I just returned from seeing black swan at the cinema. Centered around the production of swan lake and a young ballerinas natalie portman struggle to play dual roles as the innocent white swan and the sultry black swan, the film has left many viewers scratching their heads in wonderment while heading for the exits. I admit i dont quite understand the story of the fountain, but. I dont think black swan was the best film i saw last year, but i enjoyed that the director gave viewers a chance to make their own conclusions. Yes, black swan is the latest example of what the film critic jeanine basinger has called the my god, theres two of her. Black swan is the groups first single from map of the soul. Bracingly intense, passionate, and wildly melodramatic, black swan glides on darren aronofskys bold direction and a bravura performance from natalie portman.
Over the century the standard practice for all productions has been to cast the same ballerina as the white and black swan. A black swan is a very surprising and unexpected event that often has profound benefit or consequences. Thomas leroy vincent cassel is directing the ballet, and the movie sees a. Final paper for visual communication film analysis. Nina sayers nails the role of the white swan or good swan, but seems too repressed to pull off the role of the black swan. I think we can all agree that when you first watch black swan the immediate questions you have are, how much. The dark drama the black swan is built around the psychological illness of its protagonist, nina sayers, beautifully and disturbingly portrayed by natalie portman. An artistic masterpiece, black swan is a 2010 movie of the psychological thriller genre.
The black swan theory or theory of black swan events is a metaphor that describes an event that comes as a surprise, has a major effect, and is often inappropriately rationalised after the fact with the benefit of hindsight. This essay focuses on one of the climatic moments of the film. Usually described as a psychological horror thriller film, black swan can also be interpreted as a metaphor for achieving artistic perfection, with all of the psychological and physical challenges one might encounter, i. This term serves as a metaphor based on the surprising discovery of black swans in australia. This process is slow and painful, giving her severe psychic problems. As it has become so consuming to her that she is not only thinking about it in her waking life, but also during the time when she is asleep.
The film starts off with nina sayers natalie portman having a dream about being the black swan. Main character nina is an obsessed perfectionist in the physical realm of her occupation, dance. If you disagree with my interpretation please be polite and state your case with examples. Black swan explained follow me on twitter to hear my thoughts on current films. Movie plot ending explained when i first saw darren aronofskys film black swan, natalie portmans acting shined, and the movie was terrific.
Everyone has a black swan movie interpretation, so i wanted to post my opinion. The movie is inspired by swan lake, a famous ballet by pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky. He knows nina has what it takes to embody the light side, but the quiet, timid, girl lacks that dark edge of a true black swan. Black swan costume designer, amy westcott, bafta and cdg nominated for her work on the film, puts the record straight on controversy surrounding herself and rodartes contribution, exactly what her role comprises, and how she feels about that academy award snub amy westcott worked with black swan director darren aronofsky previously on the wrestler in 2008, plus has been costume designer. After a debate of my own, i chose to look at the film black swan. Some tracks appear to be directly lifted from the tchaikovskya original orchestrations, however this should not be a distraction for those who are not familiar with his work. Black swan ending, explained meaning, plot, theory. Throughout the movie, nina develops into the black swan, leaving her childness behind and maturing. Black swan by clint mansell is a modern interpretation of the well known ballet by tchaikovsky. Origins of the unconscious, core issues, the issue. Black swan, freud, and the monomyth the brain dump.
This could be explained by the white and black swan itself, the good and the evil. But competition emerges in lily, who is charming the director thomas leroy vincent cassel. I love this films ability to convey a message or leave up to your interpretation without using dialogue. The black swan directed by darren aronofsky uses many different ways to produce a certain feeling. Danielle marquez, ii ab communication com 171 section. Ashtons psychoanalytic analysis of black swan methods. Black swan is a 2010 american psychological horror film directed by darren aronofsky. Black swan is a psychosexual thriller that depicts the unglamorous part of the ballet world.
Whilst portman is in her dressing room, a black crown is always in the shot, this use of miseenscene expresses to the audience that what portman is after is success, she wants to win, she needs to be the best but as. In the opera, a princess is turned into a white swan. Psychoanalysis of the movie black swan random calls. Feb 16, 2012 sharetweetemailblack swan is an intense psychological thriller describing a ballet dancers metamorphosis into the black swan. Sharetweetemailblack swan is an intense psychological thriller describing a ballet dancers metamorphosis into the black swan. Black swan film analysis black swan is an artistic psychological thriller film directed by darren aronofsky in 2010, starring natalia portman and mila kunis. Black swan psychological interpretation freudian psychoanalytic theory of personality the theory as we have discussed, psychoanalysis can be easily applied to black swan. Darren aronofskys black swan is a fullbore melodrama, told with passionate intensity, gloriously and darkly absurd. The colors or visual interpretations of the film ad a big impact in creating a mood or atmosphere that is relevant in the movie. The screenplay was written by mark heyman, john mclaughlin, and andres heinz, based on an original story by heinz.
The plot revolves around a production of tchaikovskys swan lake ballet by the prestigious new york. Most movies fade from my mind in much less time, but this engrossing flick has stuck with me as i ponder the question that often pops into. Good lord is it a darren aronofsky film after years of working in the background, ballet dancer nina sayers natalie portman has the chance to become the star of her troupe in a production of swan lake. The black swan metaphorically represents the negative other. Black swan is used in finance to describe an unexpected occurrence leading. In the first half, we witness the pain of losing passion. The role requires the lead to play both the delicate white swan and the dark and sensual black swan. Behind the movies freaky facade lies a profound commentary on the cost of fame, the sacrifice of artists and the hidden forces behind the shady world of highstakes entertainment.
The movie has the romantics fascination with death without their spiritual. Ninas disordered relationship with her roommate mother erica, played by barbara hershey, sets the stage for ninas psychological breakdown. Black swan is a pompous, selfglorifying, and generally unpleasant interpretation of an artists task. What are your opinions on bts new single black swan. Its unlike anything bts has released before, so youll want to read what black swans lyrics mean in english to see what the. A truly exciting, beautiful and mesmerising movie, it was directed by darren aronofsky and starring natalie portman, vincent cassel, mila kunis and winona ryder. The film is about ninas journey to find the part of her thats the black swan. Ever since the release of darren aronofskys latest psychological thriller, people have been searching for the black swan movie meaning. Instead, you can capture that same connotation and energy and meaning with the more mysterious, black swan. Black swan psychological interpretation by jameir ismail. This story in this film is told from the perspective of nina, a young and very committed ballerina determined to succeed in the world of dance. Reading lois tysons chapter about psychoanalytic criticism really put this whole movie into perspective for me. Psychiatrists diagnose ballerinas descent abc news. This was a long way to set up the point that black swan isnt just a cool movie where a girl goes crazy and just happens to be a ballerina.
A new york ballet companys artistic director, thomas vincent cassel, the only unambiguous character in the film, selects nina for the double role of the white swan and black swan in his. Black swan deconstructed, films many faces the new york times. Black swan deconstructed, films many faces the new. It centers on a performance by natalie portman that is nothing short of heroic, and mirrors the conflict of good and evil in tchaikovskys ballet swan lake. Copeland, phd 8411 not only did natalie portman receive the best actress award for black swan at the 2011 oscars, the movie was nominated for best picture, director darren aronofsky, cinematography matthew libatique, and editing andrew weisblulm. The film stars natalie portman, vincent cassel, mila kunis, barbara hershey, and winona ryder. The first step to becoming the black swan is giving up control. Certain aspects of the movie were disturbing and others showed the internal struggle of the main character, nina. In the middle part we see the fight against the shadows that keep the artist from finding back to passion, and in the last part of the mv the artist comes out victorious from this fight. Its aronofsky exploring and presenting the pressures ballerinas face in an industry that demands very much of them. Black swan is an artistic psychological thriller film directed by darren aronofsky in 2010, starring natalia portman and mila kunis.
She dances as the white swan in the swan lake ballet, and the next day discovers that she has the. The term is based on an ancient saying that presumed black swans did not exist a saying that became reinterpreted to teach a different lesson after black swans were. This paper is a visual analysis of the first 6 minutes of the movie. The only one of his films i have not seen is the wrestler, mainly because that came out when i was living in china. In black swan, natalie portman is nina sayers, a new york city ballerina touted to play the lead role in the latest production of swan lake. Lastly, the cinematography used in the film reveals mostly the shade of white and black.
Every time nina sayers gets near sex, something terrible happens. The music video shows that the topless dancer, which symbolizes bts, and the dancers in suit, which symbolizes fame or burde. The occult interpretation of the movie black swan and. Even if the timeline itself is also a hallucination, she at least danced the final vigorous scene, so the injury cant have been that serious.
Centered around the production of swan lake and a young ballerinas natalie portman struggle to play dual roles as the innocent white swan and the sultry black swan, the film has left many viewers scratching their heads in wonderment while heading for. It is directed by darren aronofsky, who is known for his wild creative imagination. Usually described as a psychological horror thriller film, black swan can also be interpreted as a metaphor for achieving artistic perfection, with all of the. But the nuances missed me entirely because i had no clue about the swan lake ballet which they are rehearsing for in the film. The meaning of black swan perfection is a bitch my wife and i watched black swan at salem cinema a few days ago. Assuming the final scene of black swan is not a hallucination, nina injured herself some significant time earlier in her dressing room and danced two entire sections as the black, and then the white, swan, which included a costume change. Black swan is a modern retelling of pyotr ilyich tchaikovskys classic ballet, swan lake. In the movie, the ballet director, thomas leroy played by vincent cassel, describes to his dancers the basic plot of the ballet. Virginal girl, pure and sweet, trapped in the body of a swan.
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