Unfortunate Formula

Although $12.50 isn’t a vast amount by any means, I wish I had both the money and the time I’d spent watching “Black Swan” back. Unfortunately, the perceived formula for successful films in Hollywood today is a strange one. Movies don’t seem to have a straightforward plot line anymore – today’s directors want them to have an “edge”. In the case of Black Swan, it is laced with horror, hallucinations and lesbian love scenes. I will deal with the altered version of the ballet’s choreography later.

As things turned out, I had not intended to watch this movie in the theatre. I did not have a strong enough interest in it and was content to wait to view it on Netflix. But as it was a rainy day and my husband and I could not get in to see the movie of our first choice, we fell back on Black Swan instead. The feeling of the settling for next best is not a consoling outcome, but we tried to make the best of it. Being an afternoon matinee, the theatre was not even 1/3 full. Once the movie began, as with most these days, the volume of the music hit us over the head like a sledge hammer. Not a great way to start. But it was the troubling multitude of messages that the story included that turned us both off. Having been a professional dancer myself, for a short while, I could identify with the life that was depicted, to some degree. But, the movie’s story line accentuated some the public’s perceptions of a ballet dancer’s life and outright distorted other aspects, making the viewer almost uneasy as the story developed.

Natalie Portman, in the lead role, does an excellent job in this otherwise Twilight Zone-ish story, even if her character is lacking the confidence a successful dancer needs to get to the top. Dancers with timidity simply don’t get ahead in the dog-eat-dog world of ballet. That aside, she is beautiful to watch on the screen and has done considerable homework in preparing for this role. Her carriage and movements are well executed, though many of the shots and scenes that involve detailed pointe work are executed by a professional dancer that doubles for her. But viewers may feel somewhat nauseated from the dizzying camera work that prevails throughout much of the film. I suppose one of the “techniques” that directors use when shooting a film where they want to convey the illusion and not too much detail, is to keep the cameras darting about. Well, it may cover up the finer details but it is infuriating to watch. Many of the scenes come across as a blur and I didn’t like it at all. I could have used a dose of Dramamine.

I felt that the story itself had potential and they didn’t have to Hollywood-ize with the horror sub-plot. Today’s moviegoers apparently want all the whiz-bang effects as well as watching a movie that includes scenes with bi-sexual and homosexual overtones.

I did like the use of the ballet’s music throughout the movie as an appropriate accompaniment. But as I mentioned earlier, the volume in the theatres is simply too loud. It gets to a point where it not only hurts one’s ears but it is so loud that it ruins the effect. As for the choreography, it left much to be desired. The story line is one of a leading New York ballet company putting on a “new version” of the classic Swan Lake. For the record, I’m not big on “new versions” of classics. A classic is a classic for a reason … because it will live forever and therefore shouldn’t be tampered with. Yes, I know, everyone has put his stamp on it, from modern to jazz to an all male gay version. The problem though with this choreography was that it truly looked ridiculous. It wasn’t believable and didn’t fit within the story line. But once again, the camera did so much whizzing and darting around to “cover” for the non-dancer actresses that it was most annoying. I won’t say anything more about the plot in case you want to see it but think twice before you lay down $12.50!