Art and reality merge in this fantastical tale from iconic British director duo Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

After producing several acclaimed films both commissioned by and in conflict with the British War Office, Powell + Pressburger (also known as ‘The Archers’) sought to make more escapist and experimental films. The Red Shoes is the grand, dramatic culmination of a distinct expressionist style developed through A Matter of Life and Death and Black Narcissus, that abandoned realism for true artistic expression.

The film features a metafictional narrative, in which the Boris Lermontov (played to perfection by Alton Walbrook) stages a ballet adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s eponymous fairytale, only for the story to interject the events of the film itself. Aspiring ballerina Victoria (Moira Shearer) soon finds herself undone by the perilous pursuit of artistic perfection, as Lermontov’s unwieldy demands take a toll on her life off-stage. With its avant-garde techniques and stunning cinematography, The Red Shoes profoundly influenced many great filmmakers, including George A. Romero and Martin Scorsese, and has cemented itself as an all-time British classic.