The Red Shoes

Dir. Michael Powell (1948).
One of the most beloved films in British cinema, this delirious melodrama, a rhapsody of color Expressionism set in the ballet world, inspired hundreds of little girls to rush off to take up dance classes. The picture’s single most memorable item is the elegant and disturbing performance of the great Anton Walbrook as Lermontov, a renowned impresario based on Diaghilev. Although the script doesn’t spell things out, Lermontov is clearly a magnificent queen, the gay man as perfect leader.

Fridays-Sundays, 1, 3:45, 7 & 9:35 p.m.; Mon., Feb. 22, 1, 3:45, 7 & 9:35 p.m.; Tue., Feb. 23, 1, 3:45, 7 & 9:35 p.m. Starts: Feb. 19. Continues through Feb. 21, 2010