99 red balloons

I watched the classic film Le Ballon Rouge by Albert Lamorisse today. I own a copy of this book, but it is currently gathering dust in my mother's attic along with piles of my old paintings.

The film follows a the director's son, Pascal and his 'found object', a giant red balloon, through the streets of Paris. He finally gets swept away by a cloud of rainbow coloured balloons and soars above the city. This film was remade earlier this year, and although I haven't yet seen it, I often wonder why mess with a good thing? Maybe directors should start remaking the really terrible films that need a little makeover instead. You can watch the entire 32 minute film on video.google.com