.....and I was somewhat disappointed overall.
The Link
I encourage other interested moviegoers to enjoy it and not read the rest of my thoughts until after they've formed their own opinions.
Possible spoilers ahead:
Natalie Portman's performance was great and, in fact, all of the acting was fine and well-cast.
Her multi-layered portrayal is indeed Oscar-worthy and, for me, it was time and money well spent.
I thought Tchaikovsky's score from "Swan Lake" was cinematically utilized especially well: played simply and sweetly at first as dance casting began, then with more instrumentation buildup as rehearsals continued and, finally, very intensely, even sounding distorted, in the climactic scenes of the ballet's performance.
This was in keeping with how the parallel film and dance storylines developed and changed.
The cinematography also nicely emphasized Portman's character's duality and the basic conflict in the ballet and in the movie: black, powerful perversity versus fragile and innocent white.
The sanguine shades of blood and a flashing, red, wash from lights in a dance club were sometimes the only other coloration shown.
Director Darren Aronofsky's interesting flick is a heady, beautiful combination of visual art, performance art, ambition, frailty, obsession, insanity (?), horror and mystery.
But it fell a bit flat, I felt, in the end.
The opening 2/3s had as promising a beginning as "Rosemary's Baby" or the best of Alfred Hitchcock.
However, I've decided, the final 1/3 dropped more to the level of a film adapted from a Stephen King novel.
Now I like Stephen King movies OK, but here I was hoping for more.
I'll freely admit how my eyes were glued to the screen for Portman's terrific, deep, physical and psychological performance in her almost double role, but I also often chuckled to myself at the absurdity of the melodrama and how the last parts came and went and ended.
I'll rate this film as being quite entertaining, but finally flawed like "Shutter Island," IMHO, since both flicks had a really good start but a lesser finish.
And it's a mindf*cker like "Inception," so I fully expect plenty of viewers to really get off on it.
I've not yet seen all the Academy Award nominees for this year, but when Natalie Portman wins the Best Female Acting Oscar for this performance I won't be surprised or displeased
However, I'm personally hoping another nominee gets identified as Best Picture.
So, I didn't hate it, I did manage an understanding of it and I did appreciate it.
Plus, Natlie Portman was great.
Even so, I won't need to see this movie again.
Unless it's ever re-released as a silent movie, except for the music and maybe a few dialog and/or continuity boxes.
Because, I think "Black Swan" could have worked very nicely WITHOUT ANY SPOKEN DIALOG AT ALL, while using still more of the ballet's score since this motion picture is so visual, and I'd be curious to experience it silent except for all that great accompanying music.
Please, go see it for yourself and then let's have your evaluation.
The Link
I encourage other interested moviegoers to enjoy it and not read the rest of my thoughts until after they've formed their own opinions.
Possible spoilers ahead:
Natalie Portman's performance was great and, in fact, all of the acting was fine and well-cast.
Her multi-layered portrayal is indeed Oscar-worthy and, for me, it was time and money well spent.
I thought Tchaikovsky's score from "Swan Lake" was cinematically utilized especially well: played simply and sweetly at first as dance casting began, then with more instrumentation buildup as rehearsals continued and, finally, very intensely, even sounding distorted, in the climactic scenes of the ballet's performance.
This was in keeping with how the parallel film and dance storylines developed and changed.
The cinematography also nicely emphasized Portman's character's duality and the basic conflict in the ballet and in the movie: black, powerful perversity versus fragile and innocent white.
The sanguine shades of blood and a flashing, red, wash from lights in a dance club were sometimes the only other coloration shown.
Director Darren Aronofsky's interesting flick is a heady, beautiful combination of visual art, performance art, ambition, frailty, obsession, insanity (?), horror and mystery.
But it fell a bit flat, I felt, in the end.
The opening 2/3s had as promising a beginning as "Rosemary's Baby" or the best of Alfred Hitchcock.
However, I've decided, the final 1/3 dropped more to the level of a film adapted from a Stephen King novel.
Now I like Stephen King movies OK, but here I was hoping for more.
I'll freely admit how my eyes were glued to the screen for Portman's terrific, deep, physical and psychological performance in her almost double role, but I also often chuckled to myself at the absurdity of the melodrama and how the last parts came and went and ended.
I'll rate this film as being quite entertaining, but finally flawed like "Shutter Island," IMHO, since both flicks had a really good start but a lesser finish.
And it's a mindf*cker like "Inception," so I fully expect plenty of viewers to really get off on it.
I've not yet seen all the Academy Award nominees for this year, but when Natalie Portman wins the Best Female Acting Oscar for this performance I won't be surprised or displeased
However, I'm personally hoping another nominee gets identified as Best Picture.
So, I didn't hate it, I did manage an understanding of it and I did appreciate it.
Plus, Natlie Portman was great.
Even so, I won't need to see this movie again.
Unless it's ever re-released as a silent movie, except for the music and maybe a few dialog and/or continuity boxes.
Because, I think "Black Swan" could have worked very nicely WITHOUT ANY SPOKEN DIALOG AT ALL, while using still more of the ballet's score since this motion picture is so visual, and I'd be curious to experience it silent except for all that great accompanying music.
Please, go see it for yourself and then let's have your evaluation.
