Red Heels (Das Speilzeug von Paris)

Austria/Germany/France, 1925. Director Michael Curtiz. 90min.

Red Heels was adapted from Margery Lawrence’s novel of the same title. Set in Parisian cabarets and revue theatres, the film articulates the moral panic surrounding free-spirited women performers in a big city. While Red Heels may be somewhat clichéd in this sense, its portrayal of Parisian vice was also a pretext to showcase remarkable aesthetic achievements in staging, choreography, costuming and, of course, cinematography. The film was shot on locations in Paris and Vienna and also boasts some stunning backstage music hall scenes that showcase dance costumes in close-up.

With Lili Damita and Georges Tréville.
Sets by Artur Berger.

Past screenings

Birds of Paradise – London
Wednesday 5 December 2012, 16:00 | Barbican
With live piano accompaniment from Jane Gardner. Screened alongside Golden Butterfly (1926) as part of a Michael Curtiz double bill.