Since its release in 1948 The Red Shoes has been regarded not only as a British classic, and as perhaps the most widely loved of all of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's collaborations, but as a highlight of world cinema. Its innovative mixture of dance, music, color and light has inspired audiences across the decades. The first comprehensive study of the film that marks the pinnacle of the directors' long and productive relationship, Connelly offers fresh insights into this intriguing work and the characters at the heart of the story: the Svengali-like impresario and the ingénue dancer played by the brilliant Moira Shearer. According to many accounts the most successful British film ever made, it is fitting that The Red Shoes should be celebrated in 2005, the centenary of Powell's birth.