Black Swan

Theatrical Release Date: 2010 12 03 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 024543715061

Studio: 20th Century Fox

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Strong Sexual Content, Profanity, Drug Content]

Summary: New York City ballet dancer Nina (Natalie Portman) enters into an intense battle of wills with a talented and ambitious new arrival (Mila Kunis) who seems intent on edging her out of the spotlight in this supernatural-flavored psychological thriller from director Darren Aronofsky. Nina covets the role of the Swan Queen in a production of Swan Lake by acclaimed theater director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel). The harder Nina works to win the part, however, the more overwhelmed she becomes by her suspicions that talented newcomer Lily (Kunis) is intent on stealing it away from her. As the production draws near and Nina struggles to master the duel roles of the White Swan and the Black Swan, she grows increasingly unstable to the point where she finds it difficult to distinguish fantasy from reality. Though her burgeoning friendship with the unconventional Lily helps Nina to jettison her perfectionist instincts and find her footing as the Black Swan, the closer she gets to perfecting the role, the further her sanity erodes until she begins to experience a bizarre and profound transformation. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Category: Thriller

Awards: Film Presented – Toronto International Film Festival Film Presented – AFI Fest Best Actress – Screen Actors Guild Best Ensemble – Screen Actors Guild Best Ensemble – Screen Actors Guild Best Director – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Cinematography – L.A. Film Critics Association Best Ensemble – Screen Actors Guild Best Supporting Actress – Screen Actors Guild Best Ensemble – Screen Actors Guild Best Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Moti – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Original Screenplay – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Cinematography – New York Film Critics Circle Best Art Direction in a Contemporary Film – Art Directors Guild Best Ensemble – Screen Actors Guild Best Original Screenplay – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Original Screenplay – Writers Guild of America Best Original Screenplay – Writers Guild of America Best Original Screenplay – Writers Guild of America Best Actress – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Cinematography (Runner-up) – National Society of Film Critics Best Director – Directors Guild of America Best Cinematography – American Society of Cinematographers Best Actress – London Film Critics Association Film Presented – London Film Festival Best Picture – London Film Critics Association Best Picture – Austin Film Critics Best Director – Austin Film Critics Top Ten Film – Austin Film Critics Best Director – London Film Critics Association Best Actress – Austin Film Critics Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Director – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Supporting Actress – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Picture – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Original Screenplay – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Cinematography – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Production Design – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Editing – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Production Design – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Sound – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Makeup and Hair – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Costume Design – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Makeup and Hair – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Sound – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Visual Effects – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Sound – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Cinematography – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Actress – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director – Independent Spirit Awards Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Cinematography – Independent Spirit Awards Best Feature – Independent Spirit Awards Best Female Lead – Independent Spirit Awards

Features: Metamorphosis: A behind-the-scenes documentary with Darren Aronofsky

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Black Swan

Format: DVD

Release Date: 03/29/2011

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 2.40:1

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DS Dolby Surround (4.0)

Runtime: 108 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,Spanish,French

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Black Swan
1. Scene 1 [6:16]
2. Scene 2 [6:36]
3. Scene 3 [3:40]
4. Scene 4 [2:31]
5. Scene 5 [2:46]
6. Scene 6 [4:40]
7. Scene 7 [3:10]
8. Scene 8 [2:34]
9. Scene 9 [3:46]
10. Scene 10 [4:36]
11. Scene 11 [3:09]
12. Scene 12 [2:47]
13. Scene 13 [2:53]
14. Scene 14 [3:04]
15. Scene 15 [3:09]
16. Scene 16 [2:35]
17. Scene 17 [8:31]
18. Scene 18 [3:19]
19. Scene 19 [3:10]
20. Scene 20 [5:01]
21. Scene 21 [1:15]
22. Scene 22 [3:05]
23. Scene 23 [2:41]
24. Scene 24 [3:08]
25. Scene 25 [4:12]
26. Scene 26 [1:41]
27. Scene 27 [3:12]
28. Scene 28 [5:09]

Jason Buchanan

Subtlety may not be Darren Aronofsky's strong suit, yet his heavy-handed tendencies have served him well in such features as the harrowing addiction drama Requiem for a Dream and the heart-breaking Golden Globe winner The Wrestler. And despite the fact that his psychological thriller Black Swan features little of the flamboyant visual style that assaulted our eyes in the former nor the operatic emotions of the latter, it still succeeds on its own terms thanks to a compelling performance by Natalie Portman and a dark undercurrent of self-destruction that progressively seduces us courtesy of some supremely creepy, eerily graceful imagery. New York City ballet dancer Nina (Portman) covets the role of the Swan Queen in a production by acclaimed theater director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel). The harder Nina works to win the part, however, the more overwhelmed she becomes by her suspicions that talented and ambitious new arrival Lily (Mila Kunis) is intent on stealing it away from her. As the production draws near and Nina struggles to master the duel roles of the White Swan and the Black Swan, she grows increasingly unstable to the point where she finds it difficult to distinguish fantasy from reality. Though her burgeoning friendship with unconventional dancer Lily helps Nina to jettison her perfectionist instincts and find her footing as the Black Swan, the closer she gets to perfecting the role, the further her sanity erodes until she begins to experience a bizarre and profound transformation. With Black Swan, Aronofsky and screenwriters Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, and John McLaughlin probe the fractured psyche of a troubled ballerina who fears that she will never reach her full potential. If this sounds familiar, it's probably because Aronofsky's previous film The Wrestler hinged on much the same premise. And though both films share quite a bit in common thematically, they couldn't be further apart in tone. Whereas Mickey Rourke's elegiac performance in The Wrestler instilled that film with a pervasive sense of melancholy that gradually enveloped us as he waged a heartfelt struggle for redemption, Portman's pageantry in Black Swan leads us down an altogether different, more distanced version of psychological decline. Unlike Randy "The Ram," Nina has yet to perform her signature role, and the intense mental strain it takes her to do so may well be her undoing. Screen veteran Barbara Hershey is positively unhinged as Nina's supportive yet disturbed mother, whose presence offers a foreboding glimpse of the treacherous path that the ambitious, not-so-young dancer is headed down as her delusions grow increasingly vivid. Meanwhile, as Nina's home life begins to unravel, bitchy trash-talking amongst jealous dancers and a memorable supporting performance by Winona Ryder up the stakes on-stage as well. The resulting study in insecurity and paranoia is bewitching if not emotionally engaging -- a haunting study of obsession run amuck served with a savory side of gothic theatrics. Thanks to the work of gifted cinematographer Matthew Libatique -- who has collaborated with Aronofsky on all of his features except for The Wrestler -- Black Swan possesses an elegant air of malevolence and psychological decay that helps to compensate for the fact that the plotline feels somewhat recycled. A masterpiece by no measure, yet far from forgettable, it's a minor work elevated by a fascinating lead performance, and delivers enough serious chills to hold us transfixed once the metamorphosis begins to take hold. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Jon Avnet  Executive Producer 
Mike Medavoy  Producer 
Darren Aronofsky  Director 
Clint Mansell  Composer (Music Score) 
Rick Schwartz  Executive Producer 
Arnie Messer  Producer 
John McLaughlin  Screenwriter 
Ari Handel  Executive Producer 
Andres Heinz  Screenwriter 
Brad Fischer  Executive Producer 
Mark Heyman  Screenwriter 
Scott Franklin  Producer 
Brian Oliver  Producer 
Peter Fruchtman  Executive Producer 
Tyler Thompson  Executive Producer 
Natalie Portman  Actor 
Mila Kunis  Actor 
Vincent Cassel  Actor 
Barbara Hershey  Actor 
Winona Ryder  Actor 
Benjamin Millepied  Actor 
Ksenia Solo  Actor 
Kristina Anapau  Actor 
Janet Montgomery  Actor 
Sebastian Stan  Actor 
Toby Hemingway  Actor 
Sergio Torrado  Actor 
Mark Margolis  Actor 
Tina Sloan  Actor 
Abe Aronofsky  Actor 
Charlotte Aronofsky  Actor 
Marcia Jean Kurtz  Actor 
Shaun P. O'Hagan  Actor 
Christopher Gartin  Actor 
Deborah Offner  Actor 
Stanley Herman  Actor 
Michelle Rodriguez Nouel  Actor 
Kurt Froman  Actor 
Marty Krzywonos  Actor 
Leslie Lyles  Actor 
John Epperson  Actor 
Arkadiy Figlin  Actor 
Timothy Fain  Actor 
Sarah Lane  Actor 
Liam Flaherty  Actor 
Patrick Heusinger  Actor 

Country: USA