http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_swan_theory“Black Swan,” written by Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz, directed by Darren Aronofsky, could easily be categorized as a psychological thriller or high quality horror film, which barely touches elements of artistic reality for the genre of dance called ballet. It provides an entertaining, emotionally laden, and dark drama that is riveting and engaging in its use of special effects and haunting music, but does not factually interpret a 21st Century ballerina’s state of ‘being.’
When the movie opens, we get a glimpse of Nina Sayers’ (played by Natalie Portman) psychological instability, as she whispers to her audience the frightful “spell” that must be “broken” by her magical prince, in order that she will not “kill herself.” Already a foreshadowing of events to come, this scene portrays Nina a fearful, obsessed, neurotic who later confesses to “wanting to be perfect,” but is too frail (mostly mentally and emotionally) to pull off this feat.
Nobody, not even her artistic director, Thomas Leroy (played by Vincent Cassel), believed that ‘being perfect’ was a necessary ingredient for dancing the dual role of Odette and Odile, as choreographed for the classical ballet “Swan Lake” (in 1895) by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, in St. Petersburg, Russia.
While the challenging Odette/Odile role is marked, historically, by the highest levels of technical performance (for example Odile executing 32 fouette turns en pointe in her Pas de Deux, as part of her seduction to lure the prince), under no circumstance have any of the swans danced themselves to death in over 200 years of Swan Lake’s staging.
Nor have noteworthy dancers fallen, dizzy from spinning lights, as occurred in Aronofsky’s version. Not only did Pierina Legnani (1895) set the barre at 32 fouette turns, she introduced the basic concept of “spotting,” so that she wouldn’t get dizzy (and fall from her partner’s lift, like Nina did) during long bouts of pirouettes.
The fact that Natalie Portman always looks stiff, or at the very best uncomfortable, no matter what movement she attempts, further adds to the disbelief of her character – as a professional dancer seeking perfection but appearing frenzied, unfocused, insecure, downright frightened, and deliriously obsessed with herself.
And while it seems Aronofsky’s attempt to portray the profession of ballet as one marred by obsessive, obscene, narcissistic, immature, director-dependent, anorectic girls that cannot “let go” to express their sexuality (adequately?), most professional dancers are not driven by their art into a desperate state of madness. Quite contrarily, any dancer who has the requisite physical and technical skill to accomplish the Odette/Odile duality, must also possess the necessary emotional maturity and psychological stability to pull it off.
No artistic director on earth would ever stage a dancer who was as paranoid and psychotic as Nina Sayers. Nor would he attempt to kiss her, or blatantly accost any dancer of the company, as Thomas did with Lily (played by Mila Kunis), Nina’s back-up and (psychological) rival.
Thomas’ insistence that Nina was “not relaxed enough,” with needs to “go home and touch herself,” is absurd. So is his inappropriate summation of what he deems her frigidity to a colleague, and his blatant questioning: “Would you F**K this woman?” to drive home his point. In 21st Century America, he would simply be strung up and dried out – his career incinerated, lawsuits abounding.
Last, but not least, is Erica Sayers’ (played by Barbara Hershey) apparent attempts to protect her daughter, by controlling her bedtime, her bedfellows (mainly fluffy bunnies, puppies, and bear-bears – oh, and one tightly wound music box), and Nina’s self inflicted wounds – all the while feeding her sugar-laden cake – against Nina’s feeble wimpering.
Meanwhile, Nina, living in New York City, daily enters a metropolis teaming with the vagaries and vulgarities of real city life, unable (even IF by choice) to ignore the 21st Century world around her. It is not believable that such an estranged character could exist within that environment, split between leading the life of a pre-adolescent – the age defying only child of a working, single mother – and that of a beautiful, physically-centered adult dancer, bursting with hormones.
My toes really curl when Nina follows the manipulations of Lily for a night of drugging and drinking. This event truly shatters any hope for realism, as NO professional dancer would EVER partake in this type of behavior 12 hours or less before opening night; at least not one dancing Odette/Odile in Swan Lake.
Finally, the fact that Nina is hallucinating throughout the movie, cannot herself determine reality, and clearly does not encompass the necessary elements of her craft or of her “being,” would severe her lead role in any professional company. And the final event of Nina stabbing herself (during Act One, are you serious?????) and eventually dying (two hours later – in Act Two???) from the shattered mirror is preposterous beyond the very wildest imagination.
While I truly enjoyed the special effects (feathers growing out of her skin, toes melted together, legs crumpling like puppets’, the black swan wings sprung up from her bodice), this movie should have posted a disclaimer in the opening credits: “Under NO Circumstances do the Events in this Movie Represent Real People or the Profession of Ballet.” In this way, the mothers of dancers and children who witnessed it would discontinue asking me questions like: “Do your feet really mold together when you wear pointe shoes?” and potential ballet goers wouldn’t be put off by such deleterious commentary of ballet.
While I do appreciate Natalie Portman’s ardent, though brief, study of ballet and her attempt to embody basic ballet movements, I still hold bias against any attempts to distort the truth about who is doing the dancing. For instance, the entire corps de ballet had their heads digitally lopped off and displaced with actress (prettier?) heads, and many movie goers still believe it was Natalie performing high level footwork, turns, balances, lifts, and port de bras – those that require decades of study, and not just one year.
Black Swan is an oversimplification and subjective slander of the art form that began in kings’ courts in Italy and France, and progressed (during the Classical Period when Swan Lake was created) to one of the most highly codified and complex art forms in the world. However, as a vehicle for psychological thrill or outlet for horror entertainment, I think it should be rated A Plus.
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