One of the things that I love about old films is their sense of self-awareness. Right in the beginning, the credits give thanks to "The children of Ménilmontant and the balloons of the Parisian region." How cute is that?
In the first shot, we can see the silhouette of the little boy enter the scene between two large buildings, in front of a Parisian landscape. Immediately it becomes clear that he's a small figure in a big place.
The balloon is the biggest splotch of color so far. The boy wears grey, and the adults at the bus stop wear blue, brown, grey, and black. The bus driver doesn't let the boy onto the bus. Why? Is his big red balloon distracting? Is it a metaphor? Adults versus children? The guy at the school looks suspicious of the balloon... what's with these people? The balloon is obviously already precious to the boy. Is he the one that tied it to the lamppost? Did he find it by chance? He got up there pretty easily.
After school, more color. Some of the children have color on--a couple wear red, one has a yellow scarf, some wear green, but most of them remain in understated, drab colors.
Now we get to the magical realism parts. The balloon, driven out by the boy's grandmother? when he gets home, hangs out and waits for him, and is chided by the boy, "Balloon, you must obey me and be good!" After this line, the balloon begins to take on anthropomorphic qualities. It can fly by itself and seems to want to cause trouble.
Why is the boy getting in trouble for the balloon's antics? Do the adults not believe, as the boy does, that the balloon is a creature in itself?
What does the color red have to do with anything?
While nobody takes much notice of the boy with the balloon, when it follows the headmaster guy it becomes a spectacle, and people laugh.
Does this kid take different routes to and from school every day? That bazaar is kind of cool, though. Is the balloon checking itself out? I like the painting of the little girl with the hoop and red dress. Remark on children's different methods of play throughout history?
Oh, a romance. A little girl, a blue balloon.
That balloon is not welcome in church. Again with the huge building, tiny person with a tiny balloon.
Interesting how out of context, the scene of the other boys with the balloon would be unremarkable, even pleasant, but now that we're attached to the balloon as a character, we're concerned for it. Also interesting is the background of the thin alleyways and slum (?) neighborhoods of Paris. Definitely not a Hollywood backdrop.
THAT WAS TERRIBLE, THEY KILLED IT. And suddenly all the balloons in Paris (including a blue, white, and red trio) appear together against the sky, which hasn't been shown before, and carry the boy away. Is it me, or does the little boy look like a man suspended in the air? Is that just because they couldn't have the child actor up there for safety reasons, or is that supposed to be noticeable?
Lots of questions, looking forward to the discussion on this.
Good start, Allie~
ReplyDeleteIn general, I'll be commenting here usually for 2 of our 3 blogs per week. Feel free to use your blog to raise questions and ideas, as you've done above---and then to revisit, expand on a point that is brought up in the discussion forum, etc. In short, I think it's important to "notice what we notice", start to ask questions about films, and figure out some answers alone and together...
So, you'll be posting immediately after watching--as you've done--again after the first discussion forum (by Thursday night) and for the third time by Sunday night---in response to my blog prompt. So, that's 3 blogs per week.
Re: your impressions:
Is the city a big place here? Why doesn't the film go inside, if so, to give some shelter, so to speak? How do you compare this Paris with, say, The 400 Blows Paris (which has an amazing amusement park?)
It's interesting you note the human qualities kick in after OBEY---what are those human qualities, and what do they have to do with obedience? Is obedience the opposite of humanity?
And, of course, interesting issues of hunger--poverty?--connected with the Tom Sawyer gang of boys here---violence motivated by that?