Black Swan

[Holley Calmes]

I'm not familiar with how long ballet dancers train each day, but maybe she needed more/different conditioning if they were experiencing long shooting days. Especially if they were doing the elaborate dance scenes all day for days on end...

She was in training long before the Black Swan started filming. Entertainment Weekly had a long interview with her about her preparation which started a year before. This link seems to be the same article..

http://www.natalie-portman.org/?p=251

I have never met any dancers who used swimming as a part of their training. Dancers generally just dance most of the day-although I know a lot of male dancers who regularly do weight training in the gym. Swinning is a great exercise, but many times it tends to build the muscles in the upper body in a not-very-ballet-looking manner. But-I'm no authority on swimming!Maybe a pool was accessible when she was trying to drop some weight while filming the previous movie.

[ArtisticFan]

The only time that I did swimming or water training was when I was injured.

[Stormy]

Saw the movie today. It is seriously fecked up and not for the squeamish, but pretty cool. It had me feeling tingly for about two hours after it ended. I'd definitely recommend it.

Was it like gory or just visually disturbing like Requiem for a Dream was?

[Rex]

I am not a big fan of Aronofsky--too OTT IMO, so after reading some reviews I think I will wait to Netflix this one after all.

I want to see it mainly to see the two chicks make out - how TWISTED am I?

[IceAlisa]

I want to see it mainly to see the two chicks make out - how TWISTED am I?

[Allen]

I want to see it mainly to see the two chicks make out - how TWISTED am I?

It was hot and twisted at the same time.

[emason]

I want to see it mainly to see the two chicks make out - how TWISTED am I?

There are P-P-V cable channels for this, you know?

[Rex]

It was hot and twisted at the same time.

There are P-P-V cable channels for this, you know?

Hmmmmmm, now if it were a film about skating....I could totally see Sasha in Natalie's role. Nicole Bobek could take Winona Ryder's part of the aging ballerina. Who'd play Mila Kunis?

[IceAlisa]

Sasha could be Mila Kunis and our favorite balletic headcase Alissa could be Natalie.

[Rex]

Sasha could be Mila Kunis and our favorite balletic headcase Alissa could be Natalie.

Oh that's right. We need a graceful headcase in this part - and Alissa would be perfect.

Or, Emanuel Sandhu.......

[IceAlisa]

Or, Emanuel Sandhu.......

Eman for Black Swan!

[ArtisticFan]

Hmmmmmm, now if it were a film about skating....I could totally see Sasha in Natalie's role. Nicole Bobek could take Winona Ryder's part of the aging ballerina. Who'd play Mila Kunis?

I would vote for Oksana Baiul for Winona's part.

[danceronice]

Point regarding swimming: it's a good way to lose weight, and both Portman and Kunis had to drop quite a bit of weight for their roles. (In the interview I saw, ironically linked from an article about NYCB's "fat" Sugar Plum, Kunis said she lost twenty pounds and was down far enough her boyfriend was a little unhappy with how she looked. She was at something like 95 for the film.)

Re height--I would think lines are nice, but if you're 5'8" or worse already, you better hope the company only hires really tall guys, as once you're en pointe, you look rather silly next to a guy who's 5'7" or 5'8" and not getting the benefit of toe shoes. Never mind how awkward that makes lifting. Looking at Royal Ballet's Nutcracker right now, and their Sugar Plum is not only short, she's very short even next to the other women. (Don't know her name.) The Bolshoi girls were on the short side, too, even assuming the men were at least 5'9 or better.

[ryanbfan]

I was interested until I saw the trailer. Either the movie is bad or the people doing the trailer had no clue. I don't like movies that are too literal or go over the top (unless on purpose ), so the moment she started sprouting little barbs/feathers didn't go well for me.

I think the deal with her growing feathers is an example of how when a dancer or even someone in theatre is given a part, they are always told to 'live the part, be the part' even when practicing and gearing up for a performance. I used to dance and do musical theatre and we were always told to live a day like the character we were portraying. I think in the movie he's going for the sense that Natalie's character has taken this way too seriously and completely over the top - hence why she is growing feathers. This 'transformation' is in her head and not actually happening.


Someone asked about the nationwide, unlimited release date. It's December 22.

[Civic]

...She can't be more than 5'6" or 5'7" but her long legs make her look tall when she skates...

Katia Gordeeva was an pair skater; I doubt if she's much more than 5 feet tall; if that much. Elite pairs women tend to be in the 4'10 to 5'2 height range.

[Indra486]

Was it like gory or just visually disturbing like Requiem for a Dream was?

I can think of two scenes of violence or at least . It involves bodily harm. On a related, though different note, Jeremy tweeted that he walked out of Black Swan because he felt violated. Take that for what you will.

I posted my two cents on the other thread but I will say that for me, it didn't live up to its hype and laughable at times.

[BigB08822]

How can a movie make a person feel violated? I know I haven't seen it but I have watched some seriously fecked up movies and I never forget that it is just a movie. No movie has ever been able to truly offend me, at least not enough to walk out or turn it off (unless it just sucked, anyway).

[Anita18]

How can a movie make a person feel violated? I know I haven't seen it but I have watched some seriously fecked up movies and I never forget that it is just a movie. No movie has ever been able to truly offend me, at least not enough to walk out or turn it off (unless it just sucked, anyway).

I've never seen Irreversible, but from what I've heard about it, I'd probably feel violated while watching it.

Not sure if the stuff I've heard that's in Black Swan is on par.

[Rex]

Eman for Black Swan!

He'd be PERFECTION!!!

I would vote for Oksana Baiul for Winona's part.

Pasha Grishiuk would club her knees to get the part first.

How can a movie make a person feel violated? I know I haven't seen it but I have watched some seriously fecked up movies and I never forget that it is just a movie. No movie has ever been able to truly offend me, at least not enough to walk out or turn it off (unless it just sucked, anyway).

Movies like Pulp Fiction make me feel very violated - I find the pawn shop scene unwatchable. I don't like rape scenes in movies.

[BigB08822]

I've never seen Irreversible, but from what I've heard about it, I'd probably feel violated while watching it.

Not sure if the stuff I've heard that's in Black Swan is on par.

How funny that you mention Irreversible because that is the exact movie I was thinking of when I mentioned I had seen some crazy stuff! The movie was almost impossible to watch because of the way it was filmed but there were 2 scenes in the movie that were tough. The first one comes early and is a death scene, I did have to turn my head because it was never ending. Then the rape scene was really rough but not as bad for me as the first scene.