Thinking of that movie brings a tear to my eye. My elementary school must have had a copy of it, because we'd watch it in the auditorium, probably every year I was there. I remember being disappointed at first that it didn't have dialogue (at least I don't remember any), but always being moved to tears by the ending.

In retrospect, I think that we made an event out of this movie is a sign that my 70's era teachers were really pretty neat people.

I'll have to rent it for my kids. I wonder if it will have the same impact on the small screen as it did in that stuffy old auditorium.

Wait until the end of April to rent it for your kids. Criterion is releasing it then on a new DVD, and apparently they've remastered it. They're also putting out "White Mane," another movie by Lamorisse about a little boy which is, maybe, even better. Hope your kids like it.

What is it about Juliette Binoche that makes us wonder... from how deep the human condition can be resurrected? As in "The Red Balloon," my childhood's fanciful culture, this remake is truly remarkable for its - as expressed perfectly, Stephanie -"unforced" ability to take us along for the flight back into what childhood means - even to adults.

Every man, even Yanks, succumb to the humaneness of Juliette's oft-expressed "artistic, flakiness-cum-passionate character" style. From "Dan in Real Life" to "Smylla's Sense of Snow," she has captured the men (and without doubt many women) in a kind of star-quality rapture - reminiscent of The 30's Movie Stars, yet of such tender gain as to be intelligible.

Making a movie these days in so light and transcendent fashion as this, defeats the terribleness of simpleton powers over the rest of media.

We do shine. It is as children that we all breathe deep inside.

I loved that move too and I’m for sure getting that Criterion release. It give me the chills just thinking of it. That and ‘Really Rosie’ were my favorite assembly movies in elementary school. I do remember one year (4th grade I think) a teacher tried to mix it up a bit by showing ‘Animal Farm’ and ‘Watership Down’ back to back – I think I’m still scarred from that day!