Directed by: DarrenAronofsky

Certificate: 15

Running time: 108mins

Release date: 21January2011

Synopsis:NinaSayers(NataliePortman)isaballetdancerwho,pushedbyherdomineeringmother,hasworkedtirelesslytoachieveperfectionthroughoutherprofessionalcareer.Ninaseesoff thecompetition towin the lead inaNewYorkproductionofSwanLake.Thedualrole of The Swan is notoriously difficult as it requires the dancer to portray both thedelicate,beautifulWhiteSwanaswellasthevoraciousandsensualBlackSwan.NinaiscomfortableastheWhiteSwan,butfindsshedoesnothavethe‘darkside’requiredtonailthepartoftheBlackSwan.TemptedandchallengedbybothhermentorThomas(VincentCassel)andherrivalLily(MilaKunis),Ninabeginstounravelpsychologicallyasthepressuremountsandherpersonalboundariesarebroken...

Black SwanStudy Notes

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entiethCenturyFox

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Before viewing:

the work of Darren Aronofsky

ResearchthefilmsandcareerofDarrenAronofsky.Towhatextentdoyouagreewiththefollowingstatements:

z PROTAGONISTS–themaincharactersinAronofskyfilmsoftengoonself-destructivejourneysattheexpenseoftheirrelationships,theirsocialstandingandsometimestheirlivesz PERFECTION–ineachofAronofsky’sfourpreviousfeaturefilms,theprotagonistsaretryingtocaptureorexperienceperfectionz PLOTDEVICE–itcouldbearguedthatthegenreandsettingofhisfilmsisn’tthat important; essentially theyall have the sameplotdevice: aquest to findperfectionz DoesBlack SwancontinuetheAronofskytrend?

After viewing: representation

Aronofsky’sNewYorkisoftenoppressiveandindustrial,withhischaractersoftenseeninconfined,stultifyingspacesevenwhenoutside.

z HowdoesAronofsky’srepresentationofNewYorkinBlack Swan(andhisotherfilms)comparewiththeworksofotherNewYorkfilmmakerssuchas

MartinScorcese,AbelFerrara,WoodyAllenandSpikeLee?

Feminist critics have noted that female characters in film often conform to reductivestereotypessuchas ‘virgins,vamps,victims,sufferingmothers,childwomenandsexkittens’.

z HowarethefollowingfemalecharactersrepresentedinBlack Swan: - Nina - Lily(Nina’srival) - Erica(Nina’sMother) - Beth(Nina’spredecessor)?

z Doanyofthesecharacterssuitanyofthestereotypeslistedabove?z Inwhichotherfilmshaveyouseenthesekindsofcharacters?

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©Film Education July 2011. Film Education is not responsible for the content of external websites.

www.filmeducation.org www.nationalschoolsfilmweek.org

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©Film Education July 2011. Film Education is not responsible for the content of external websites.

www.filmeducation.org www.nationalschoolsfilmweek.org

Genre and TheoryAswellasidentifyingsimilaritiesbetweenBlack Swanandthe1948balletmelodramaThe Red Shoes,ithasbeensaidthatBlack Swanisinfluencedbytwohorrorsub-genres:body horrorandgiallo.DavidCronenbergandDarioArgentoaremastersoftheserespectivecinematicmovements.

z Research these other sub-genres and directors. What thematic and genericsimilaritiesorinfluencescanyoufind?z WatchthetrailerandlookatthespecialeditionDVDcoverofArgento’sSuspiria(1977).TowhatextentdoyouthinkthisfilmwasaninfluenceonBlack Swan?z Filmcanbeinterpretedthroughpsychoanalytictheory.HowrelevantareFreud’sOedipaltheoryandLacan’smirrorphasetoareadingofBlack Swan?Lookupthesetheoriesifyouarenotalreadyfamiliarwiththem.

Black Swan: The Wrestler 2?It has been noted that there are a number of similarities between Black Swan andAronofsky’spreviousfilmThe Wrestler(2008,starringMickeyRourke)andthattheirmilieu(theworldofballetandwrestlingrespectively)areincidental.

z ThinkingabouthowtheyaredepictedinAronofsky’sfilms,howaretheworldsofballetandwrestlingcomparable?z NataliePortmanisinvirtuallyeverysceneofBlack Swan,asMickeyRourkeisinThe Wrestler.DidyoufeelthecameracapturedNataliePortman’sperformanceinauniqueway?z Howarethecharacters’deteriorationsmanifested?

Activity

Drawastraight lineacrossanA3pieceof sugarpaperandwork in smallgroups.Sketch a narrative timeline across thepage andmake a note of every plot detail,confrontation,twistanddevelopmentyoucanthinkofthatoccursfromthebeginningthroughtotheendofBlack Swan.DothesameforThe Wrestler;ifnoneofyouhaveseenit,findasynopsisonlineor in‘Sight&Sound’.Comparethenarrativesofthetwofilms.

Activity

Untilrecently,Aronofskywasgoingto‘gomainstream’anddirectaWolverinesequel(hehassincebackedoutoftheproject).Imaginehowthatmighthavelooked!FilmatrailerorasequencefromanimaginedWolverineprojectinthestyleofAronofsky.Alternatively,drawoutanarrativetimelineandsketchouttheplot.

Written by Gareth C Evans