As a teenager, a friend's father told me to never fall in love if I wanted to make a success of myself. This attitude follows in the 1948 film The Red Shoes. Vicky Page, played by Moira Shearer, is a young ballerina caught between her love for dance and her desire to be a faithful wife, a conflict that she cannot survive. Her actions are paralleled by the ballet she becomes famous for, The Red Shoes, based on the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale (the film Black Swan took a page from this masterpiece of cinematography). The visuals are sublime, from the stylized ballet sets to the delicious wardrobe of Ms. Page, but the tortured position of the ballerina gave me most pause for reflection.
Although times have changed since 1948, it still feels more socially acceptable for a married man to be consumed by his professional passion than a married woman. As in the above film still, the woman is more apt to be absorbed into the man's ambition than for him to bend to her drive. Perhaps the answer to this conflict is to lead a balanced life, giving equally to your romantic and work passions; that or follow the Shakers and live celibate.
Although times have changed since 1948, it still feels more socially acceptable for a married man to be consumed by his professional passion than a married woman. As in the above film still, the woman is more apt to be absorbed into the man's ambition than for him to bend to her drive. Perhaps the answer to this conflict is to lead a balanced life, giving equally to your romantic and work passions; that or follow the Shakers and live celibate.
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