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Technology is a blessing and a curse. Our culture is so advanced, not only from what we were 100 years ago, but from what we were ten years ago. With the advent of new technology, we can utilize it to the greatest possible benefit, or we can utilize it in such a way as to ignore what’s truly in front of us. I’ve been doing the Classic Movie Review column here at Box Office Prophets for over a year, and even though I’ve not been a fan of some of the movies I’ve written about, I’ve never once taken for granted the chance to visit movies from various eras of cinema. And yet, in watching some of the movies, I realize that we are taking for granted now the technology that seemed so revolutionary and exciting 50 years ago.

Until Toy Story 3 was released on June 18th, my favorite movie of the year was Shutter Island (and it’ll likely find a place in my top ten if the year continues on as disappointingly), a feast for the senses from the best working director, Martin Scorsese. Where some find a pointless and predictable exercise in style, I found a probing and tragic character study filled to the brim with as many flourishes as could be thrown into a 140-minute film. Scorsese, even in his more universally successful films, is more than willing to acknowledge his influences. In Shutter Island, Scorsese calls back to directors such as Val Lewton in evoking the horror and insanity created by the oppressive atmosphere on the titular isle. But one of the biggest influences in Scorsese’s entire career shows up quickly, and will go unnoticed by all but the most eagle-eyed film buff.

Without giving away any spoilers, there is a crucial scene near the end of the film where the main character, portrayed masterfully by Leonardo DiCaprio, runs to the top of a lighthouse, hoping to find answers to the various mysteries he’s encountered on Shutter Island. DiCaprio’s character is already very frayed at the edges, his mind pushed to its breaking point, so he’s turned almost feral, brandishing a rifle, ready to streak at anyone. He dashes up the stairs, and the camera focuses tightly on, of all things, his shoes. What’s Martin Scorsese playing at here? He’s doing what he always does, which is pay tribute to his mentor in the best way he knows how. The mentor is the late Michael Powell, a director previously highlighted in this column with films such as A Matter of Life and Death, and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.

This time, let’s talk about The Red Shoes, a 1948 drama all about ballet. Don’t run away, reader. I’m no fan of ballet, but sometimes an art form can transcend its clichés to become something deeper, something more powerful, something moving to any of us. The Red Shoes is the movie that features a famous close-up of a woman running down an endless flight of stairs, the camera close in on the titular shoes; this is the visual reference Scorsese uses in Shutter Island. Though the movie is set in the world of ballet, what The Red Shoes is truly about is the coming together of a community of artists. We may watch ballet and be bored by it, but there is undeniable skill and talent involved in making a ballet come to life. One of the pleasures of watching The Red Shoes is that we see that process, and in the most entertaining way possible.

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