"White Shoe" - Ferragamo's Full Fairy Tale Film (Bellisimo!)

Published online as a gift to us all on New Year's Day this year, we can now watch the full Ferragamo fairy tale, White Shoe! (Here's my previous post on White Shoe with the background to this movie, in case you missed it.)

The video is a 24-minute visual that tells a dramatic story about the label’s first years. The shoe Ferragamo designed was for his sister’s first communion and he constructed the shoe by candlelight. The film was directed by Mauro Borrelli who happens to be the conceptual artist for two of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies. The story is told without dialogue and basically shows a young Ferragamo getting into (his profession) at a shoemaker’s workshop. (via)

It's a beautiful little film and the fact that the fairy tale is based in/inspired by reality is pretty neat as well. The little boy's flights of fancy and imagination while he works, both tell aspects of the Ferragamo story and communicate this famous shoemaker's inspirations. When you consider this film (and relatedd exhibition) was created with an understanding of the importance of shoes in fairy tales and folklore throughout history, this becomes even more special.

I want to make special note of the music as well, composed by Leo Z who created a piece so beautiful you could close your eyes, listen, and see a fairy tale without watching a single frame of the movie. Once you have seen it, of course, just a few notes will take you back into the film's story as well.

Here it is - enjoy!

Fairy tale bonus of the day:

Some White Shoe screencaps for you from the film...

If you're interested, there are behind-the-scene videos of White Shoe on the FerragamoOfficial YouTube Channel HERE. And because I raved about the music, here's the behind-the-scenes interview with the composer (I'm going to have to hunt down the piano score..!). Once you've seen this I recommend going back to the movie, turning up the sound and letting it run with your eyes closed. hopefully you'll have been just as inspired as I have.