The Red Shoes Page #3

You know, the fellow

who runs the ballet here.

Oh. Business or pleasure?

Oh, a bit of both.

What about you - shopping or slumming?

Now don't you worry, Grischa.

I'll bring her back at 3:00.

- How are you, madame?

- How are you?

Hello, Peter.

I hope we haven't kept you waiting.

No, not at all. Oh, Boris, I don't

think you've met a friend of mine.

- Vicky Page.

- How do you do?

- Can we give you a lift anywhere?

- No, thank you, Peter.

Excuse me, Miss Page.

[ Lermontov ]

Who? Victoria Page?

Mmm, yes, she may dance.

[ Classical ]

[ Continues ]

[ Ends ]

[ Applause Continues ]

[ Resumes ]

[ Record Scratches ]

[ Chattering ]

Good morning,

my dear young ladies.

I hope I find you all

very well this morning.

There are just one or two things

I would like to say to you today.

As you know,

the ballet is leaving on Saturday for Paris.

Now, I can't imagine

anything more enchanting...

than being able to invite you -

all of you - to accompany us there.

But I'm afraid

this great pleasure must be denied me.

To those whom we must

regretfuIly leave behind...

I'd like to say just this -

please, don't be discouraged.

The fact that we can't take you with us

doesn't mean that you are bad dancees.

It means that this year, unfortunately,

we haven't got enough room.

Now will you please step out,

Miss Fane, and you, Miss Baynes...

and you, Miss Hardiman

and Miss Lovitt, please?

Yes.

May I thank you four ladies very much

for the hard work you've done this year...

- and I'm sure my gratitude

is echoed here by Mr. Ljubov.

- [ Murmurs ]

Yes, and maybe next year

we shall be meeting you again.

Good morning.

[ Woman ]

Vicky, he means us!

[ Train Whistle Blows ]

[ Horns Honking ]

[ Speaking French ]

[ Piano ]

[ Continues ]

[ Stops ]

Listen.

Mes amis.

I am fiancee.

I get married.

- [ Dancers Gasp ]

- My dear chiId.

All my love and best wishes

for your happiness.

[ Exclaiming, Chattering ]

Irina, my little horror...

I wish you the greatest happiness

with your new partner.

Merci, but Grischa -

Where is Grischa?

- I am here, Irina.

- Grischa darIing, do you hate me?

I could never hate you, Irina,

but how can lever forgive you?

Ah, you will forgive me.

That I know.

Don't quarrel with your poor husband as much

as you've quarreled with your conductor.

But where is Boris Lermontov?

He has nothing to say to me?

Boris!

He has no heart, that man.

- [ Vehicles Passing, Muffled ]

- [ Whistle Blows ]

[ Knock At Door ]

Entrez.

Mr. Craster, Ihave a job for you.

Good.

Do I understand you have not been

altogether very happy with us so far?

- Well, I-

- Well, what?

Well, coaching an orchestra is not exactly

a young composer's dream, is it?

I'm afraid the job I have for you may not be

exactly a young composer's dream either.

AIl the same, I hope you do not consider

it entirely unworthy of your talent.

The ballet of The Red Shoes

is from a fairy tale by Hans -

[ Continues, Indistinct, Echoing ]

...red shoes.

Oh, I beg your pardon.

The ballet of The RedShoes

is from a fairy tale by Hans Andersen.

It is the story of a girl

who's devoured by an ambition...

to attend a dance in a pair of red shoes.

She gets the shoes,

goes to the dance -

At first, all goes well

and she's very happy.

At the end of the evening,

she gets tired...

and wants to go home.

But the red shoes...

are not tired.

In fact, the red shoes

are never tired.

They dance her

out into the streets.

They dance her over

the mountains and valleys...

through fields and forests,

through night and day.

Time rushes by.

Love rushes by.

Life rushes by.

But the red shoes dance on.

- What happens in the end?

- Oh, in the end, she dies.

- Yes, I remember.

- The music was written by Felipe Bertran.

He did it for us last year

during our South American tour.

You'll find here some passages

marked with a bIue pencil.

They are bad, and I would

like to see, Mr. Craster...

what you can do in the way

of a little... rewriting.

- Oh.

- You can take your time.

- There is no hurry.

- Thank you.

- [ Knock At Door ]

- [ Man Speaking French ]

Oui, je viens.

Thank you.

[ Orchestra ]

Ah, look at our Boronskaja.

She's in wonderfuI form tonight.

I'm not interested

in Boronskaja's form anymore...

nor in the form of any other prima ballerina

who's imbecile enough to get married.

Oh, come now, Boris.

[ Lermontov ]

She's out, finished.

You cannot have it both ways.

The dancer who relies upon

the doubtful comforts of human love...

will never be a great dancer.

Never.

That is all very fine, Boris,

very pure and fine.

But you can't alter human nature.

No? I think you can do

even better than that.

You can ignore it.

[ Man On P.A. Speaking French ]

[ Speaking French ]

Boris.

Adieu.

Well, Irina, now you'll be able

to sleep as long as you like...

and eat sweets all day...

and go to parties every night.

And you, now you will be calm.

The class wiIl start on time.

No more shouting.

No more hysteria backstage.

- No more -

- No more Irina.

- [ Whistle Toots ]

- [ Both Crying ]

[ Shouting ]

Ah, Monsieur Lermontov.

[ Speaking French ]

Miss Page.

Are you very tired?

Yes, thank you.

I mean, I'm not very tired.

Messieurs, je vous presente

Miss Victoria Page.

Monsieur Boudin,

le directeur general de l'opera.

- Mes hommages, mademoiselle.

- Monsieur Rideaut, le regisseur.

Enchante, mademoiselle.

You have already visited Monte Carlo,

mademoiselle?

Yes, I was here

last season with my aunt.

Oh, then you know the Hotel de Paris,

mademoiselle?

Yes, but I believe I'm staying -

[ Lermontov ] Hotel de Paris.

You'll be very comfortable there.

La voiture de Monsieur Lermontov

vous attende, Miss Page.

Bonsoir, mademoiselle.

Montez, mademoiselle.

[ Man Singing Opera ]

[ Julian ]

You look dressed up for a conference.

Hello. Is there a conference on?

Yes. They're all arguing in there.

I've been here since 7:00.

Oh, there you are, Miss Page.

Will you come in here, please?

I was just going out, Mr. Lermontov,

when I got your message.

Miss Page.

I have asked you to come here tonight

because we are preparing a new ballet...

and I've decided to give you a chance

and let you dance the principal part in it.

But there's one thing

I must tell you at once.

My belief in your possibilities

is not shared by my colleagues here.

However, it is hardly necessary

for me to add...

that, whatever their personal belief may be,

they will all give you their best.

The rest, of course, is up to you.

Well, Miss Page, that's all.

We shall start work

early tomorrow morning.

I suggest you now forget all about

your party and go straight home to bed.

Yes, I wiIl.

And, Miss Page...

good luck.

Thank you.

- [ Piano ]

- Well, what happened?

I've got a part in a new ballet.

- [ Continues ]

- A new ballet? What ballet?

The Red Shoes!

Now listen to this, Mr. Craster.

It is impossible.

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