Black Swan DVD

Darren Aronofsky's magnus opus. Aronofsky has refined all of his film making knowledge and skill into this thrilling mind bender of a psychological drama. The ballet is hard, but the mindset of the dancer is the real stress inducer. Aronofsky is flexing his directorial prowess here in a magnificent display of psychological horror, drama, romance, and even the thriller genre. He uses long pans following Natalie Portman's character, close-ups, and sweeping shots to dazzle and thrill the spectator.It is a harrowing tale of perseverance that leads perhaps all the way to insanity. Aronofsky is perhaps asking us how far will we go to achieve perfection? In art? In performance? In happiness? In love? Black Swan is a brilliant metaphor for the pursuit of artistry in a bleak and intense world. The final reveal completely shocked me. I was not expecting it at all. This movie captures so many feelings and ideas, while keeping a tight structure that propels the plot and themes. I am impressed. I think that Darren Aronofsky finally made a real masterpiece of film. Black Swan is a must see movie!Clint Mansell composed the film's score as he did with Aronofsky's infamous Requiem for a Dream. He too has matured from the wild intensity of his previous sounds to the deeply moving romance and the truly epic swells with dramatic emphasis. There is a passion in the score that breaks through the sadness and the obsession to ignite a fiery finale in a wondrous sonic peak. Mansell's notes are mesmerizing in their dreamy grace.In part, the genius of Black Swan is the captivating performances. Vincent Cassel is intense, sleazy, loving, passionate, hardcore, and desirable filled with lust all in one character. Mila Kunis is particularly enchanting as a ambitious, lustful, playful, sweet, wild, fun, powerful, and seducing foil. Barbara Hershey is striking and fearsome as Portman's overbearing and overprotective mother. The cast is excellently well chosen and deliver some of the best performances of their respective careers.Above all, the main actress, Natalie Portman (who deservedly won the Oscar for Best Actress for Black Swan), is even more complex and engaging. She starts out a meek, yet sweet girl with big dreams of being the star ballerina. She must mature into both the good The White Swan who is graceful, elegant, sweet, and good, but also The Black Swan filled with intense passion, elegance, seduction, despair, and love. Portman plays the character of Nina beautifully, passionately, and with a mad dedication to her craft. Much like her character. She is impossible to stop looking at in Black Swan. By the finale, I was staring at her with my jaw open and tears in my eyes. Such a reaction is a rarity when I watch films. Black Swan is darkly radiant.I hope you love Black Swan as I did in all its resplendent striking aesthetic. The gorgeous make up and fantastical costumes are not the only visual delights that Black Swan have to offer. It's a dark fantasy with twisted beauty (thanks for that one, Kanye). I guarantee you have never seen any other film like Black Swan.

Fascinating descent into madness. Similar to Repulsion with Catherine Deneuve. Highlights the pressures of emotional abuse of a young impressionable woman with a tendency towards madness. Poetic and tragic. I expected to be annoyed but was quite captivated. Natalie Portman captured this well. Supporting cast provided perfect balance. The dancing was controversial but I think cinematically, it was excellently deployed. The use of Swan Lake was a great metaphor. Natalie continues to surprise me.

This movie was okay. It definitely kept my interest (despite revolving around two of the most boring subjects to me personally--ballet and Tchaikovsky's music) for the entire film, as it is another worthy Darren Aronofsky film. But I must say that the plot, development, and conclusion were somewhat predictable/unoriginal, and it's not one of director Aronofsky's best films, in my opinion. Especially after having recently watched his mind-blowing, heart-exploding film "mother!" For Aronofsky's best, watch that film, or "Pi", or "Requiem for a Dream", or "Noah". (True, I haven't seen any others of his films, although I think I will eventually because Aronofsky has become one of my favorite film-directors.)

𝑰𝒇 𝑰 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑺𝒘𝒂𝒏, 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔.𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑰'𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒕.. Inspired by German folk tales like 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑫𝒖𝒄𝒌 and 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒏 𝑽𝒆𝒊𝒍 by Johann Karl August Musäus, Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was invited to compose the music for a new ballet - this being 𝑺𝒘𝒂𝒏 𝑳𝒂𝒌𝒆 - in 1875.The initial reaction to Swan Lake once it debuted in 1877 was far from fetching. It was categorized as a complete failure by critics and viewers alike, and strayed away from Tchaikovsky’s original vision due in part to alterations made to his work by a choreographer named Julius Reisinger.In 1895 Marius Petipa collaborated with an assistant in an attempt to re-release 𝑺𝒘𝒂𝒏 𝑳𝒂𝒌𝒆 with minimal changes made to Tchaikovsky’s score; Tchaikovsky was never able to reap the benefits that would come with the success of his creation as he died in 1893, but it continues to stand the test of time as a culturally significant piece that provides ample opportunity for creativity and innovative magnificence.Black Swan is a 2010 American psychological horror film directed by Darren Aronofsky. The screenplay was written by Mark Heyman, John McLaughlin, and Andres Heinz, based on an original story by Heinz. The film stars Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, and Winona Ryder. The plot revolves around a production of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet by the New York City Ballet company.Working with a budget of approximately $13 million, the extent to which Aronofsky’s crew made sacrifices of their own for the sake of 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑺𝒘𝒂𝒏’s accomplishments can’t go overstated. With little guarantee that her efforts might bear fruits, Portman began studying ballet under New York City Ballet dancer Mary Helen Bowers approximately a year before filming, with many of these lessons being paid for out of her own pocket until investors could be properly secured.While on set Portman suffered a significant amount of injuries with the most significant of them being a dislocated rib, and this necessitated her giving up many things (Specifically: her own trailer) to receive substantial medical attention. These efforts were not made in vain, thankfully so, as her dedication to Nina’s role and reality is hauntingly palpable all while honoring the duality of ‘𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑺𝒘𝒂𝒏’s titular character. Her presence is elevated and rivaled by Kunis’ sensual repertoire, with her unquestionable ability to steal scenes without selflessly keeping them to herself.It is worth noting that there is a discrepancy regarding the amount of dancing actually performed by Portman; a woman by the name of Sarah Lane has spoken out as having completing the more technically advanced moves seen in 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑺𝒘𝒂𝒏, with ‘woman in the lane’ (AKA, her cameo in this film) being one of few mentions made regarding her contributions to this project as a whole.To be perfectly honest I’m not too sure what to make of this claim myself, and Lane hasn’t expressed discontent or regret towards this particular matter. She does, however, hope audience members understand that parts of 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑺𝒘𝒂𝒏 elevated by advanced choreography took much longer than a year for her to get a firm and equally confident grasp on.Given the odds of becoming a professional ballerina (An approximately slim 3%, just FYI), it’s no guess as to why Nina’s character development happens independent of what could be labeled as arbitrary nuance. Focus is kept on the extent to which her profession is a particularly demanding one (As many dancers report practicing for 6 to 7 hours 𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒂𝒚 when they are in season), with subtle and lurid hints as to trajectory of her livelihood if not deemed a critical success. Some may argue that Nina has a choice - this being to dance or not to dance - but the simplicity would be unwarranted; the space in which she occupies is defined by a margin of error that is tiny - microscopic, even - with a particular fixation on vanity negating the effect of what could serve as mitigating factors.How does one elaborate on 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑺𝒘𝒂𝒏’s thematic presence and appeal without spoiling the ending?I guess I’ll give it a shot.I’ll also start by saying that there is a distinct and referential semblance of irony in Lane’s complaints referenced to above; moreover, it speaks to the effect of vicarious pedestalization within the context of entertainment based professions. Leading up to 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑺𝒘𝒂𝒏’s conclusion is a variety of external stimuli that justifies Nina’s obsession with perfection; her own mother lives through her achievements without so much as a second thought, and her coach is eager to reap the benefit of interactions that Nina herself has had a hand in making possible to begin with. In the last 40 seconds an additional force is snuck in insidiously, with this being the audience cheering for Nina with little clue as to how her suffering and loss has subsequently metastasized into their own gain. As this cheering fades it may be appropriate to suggest that Nina’s worth may do so as well, and this sets a clear precedent for maladaptive and self-fulfilling patterns of behavior long after the credits have exited stage left.As valuable when taken at face-value as it can be when treated with analytical merit, 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑺𝒘𝒂𝒏 is a spirit-stirring journey through pulsating madness that is interrupted intermittently by brief periods of sanity and genuine sources of support. Most importantly, 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑺𝒘𝒂𝒏 explores the line between the ones that make wages and those that actually pay the price, with a dispositional concern for moments where the show can’t just simply go on.

I am a ballet fan, and Tchaikovsky wrote beautiful music. However, this film is very dark, and although the special effects are good, it is not a film to be enjoyed. There were many images of black and white, and the analogy of the Odette/ Odile character was a clever idea, with Natalie Portman gradually slipping in to delusional paranoia. He obsessive mother should share the blame, her claustrophobic home and childish links with childhood added to the scenario. But, as always, one complaint is the way the many actors mumble their words. I was between two and three stars, and as I paid hardly anything for it, and it did warm up especially towards the end. But I shall not be watching it again. The dancers were good, and I have seen the choreography of Benjamin Millepied before, and I have been impressed.Us ballet fans know how hard work and dedication to the art of dance eventually takes its toll on the body, but in this case, it caused mental problems as well, so that the ending was inevitable.

Deliciously over-the-top psychological horror film; from the outset there are visual allusions and references (lots of black and white contrasts, wing-like patterns place in the backgrounds, etc.) to the white swan/black swan, good/bad premise that underpins the story of Swan Lake.On the surface it charts the gradual slip into delusional madness brought on by obsessional dedication to her art by an unstable young dancer (Portman) who unexpectedly is given the prima ballerina role in the famous ballet; the pressure of the part - exacerbated by the narcissistic artistic director, her overbearing mother and her paranoid rivalry with another dancer all lead to her eventual mental collapse.It's a lurid, melodramatic film that bears no relation to the realities of the dance world, but works as a baroque horror if one doesn`t mind the ballet clichés and obvious absurdities.It's better on second and third viewing, but though entertaining enough, it remains a rather pretentious caricature of ballet.In it`s favour, it's visually well-realised; a good many clever CGI effects are used and the dance sequences are good - Portman did quite a lot of her own dancing, but professional doubles were also used.The standard UK DVD has a three part “making of” documentary that runs to 48 minutes in total and English subtitles are available.3 ½ stars, ideally.

MILD SPOILERSPortman, who appears in every scene, is fantastic in the role and it is a stylish and involving film with a real feeling of claustrophobia. But there is a strange uneven tone in that it starts as a drama and then melds into horror (albeit with some very unnerving images - particularly the reflection in the costume-measuring scene). The script makes some big jumps - and while I appreciate it is hard to dramatise something internal like mental instability, it felt a bit of a rushed journey from shy, uptight Nina to full-on hallucinating Nina. But it's worth it for Portman's performance.

In this 2010 psychological drama, insecure Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) auditions for principal dancer in Swan Lake after the forced retirement of Beth Macintyre (Winona Ryder). Performing flawlessly as the White Swan she lacks the ferocity to play the Black Swan and when she asks the director to rethink, he forcibly kisses her and she uncharacteristically bites him. Gaining the part she returns home as her hallucinationsintensify and finds scratches on her back, but what does it all mean?I found the acting, photography and audio to be above the norm with some good special effects thrown in, but the script held no surprises as it was obvious Nina is a schizophrenic self harmer on the verge of a breakdown from the start, all we see in the first half is her gradual decline under pressure [lose a *]. The reality is, this documents a breakdown under stress and insecurity in the workplace, which many people can identify with, which explains its success, but the start is too drawn out although the last quarter is action packed and intense [regain a *]. The story simply reflects the ballet itself, so holds no real surprises.The disc goes to a main menu offering play, set-up [English, English audio descriptive, subtitles; English Hoh, Portugues, Suomi, off, more= Scandinavian and east European], scenes and extras [black swan metamorphosis; chapters 1, 2 & 3]. Rated 15 this uses the F word, contains ‘adult’ sexual conversation, has temperamental violence, self harm, masturbation, partial nudity, graphic groping, oral sex, drug taking and some intense scenes, it’s not really family viewing. A phenomenal box office success and strangely voted number 1 in Cosmopolitans most erotic film scenes list, its really the final quarter that lifts this above the dross gaining a grudging *****.and I believe if the cast had been unknown, this would have been an 18 rating and much derided.

Black Swan is directed by Darren Aronofsky and co-written by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz & John McLaughlin. It stars Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey & Winona Ryder. Clint Mansell scores the music and Matthew Libatique is the cinematographer.Nina Sayers (Portman) is committed to her art as a ballet dancer, she lives a secular life with her over protective mother (Hershey), herself a one time dancer. When Nina's ballet company announce that a production of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake is seeking a new prima to play the Swan Queen, Nina pushes herself still further to land the role. But with the role comes more pressures. Her instructor, Thomas (Cassell) urges her to explore darker passions within so as to nail the Black Swan part of the role, her mother becomes even more over-bearing and a new arrival to the production, Lily (Kunis), pushes her fragile state of mind to the limit. Perhaps more worrying is that Nina appears to have a doppelgänger lurking within her enclosed world....Black Swan, once the dust has settled, will prove to be a most divisive film. More so when under the scrutiny of a repeat viewing. How it holds up after the exhilaration of that first viewing has faded will be most interesting to observe. For Black Swan "is" at times "exhilarating", brilliantly performed by its cast principals, and in Aronofsky's hands it's directed with a hand-held panache befitting one of America's most talented directors: but is it the sum of its parts? Aronofsky has been quick to let people know that he views Black Swan as the sibling to The Wrestler, and fact is is that he reworks a lot of that film's particular aspects into this Swan Lake skin itcher; only now he's cloaking his subject in the darker side of the human mental condition. So if it isn't broke, don't fix it then. Be it the back drops (dim and raw), specialist entertainment professions or the suffering for their art central characters, Aronofsky clearly isn't pushing for a career reinvention here. However, he ups his ante visually and shows himself to be a dab hand at psychological horror. Other critics have name checked the likes of Polanski, De Palma and Cronenberg, those are all fair comparisons, and in the grand scheme of things, enormous pats on the back for Aronofsky.He is also a director able to get career defining performances out of his charges, many have been quick to remember Mickey Rourke's much lauded turn as The Wrestler, lets not forget the performance he garnered out of Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream, too. Portman, tho, tops both considerably, pushing herself, like her character, to the limit for the role; with her director now on record after Portman's win for Best Actress at the BAFTA's as saying she's the best actress he has worked with thus far. Both Portman and Kunis undertook months of ballet training to put some reality into the film, with Portman gaining praise for her dancing in ballet circles. But from here is where the problems in the film begin to unravel. Ballet dancers we know are driven, it's a tough form of the arts, but in some quarters of the medium the film has been criticised for portraying the dancers negatively, and for over exaggerating their lives. It's a good point, because my lady partner who I first watched the film with felt that Nina comes across as a whiney whinger, and she is right. Nina as a character is hard to feel any sympathy for. This is more evidently annoying upon a second viewing, so much so it's debatable if you will even care about Nina once the applause has died down at the finale. Great performance, but written as unsympathetic or otherwise? Eh?Another issue is the matter of sense, or the not making of to be exact. Many greats behind the camera have thrived on producing head scratchers, complex pieces designed to nag away at you as you try to sleep. The narrative here doesn't suggest anything complex, yet incidents don't add up, with one critical incident rendering the finale as questionable. It's also awash with clichés, but the crafty Aronofsky is able to mask such issues with smoke and mirror tactics, calling on his skills to avert the eyes with enjoyable visual flourishes that are essential to the tonal flow of his film. Technically all is wonderful and at times rawly lurid, sweeping cameras getting up close and personal, the music, the choreography and the grandiose sets, all impact hard on the viewing experience. While the film's blending of themes opens it up to a wider demographic audience; even if ultimately it's caught in the void between camp horror and serious psychological drama. Away from Portman the support is also crowd pleasing, Kunis is sly and slinky, Cassell is Mephistophelian and Hershey reminds us all that she can act.It's sure to be a the top of many critics best of lists for 2010/2011, partly for being not of the norm and asking for use of the cranium: and partly because director and lead actors make it compulsive viewing. While it's sure to engage fans of dance and classical music. But after taking off the tutu and slippers, and unwinding with a glass of wine, it shows itself to be a film that's far from flawless, and certainly not the masterpiece that already some insist the film to be. Maybe it should be watched just once and not pored over to truly get the benefit? Maybe? 7.5/10