1948 film The Red Shoes comes to 4K in December

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The 1948 film The Red Shoes is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on December 14th via The Criterion Collection. The film, co-directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, starred Anton Walbrook, Marius Goring, Moira Shearer, Robert Helpmann, Léonide Massine, Albert Bassermann, Ludmilla Tchérina, and Esmond Knight.

The release features a 4K digital transfer from the 2009 restoration. The tech specs for the release include a 2160p video presentation in the 1.37:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of high dynamic range and an uncompressed lossless Mono sound mix. The release will come in the form of a “combo pack” meaning that it will include the Blu-ray Disc counterpart in 1080p HD. You can find the 4K UHD Blu-ray now available for preorder over at Amazon and directly via Criterion. The bonus materials set to be included with the release are listed below.

  • Introductory restoration demonstration with filmmaker Martin Scorsese
  • Audio commentary from 1994 by film historian Ian Christie, featuring interviews with actors Marius Goring and Moira Shearer, cinematographer Jack Cardiff, composer Brian Easdale, and Scorsese
  • Profile of “The Red Shoes,” a 2000 documentary on the making of the film, featuring interviews with members of the production team
  • Interview with director Michael Powell’s widow, editor Thelma Schoonmaker Powell, from the 2009 Cannes Film Festival
  • Audio recordings from 1994 of actor Jeremy Irons reading excerpts from Powell and screenwriter Emeric Pressburger’s novelization of The Red Shoes and the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale “The Red Shoes”
  • Collection of rare publicity stills and behind-the-scenes photos
  • Gallery of memorabilia from Scorsese’s collection
  • The “Red Shoes” Sketches, a 1948 animated film of Hein Heckroth’s painted storyboards, with the Red Shoes ballet as an alternate angle
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by critic David Ehrenstein and a description of the restoration by UCLA film archivist Robert Gitt
  • Cover by F. Ron Miller