When I was a child, I watched a short French film called “The Red Balloon.” The plot, if you can call it that, involved a beautiful round red balloon that began following a little boy. It knocked on his bedroom window when he went inside and then tried to follow him into the school, causing such a large distraction for all the students that both the boy and the balloon got temporarily expelled. There was very little dialogue, but plenty of sounds: running feet on cobblestone streets, children playing and shouting, etc. After school the other children tried to get the balloon away from the boy and chased them around the town relentlessly. Finally, they cornered the balloon, tied it down, and threw rocks at it until it punctured and “died.” The little boy wept, but at the same time, all the balloons in Paris made their way to him, coalescing into such a huge group that when he grabbed ahold of all the strings, they carried him away up into the sky. The end.
I loved that little film so much that my husband ended up buying me a copy of it early in our marriage. Our children universally hated it, and although that surprised me initially, I can understand why. In a way, it’s really a movie about death and resurrection. The death part comes as a shock, since the balloon seems very much alive, and the feral cruelty of the children is distressing. What appealed to me as a child was the whimsical friendship that sprung up between the boy and his balloon and then the fantastical scene at the end when all the balloons come to take him away. The narrative arc goes from whimsical to tragic and then to joyful triumph in a way that I always found satisfying.
Our son-in-law just got a job at a fairly new job board company called Red Balloon, which got me thinking again about that film. I wanted to find a connection between my Red Balloon movie and the name of the company, but alas, there was none.
Did any of you see that film? And if so, what were your impressions?
This blog post might meet with a cruel fate at the hands of children in the morning.
Lynniebeemuseoday 
Oh, my goodness! Yes! As a child I loved the movie because I loved the little boy and his balloon. I still feel the pain inside of the children bullying him. I was so glad the balloons could take him away from the cruelty. At the time, I wasn’t familiar with the cruelty of the death and the joy of the Resurrection of Jesus. Thank you for showing the similarity.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had a feeling you’d remember that film too, Julie. Did we watch it at Barton? Next time you come over here, let’s watch it together. Did your daughters ever see it? I’m wondering if they responded like our children did. 🎈
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I am sure we saw it together at Barton. I don’t know if they saw it. I think I loaned it from the public library and brought it home, but I’ll have to ask them. Because it was a French film, I may have brought it home during their first years of French instruction. I would LOVE to see it again!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That film broke my 9-year- old heart. I just couldn’t recover from the horror of the childrens’ savagery. I felt the same thing when I watched Lord of the Flies as a teenager. Both movies are so well done and are to be praised!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve never read or seen Lord of the Flies, but I hear you loud and clear about the savagery of the children in Red Balloon. I’ve always had such a sensitive spirit I’m surprised that I loved that film so much.
LikeLike
I remember that movie from a loooong time ago. I have a feeling that I would see it with “different eyes” now than when I first saw it. Thanks for the memory.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe you’ll want to borrow my copy. 😉 🎈
LikeLike
I also remember this film and I loved it as a child. Yes, there were mean kids, but I guess I cheered for the boy and mostly for the balloon. Such a funny friend, a red balloon that follows you. I believe there is a book store in Mpls called The Red Balloon–possibly named after this film? And yes, we saw it at Barton while sitting on the floor of the gym, podded together with our class, probably sitting by someone I didn’t want to sit by 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love that last little detail you included! 😀 I also remember a book store called the Red Balloon and it was my impression too that it was named after the film.
LikeLike
I believe the bookstore is in Saint Paul. Grand Avenue.
Ahhh. Clara Barton memories.
LikeLiked by 1 person