his daugh- theaters). I was intrigued by the poster ing? Well, look it up and tell me how ter Sabine also appears. The gorgeous and immediately wanted to see it, but many other times it’s happened. I’ll save Technicolor photography was by the it was weirdly playing on a double bill you the trouble – never. Such was the wonderful French cameraman Edmond with Diabolique and children were not popularity, love, and affection for that Séchan, who would go on to photograph allowed to see Diabolique. I was very short film. It captured everyone’s hearts several of Philippe de Broca’s classics, upset and I told the box office lady that I and imagination all around the world, including That Man from Rio and Up to would pay, watch The Red Balloon, and this simple, tiny, perfect film about a His Ears. And the music, which gives then leave immediately. She finally took young boy who finds a red balloon one the film so much of its heart, was by pity on me and let me in, with the pro- fine day, and the relationship that en- Maurice Le Roux. viso that I absolutely keep my promise. sues, a true and wonderful friendship And so I went in and like most people, between boy and balloon. And since its Le Roux’s first score had been for Lam- fell in love with The Red Balloon. Oh, release it has certainly become one of orisse’s . He went on to and I forgot I was supposed to leave the most beloved films of all time, each score films for Truffaut, Godard, Nich- and so I also saw Diabolique and let me new generation discovering its beautiful olas Ray and others. Le Roux’s music tell you that movie gave me nightmares story anew. for The Red Balloon hits all of the film’s for days. emotional bases and does so simply, The Red Balloon is almost completely effectively, and beautifully. The film I saw The Red Balloon many times over devoid of dialogue (the handful of lines begins with his gorgeous, lyrical main the years – it was shown on TV (first are just throwaways), many scenes play theme, then segues directly to Pascal airing as an episode of General Electric with music only, and some play with finding the red balloon. It’s a masterful Theatre, where it was introduced by that natural sound only. Albert Lamorisse, sequence in terms of its scoring – the show’s host, ), then in the film’s writer/director, just tells his music curious at first, then establishing revival houses, and I owned a beauti- beautiful little tale as simply as he can. the immediate bond between boy and ful IB Technicolor print that I acquired That he makes us believe that a balloon balloon. The rest of the score is equally in the 1970s. Another thing I also ac- is a real character is a testament to the adept, one moment playful (the bal- quired in the 1970s was a collection of magic spell he weaves from beginning loon tormenting the headmaster of the reel-to-reel tapes made from acetates. to end. In its thirty-five minutes it has school, the magical sequence of the One of those was The Red Balloon. I’ve everything – laughter, tears, and one of red balloon flirting with a little girl’s blue had the tape for many years, but never the most moving and beautiful finales in balloon), the tension when the bullies wanted to do anything with it because the history of the movies. steal the balloon and finally end its life, I was just too concerned about the and then the stunning sequence that sound quality. But after Chris Malone Lamorisse had previously made his first follows, when all the balloons of did the unbelievable work he did on short film, Bim, in 1950, but it was his unite and find sad Pascal, and lift him Kritzerland’s release of A Place in the second short film, White Mane, made in into the skies for his joyous, exhilerating Sun, and more importantly, It’s a Won- 1953, that brought him prominence and ride over the city. derful Life, I knew if anyone could make which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes this sound wonderful it was him. And for Best Short Film. The Red Balloon The natural companion piece is, of I was right, and so finally we have the also won that same award. After The course, Jean Prodromidès’ incredible complete The Red Balloon on CD sixty Red Balloon, Lamorisse made his first score to Lamorisse’s Le Voyage en years later. It is a glorious score and a feature, Le Voyage en Ballon in 1960. It Ballon. score for the ages and of course it will won an award at the Venice Film Fes- make you want to see the movie again tival and was acquired for distribution Prodromidès began his film scoring immediately. in the , where it was titled journey in 1955 – he scored Vadim’s Stowaway in the Sky and had added Blood and Roses, and Vadim’s portion — Bruce Kimmel narration written by S.J. Perelman and of the omnibus film Spirits of the Dead. spoken by Jack Lemmon, which did the His final score was for Andrzej Wajda’s film no favors. film Danton. His score for Le Voyage en Ballon is filled with beautiful themes After that, Lamorisse made Fifi la Plume that, like the film itself, take flight when- in 1965 (titled Circus Girl in the U.S.) ever they appear. It’s fascinating to hear