--- title: "The Red Shoes: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-red-shoes/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-red-shoes" critics_score: 84 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Red Shoes (1948): what the critics said Critics' score 84 from 9 reviews: 8 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to The Red Shoes, with praise concentrated on its Technicolor photography, music, production design and dancing. The central ballet sequence is the clearest point of agreement: the reviews admire how it turns a stage performance into a surreal expression of the ballerina’s inner life. Moira Shearer’s performance draws particular praise, while the conflict between artistic ambition and personal happiness gives the film a seriousness that many find compelling rather than forbidding. Reservations concern the drama surrounding the dancing, though the spread is largely positive with one marked dissent. Variety finds the opening hour a commonplace backstage melodrama before the ballet transforms it. The New Yorker goes further, admiring Shearer and finding the ballet interesting but judging the whole unstimulating, with excessive length, inflated dialogue about art and unflattering colour. Most critics instead see the visual richness and obsessive emotions as central to the film’s force. ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★★. 8 December 2023. The critic calls it one of the most influential movies in history and a perfect work of art about the price of success, with visual references echoed by later directors. It praises the story of ambition and its personal costs through the ballerina's journey. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-red-shoes-1948-film-review-a-perfect-work-of-art-about-the-price-of-success-fddg7l9c6) ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic hails the film as a luminous masterpiece for its glorious Technicolor glamour and refinement of the backstage musical form. He singles out the ravishing visuals, intense performances, and impressive technical credits including choreography, score, and production design. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/red-shoes-review/) ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 December 2021. The critic praises the film's sensual power and vivid Technicolor as a prime example of the erotics of art, highlighting its lyrical structure and the groundbreaking subjective ballet sequence. The review celebrates the masterpiece's exploration of art versus life as a sublime achievement of classical filmmaking. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-red-shoes-4k-review-michael-powell-emeric-pressburger-criterion/) ## The Guardian — Philip French Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 December 2009. The critic hails the restored 1948 classic as blazing on screen, profoundly serious yet erotic, as a parable of art's destructive demands on the artist. The central ballet sequence stands out as a masterful, surreal dramatisation of inner longings comparable to Hitchcock. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/dec/10/the-red-shoes-film-review) ## The Telegraph — George Campbell Dixon Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 26 July 1948. The original release review finds the film captivating in its remote ballet world and enchanting colour, with the Andersen-inspired ballet sequence a highlight thanks to strong performances and music. It notes the painful ending and lack of humour as minor drawbacks outweighed by visual beauty and charm. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/dance/11245710/red-shoes-1948-film-review.html) ## The New Yorker — John McCarten Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 16 October 1948. McCarten finds the embedded ballet sequence interesting and praises Moira Shearer as the ballerina, but deems the picture as a whole unstimulating due to its dialogue and length. He criticizes the extravagant talk about art and the dismal complexion given by the color. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1948/10/23/1948-10-23-107-tny-cards-000026388) ## The New York Times — Bosley Crowther 23 October 1948. Crowther calls it one of the most beautifully and dreamily presented films about ballet, a flowing romantic color picture with rich settings, evocative music, and good dancing combined in a smooth, rhythmic creation. He singles out Moira Shearer for her accomplished and radiant performance as the lead ballerina. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1948/10/23/archives/the-screen-in-review-the-red-shoes-a-british-film-about-the-ballet.html) ## Variety 31 December 1947. The review notes that the first 60 minutes are a commonplace backstage melodrama, but the superb ballet sequence based on the Hans Andersen tale is staged with breathtaking beauty, color, artistry, and imagination. It praises the three principal dancers as beyond criticism and highlights the Technicolor, locations, and musical score. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1947/film/reviews/the-red-shoes-1200415736/) ## The Skinny — Juliet Buchan Rating ★★★★★. 11 December 2009. The critic praises this re-release of the 1948 classic as a dark fairytale about a ballerina torn between art and love. She singles out the sublime ballet sequence and the compelling performance of the obsessive producer Lermontov. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-red-shoes) ## Consequence Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 February 2016. The critic calls the film a masterpiece about the intersections of art, life, and obsession, describing it as a terrifying and visually stunning work that urges viewers to die for art. They single out the hallucinatory central ballet sequence as one of the greatest ever committed to film. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2016/02/the-red-shoes-and-the-beauty-of-obsession/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 9 December 2009. Festival review. The critic praises the film's focus on the lead character's internal conflict between art and personal happiness, along with its stunning visuals and innovative dance sequences. The remastered version remains highly compelling and watchable decades later. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-red-shoes-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-red-shoes.md