Edmond Sechan

The Red Balloon -- Albert Lamorisse's exquisite The Red Balloon remains one of the most beloved children's films of all time. In this deceptively simple, nearly wordless tale, a young boy discovers a stray balloon, which seems to have a mind of its own, on the streets of Paris. With its glorious palette and purity, this Academy Award-winning film has enchanted movie lovers, young and old, for generations.

In this fizzy romantic comedy, self-made cupid Etienne Pimm (Charles Boyer) sees penniless Duke Gaspard Ducluzeau (Ricardo Montalban) as a perfect match for heiress Millicent Mehaffey (Hope Lange), so he plants chauffeur John Lathrop Davis (Glenn Ford) in Mehaffey's Riviera home to help engineer the hitch. The trouble is, Mehaffey has a different Mr. Right in mind, while Ducluzeau cottons to a certain party -- but it isn't Mr. Pimm's pick.

A young Parisian boy (Pascal Lamorisse) finds a balloon -- or does the balloon find him? Together, boy and balloon wander the streets of Montmartre and the adjacent neighborhoods, encountering adults and gangs of local kids as the balloon becomes the boy's inseparable companion. Directed by Albert Lamorisse (who won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar), the fanciful 34-minute film also won a special BAFTA Award.

Albert Lamorisse's exquisite THE RED BALLOON remains one of the most beloved children's films of all time. In this deceptively simple, nearly wordless tale, a young boy discovers a stray balloon, which seems to have a mind of its own, on the streets of Paris. The two become inseparable, yet the world's harsh realities finally interfere. With its glorious palette and allegorical purity, the Academy Award-winning THE RED BALLOON has enchanted movie lovers, young and old, for generations.