In this “visually ravishing masterpiece” (BFI), real-life dancer Moira Shearer makes her film debut in this adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale as Vicky Page, a ballerina torn between her passion for dance and her adoration of a composer. Nominated for Best Picture, Story, and Film Editing, it won Oscars for the score by Brian Easdale (Black Narcissus, Peeping Tom) and the dazzling art direction from Hein Heckroth and Arthur Lawson. Vicky’s bright red ballet slippers contrast starkly with her dress, which transforms from pure white to dirty grey as her dance consumes her, reflecting her exhaustion and despair.