hlywdkjk Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Scrolling through the new TCM "On Demand" titles for the weekend and what should appear but the classic short film *The Red Balloon*. In the past, the "On Demand" titles always have correlated with films that have been shown on TCM in the recent past - or, occasionally, are coming up during the current month. Did TCM present *The Red Balloon recently and I missed it? Or is it coming up later in the month? Has anyone heard about a showing on TCM? I find it strange that TCM would have this film available in its library right now and be so quiet about presenting it. I know it is a "unique" _short_ film (38 min) but I think it is an important acquisition for TCM. It would be a pity if it is/was dropped into the schedule without any fanfare As viewer of "The Children's International Film Festival" series as a kid (Kuklka,Fran and Ollie!), seeing *The Red Balloon* title on my TV certainly brought back fond memories of Saturday Mornings long gone. Kyle (now hoping for *Skinny And Fatty*) In Hollywood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobitz Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 I checked the TCM database and it's listed as "Not currently scheduled." If it's been shown lately on TCM I missed it too, darn it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CineSage_jr Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 You may be interested in this current film review from yesterday's New York Times: http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/04/04/movies/04ball.html?ref=movies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkadin Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Kyle, its been restored by Criterion and is ready for release (at a very good price!): http://store.criterion.com/product/show/31756 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molo14 Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 As viewer of "The Children's International Film Festival" series as a kid (Kuklka,Fran and Ollie!), seeing The Red Balloon title on my TV certainly brought back fond memories of Saturday Mornings long gone Kyle, I loved that show too! It really takes me back and I agree with you about those fond memories of Saturday Mornings long gone. As others have said *The Red Baloon* has aired a few times in the past. I recorded it a few years back. My brother has a copy of *Skinny and Fatty*. I'm not sure where he got it but I transfered it to dvd for him because the tape was so old. Now do you remember a film from that series called *Lost in Pajamas?* It was about a Russian girl who gets left behind in a foreign country when her train stops because of a cow. She meets two brothers who I think must have been camping out. The three start off on an adventure to get her back to her family. I believe it was made in Czechoslovakia. I think that very afternoon me and some neighbor kids went out to the woods and promptly got ourselves lost. We had to follow a creek to find our way out. Ah, good times. LOL I wonder where these films are being hidden. I would love to get a dvd of them. I don't know if *Kukla, Fran and Ollie* is on dvd but it probably wouldn't include those films. The childrens programming was just so much better back then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissGoddess Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 I love *The Red Balloon* and I'm so happy to hear about the Criterion release. I think it's one of the most charming children's films I've seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TripleHHH Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 I havent seen this since I was a kid, and when I was a kid I saw it several times...that poor balloon, I was so sad when those kids popped it, mean old kids ! Take em to the woodshed ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlywdkjk Posted April 5, 2008 Author Share Posted April 5, 2008 Thanks CSJr and Arkadin. *"As others have said "The Red Balloon" has aired a few times in the past. I recorded it a few years back."* - molo14 Really? TCM has shown *The Red Balloon* before? I never noticed. Maybe it was part of the "Shorts Circuit" schedule when TCM saluted short films in 2006. (Nope. Just looked here - http://www.tcm.com/thismonth/article/?cid=145537 ) Ben Mankiewicz does the "On Demand" intro/outro and does a good job on letting one know why this short is so cherished and important. (It won an Oscar - for its Screenplay!) I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that it could have slipped by my radar. Many things do. But on the off chance that the film is still to be shown in April, there is a 35 minute window open between the Silent Sunday Night feature and the TCM Import selection on April 20^th^. And I have no recollection of *Lost In Pajamas*. Sounds charming. I, too, spent many an afternoon wandering in the woods as a kid. But usually home in time to see the matinee movie on tv. (You know. The one with "Dialing For Dollars" stuck in the middle. Gawd. I am surprised I can remember THAT but not something from only a year or two ago.) I wonder if many film lovers our age can trace our appreciation of the medium to seeing those "Children's International Film Festival" broadcasts? I have read many classical music lovers attribute their interest in the genre to Leonard Bernstein's "Young People's Concerts" on television. Kyle In Hollywood (BTW - when I first got expanded cable ten to fifteen years ago, Starz Channel (I think. Or maybe it was TLC.) used to show "Kukla, Fran and Ollie" episodes in the early morning hours. Sadly, they were shows from the Sevnties and were nothing like those that I remembered seeing in the Sixties.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobitz Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Thanks for that one link, CS. I'd seen the title before but had never looked into it. Juliette Binoche has been a favorite since *Blue*, so I'll have to check it out. (Wonder what that remake of Wuthering Heights is like?). I was deprived of Kukla, Fran and Ollie when I was a kid. I don't remember what network it was on, but we only had two of the three in this area. I saw *The Red Balloon* in grammar school where it was screened by a favorite teacher. I remember how enchanting it was. I'm cursed with dial-up, so I presume TCM on Demand is out of the question. On the other hand, I have found that after much trial and error, I'm able to enjoy many things on youtube. Just takes forever to get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlywdkjk Posted April 5, 2008 Author Share Posted April 5, 2008 *"I'm cursed with dial-up, so I presume TCM on Demand is out of the question."* - tobitz Hi 'tobitz' - "TCM On Demand" is a service for digital cable subscribers - not internet users - that is similar to "pay-per-view" except that it is all free. If you can receive digital cable, you should check and see if you can also get the "On Demand" service. Kyle In Hollywood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobitz Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Thanks for the explanation, kyle. I'm pretty much technologically illiterate, but I'm always excited by anything that brings what I want to see, or hear, closer. I receive TCM on satellite dish. Some pay-per-view is available. Is TCM on Demand available and if so, could you tell me where to look? I appreciate it. p.s. Found myself laughing at the "technologically illiterate." When I got my first vcr, it was amazing how fast I got it hooked up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molo14 Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 *"As others have said "The Red Balloon" has aired a few times in the past. I recorded it a few years back." - molo14* Well I guess nobody else said it had aired before. My mistake. I just pulled my tape of it and looked at it to see if I can discern the date. I couldn't. It has the TCM opening of the orchestra playing and no Robert Osborne introduction. It shares the tape with the *The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1927)* which was recorded near the same time period. That was a Silent Sunday night feature and judging by Robert Osborne's hair I would say circa 2004. Also on the tape and from the same general time is the Melies *A Trip to the Moon* which was part of a tribute to H.G. Wells. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlywdkjk Posted April 6, 2008 Author Share Posted April 6, 2008 *"I receive TCM on satellite dish. Some pay-per-view is available. Is TCM on Demand available and if so, could you tell me where to look? I appreciate it."* - tobitz I don't know much of anything about satellite service but others here who use satellite for TCM (DishNetwork or DirectTV) have said that the "On Demand" service isn't available to them. Sorry. Kyle In Hollywood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobitz Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 "judging by Robert Osborne's hair.." lol, there's something about the idea of judging the passage of time by RO's hair that I really like. May he live forever and enjoy himself the whole time. Thanks for the reply, kyle. I wish I could get TCMoD now but access to various things is improving all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlywdkjk Posted April 6, 2008 Author Share Posted April 6, 2008 *"I just pulled my tape of it and looked at it to see if I can discern the date. I couldn't. It has the TCM opening of the orchestra playing and no Robert Osborne introduction."* - molo14 Funny to learn it has been around the TCM vaults so long. Thanks for looking at your recording and trying to place a date to the showing. I guess it is just an added "extra" to the "On Demand" line-up for the month - like the films *Facts Of Life* and *Alias Jesse James* which are also available. (or are those part of the regular TCM schedule? Has there been a Bob Hope night lately?) Kyle In Hollywood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CineSage_jr Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 there's something about the idea of judging the passage of time by RO's hair that I really like. And less messy than cutting him half and couting the rings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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