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Kritzerland is proud to present a world premiere release of the score to one of the most beloved films of all time:
THE RED BALLOON
Composed and Conducted by Maurice Le Roux
Upon its release in 1956, The Red Balloon, a thirty-five minute short film from France captured everyone’s hearts and imagination all around the world. It was a simple, tiny, perfect film about a young boy who finds a red balloon one fine day, and the relationship that ensues, a true and wonderful friendship between boy and balloon. And since its release it has certainly become one of the most beloved films of all time, each new generation discovering its beautiful story anew. Most amazingly, the film won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, the first and only time a short film has won such a major award.
The Red Balloon is almost completely devoid of dialogue (the handful of lines are just throwaways), many scenes play with music only, and some play with natural sound only. Albert Lamorisse, the film’s writer/director, just tells his beautiful little tale as simply as he can. That he makes us believe that a balloon is a real character is a testament to the magic spell he weaves from beginning to end. In its thirty-five minutes it has everything – laughter, tears, and one of the most moving and beautiful finales in the history of the movies.
The Red Balloon featured Lamorisse’s son Pascal as Pascal and his daughter Sabine also appears. The gorgeous Technicolor photography was by the wonderful French cameraman Edmond Séchan, who would go on to photograph several of Philippe de Broca’s classics, including That Man from Rio and Up to His Ears. And the music, which gives the film so much of its heart, was by Maurice Le Roux. Le Roux’s score hits all of the film’s emotional bases and does so simply, effectively, and beautifully. The film begins with his gorgeous, lyrical main theme, and the rest of the score musically tells this wonderful story brilliantly, whether playful (the balloon tormenting the headmaster of the school, the magical sequence of the red balloon flirting with a little girl’s blue balloon), or tense when the bullies steal the balloon, and then the stunning sequence when all the balloons of Paris unite and find Pascal, and lift him into the skies for his joyous, exhilarating ride over the city.
The natural companion piece is, of course, Jean Prodromidès’ incredible score to Le Voyage en Ballon, which was the film Albert Lamorisse made after The Red Balloon – it was his first feature-length film. Prodromidès’ score for Le Voyage en Ballon is filled with beautiful themes that, like the film itself, take flight, and it takes the listener on a musical journey that is truly breathtaking.
The Red Balloon is taken from acetates and has been restored by Chris Malone, who did the unbelievable work on Kritzerland’s releases of A Place in the Sun, and more importantly, It’s a Wonderful Life. Acetates are never going to sound like tape and are never optimal, but Chris Malone did a great job and unless someone actually finds the tapes (if that hasn’t happened in sixty years it’s probably not going to happen anytime soon), this is as good as we’re going to get. The score to Le Voyage en Ballon has been on CD a couple of times, but for this release, Chris Malone has done major work on it and it now sounds better than it ever has.
The Red Balloon is limited to 1000 copies only and is priced at $19.98, plus shipping.
CDs will ship by the second week of September, but we’ve actually been averaging three to five weeks early in terms of shipping ahead of the official ship date. To place an order, see the cover, or hear audio samples, just visit www.kritzerland.com.
ATTENTION INDIEGOGO CONTRIBUTORS: FOR THIS RELEASE – IF YOU WANT TO OPT-OUT OF RECEIVING IT YOU WILL NEED TO SEND US AN E-MAIL OPTING OUT PRIOR TO THE DATE IT SHIPS – SEND TO kritzerland@gmail.com. IF YOU WISH TO RECEIVE IT, YOU DON”T NEED TO DO ANYTHING. IF YOU ARE NOT AN INDIEGOGO CONTRIBUTOR, ORDER AS YOU NORMALLY WOULD. THANK YOU.
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As you'll read in the booklet - I saw this back when it came out - it's an amusing story. I love this movie - I, like Ray, had a 16mm IB Tech print (I may still have it, actually).
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What a great surprise and wonderful news! I have loved this score since I saw the film in 1956.
I edited my own "Music & Effects" CDR from the Laser Disc years ago. For some reason, most DVD
releases "fade in" the opening bars rather that start at full volume.
Maurice Le Roux came up with a captivating and charming Gallic score.
Great release, Bruce!
Ron Burbella
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Zardoz, I think that you are mixing up some things here.
In 1956 conductor Serge Baudo recorded a short suite with 5 minutes from LE BALLON ROUGE for the Vega LP "25 Ans de Musique de Cinema" (as well as the other tracks by other French composers = tracks 1-9 on the DCM CD) which I have myself in my collection.
This has nothing to do with the acetates from the original recording which could now be used for the first time ever for this Kritzerland CD.
On the other hand, the second BALLON ROUGE suite with 5:37 minutes on the DCM CD was taken directly from the DVD of the film itself - namely, a few of those passages which had no sound effects, which could therefore easily be transferred and which contained different music from the one which had been recorded by Baudo for the French Vega LP. For that LP Baudo had mainly recorded the music for the finale of the film.
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I was totally unfamiliar with both scores but the samples sound lovely. Ordered! I love it how Kritzerland manages to find these really interesting, obscure scores. Keep up the good work, Bruce!
Chris
Hi, Chris.
le ballon rouge was one of the films shown by teachers/staff to my classmates & myself when we were in grade school.
Since it was mandatory viewing during my formative years, I've never considered such as 'obscure'.
If le ballon rouge has been shown frequently & regularly as children's/family viewing and is available on home video, then I'm curious how it could be deemed so unknown by some of the folks posting here.
Shouldn't everybody have been shown le ballon rouge? 
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Thanks for the clarification, Stefan.
If I'm muddying the waters over this, it's because Kritzerland's text doesn't further elaborate about the content of these various sources.
My penchant for informative details over past & present versions/editions isn't satiated by the existing paragraphs accompanying this CD release. 
I want more info!
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...the acetates from the original recording which could now be used for the first time ever for this Kritzerland CD.
Since Studio Davout was created in 1965, the recording sessions by Leroux for le ballon rouge must have occurred someplace else.
Does any one have any idea where? Was it possibly recorded in a studio near Boulevard de Ménilmontant, Paris, France?
Were the acetates found in Leonard Rosenman's garage? 
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Yet another absolutely delightful surprise! Many Thanks!
NK
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Definitely want this one! Ever since I first saw RED BALLOON, at the Siasconset Casino on Nantucket, back in the summer of 1957, I was entranced with it, and the lovely score.
Great release!
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