I have the recording for "The Red Balloon". Haven't listened to it for quite awhile.

I remember the film when I was in gradeschool. The nuns would run a 16mm print from time to time in the church rectory. I loved that film. The part that stands out in my mind is a nasty little fat kid throwing rocks at the red balloon in an unsuccessful attempt at bringing it down.

TCM here in the US ran it a week or so ago at 2:00 in the morning. Would have watched it if it was on earlier.

victoravalentine, September 29, 2008; 1:09 PM

Just checked a minute ago. Someone posted the film on YouTube in case anyone cares to watch it.

victoravalentine, September 29, 2008; 1:11 PM

I don't need to, as I have it on the restored Region 1 DVD released by Criterion a few months ago. I actually first saw the film at the cinema as a ten year old boy in April, 1957. It was released as the supporting film to The Battle of The River Plate and was widely seen at the time and is still a wonderful classic, fondly remembered by all who saw it back then...at least, those who are, like myself, still around after nearly fifty-two years! Incidentally, it was released on Region 2 about a week ago.

David

David.

david_rayner, September 29, 2008; 1:18 PM

You have me wondering about the composer now. I wish I knew the answer. I'd like to compare the music on the recording with the music on the film itself.

I first saw "The Red Balloon" around 1967 in gradeschool. I have fond memories of the film as well.

victoravalentine, September 29, 2008; 5:10 PM

Well, if Maurice Le Roux didn't write the score for the film, his name was definitely on the opening credits, so he would have got all the royalties for it. I have often thought of buying the LP, but with it saying that the music is by this A. Barr character, I thought it may not be as good as Le Roux's score, which was totally beautiful.

I would have thought that the music from the soundtrack would have been released on a single at the time, but I can find no trace of it. The 1957 UK single by Cyril Stapleton and his Orchestra on Decca F.10850 is called THE RED BALLOON, but it's by a different composer and has nothing at all to do with the film. This was an odd thing to do. Releasing a record with the title of a famous film then on general release but that had nothing to do with the film of the same title.

David.



david_rayner, September 29, 2008; 5:49 PM

If I were able to give my copy a spin I'd give you some info on the content. Unfortunately I can't as most of my recordings are locked away in storage due to space and circumstance.

Maybe the composer went by another name on the recording?

I've always found the old Nonesuch label to be a class act.

victoravalentine, September 29, 2008; 6:41 PM

Maybe I can throw some light on the matter.
The composer is indeed Maurice LeRoux and not A. Barr - whoever that may be. I think it was a little mistake in the database.

Go to:
http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/catalog/soundtrackdetail.php?movieid=37423

Hope this helps.

ton.werkman, September 29, 2008; 11:05 PM

The problem is that on the front of the LP cover, it definitely says: "Music Composed and Conducted by Al Barr"...this can be seen by copying and pasting the image on this site into PaintShop Pro and then enlarging the result. I just may go for the LP to see how it sounds. But whoever this Al Barr composer is or was, I'm sure he would have found Maurice Le Roux's original score a hard act to follow.

David.

david_rayner, September 30, 2008; 5:35 AM

FROM THE COVER:
________________________________________________
*Adapted from the French film classic by Albert Lamorisse
*Music composed & conducted by Al Barr
*Narrated by Jean Vallin
*Song Lyrics by Martin Barr
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Original poster Brinksway53 was right in dubbing the LP a "spin-off". It seems to be calling itself a retelling of the tale itself, not a recording of the original soundtrack. Looks like an AUDIO DRAMA, perhaps originally produced for radio.

zuvqwyx3, October 5, 2008; 5:36 AM

Well, I ordered the LP off a seller on GEMM based in Arizona a week ago and it's winging its way to me by Air Mail at this very moment and should be here in England in the next few days and then I'll be able to hear what it's like.

If it is a re-recording, done like a radio play with different music, it won't be the first time this thing has been done. I remember buying the supposed soundtrack LP of Walt Disney's 1962 release, THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER, which had stills on the cover of Guy Williams and Sean Scully in the film. But when I played it, I found that it wasn't from the soundtrack at all. There was no sign of Tristram Cary's spectacular score, which had been replaced by another score by, if I remember correctly, George Bruns. It was like a radio play and the voices were all different too. No sign of Guy Williams or Sean Scully on it and, compared to the actual film, it was very lacklustre.

This was surprising, as Walt Disney had done such a good job previously with genuine soundtrack LP's of TREASURE ISLAND and THE STORY OF ROBIN HOOD. They could easily have done the same thing with THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER, but they didn't. I have often wondered why that was.

David.

david_rayner, October 5, 2008; 6:06 AM

Well, the LP arrived this morning (Monday, October 6th, 2008) and I’ve just played it tonight. It runs about 34 minutes and is basically a guy with a French accent reading the story of the film from the pages of the best-selling photo and story book adaptation of the film, accompanied by different music and some really terrible songs sung by a chorus.

This kind of thing would have worked far better if the whole original soundtrack of the film had been used (it would have been just the right length for this LP), with the narration describing the action overlaid on Maurice Le Roux’s excellent score. Alternatively, an LP of the complete soundtrack score by Maurice Le Roux would have been very welcome. As it is, this LP is really only for those who like to collect all merchandising material to do with the film. The picture book; the video; the DVD; the LP; publicity stills and posters, ect, or for little children to listen to while they look at the pages in the book, as the narration on the LP follows the story book text word for word.

Points of Appeal: One large colour still from the film on the front of the LP sleeve and twenty-one smaller black and white stills on the back.

Why Maurice Le Roux’s wonderful score was never issued on an LP or CD during the past fifty or so years is a mystery. Maybe it was issued, but only in France. If so, I would think it would be very hard to track down after all these years. Odd, though, as the spectacular soundtrack score from Albert Lamorisse's 1960 follow up film to The Red Balloon, again starring his son Pascal and entitled Le Voyage En Ballon (also known as Stowaway in the Sky), was issued in stereo on a Phillips LP and later on a CD.

David.

david_rayner, October 6, 2008; 4:50 PM

Maurice Le Roux also wrote the lovely score for LES MISTONS.

It would be nice if both could be paired on a single CD mastered from the original recording tapes.

42zaphod, October 7, 2008; 5:13 PM