Posts tagged black swan
Natalie Portman Interview For The Fantastic ‘Black Swan’
Jan 21st
I recently had the opportunity to talk to Natalie Portman about her unforgettable performance in Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan. Much like Nina – the character she portrays – you can really tell she threw everything into this role. If I was a betting man (I’m usually a terrible betting man) I’d put my money on her taking home that faceless gold man come Oscar night. Black Swan is out in cinemas NOW. Check out what Portman had to say about the film below.
Can you talk a little about how Darren Aronofsky approached the film and how far he pushed you as a director?
Natalie Portman: Darren is a really, really exacting director. It was really wonderful to get to watch him work. He’s phenomenal, we were really the only ones who were there every day. I got to see him work with the different actors who came in and out and see how he tailored his approach with every actor, which was really incredible to see. I think we had an early recognition that we were equally military about our approach to work, that we’d be really focused and disciplined. It was a really quick, almost telepathic, reaction between us.
He also gave me one of the greatest gifts that any director has ever given me, which is after we’d try everything that we wanted to do he’d give me ten different ways to attack a scene, he would then say “OK, now do this one for yourself”. A lot of director’s say “this one’s a freebie” or “this is a free take”, but to just put it in those words gave me such a different understanding, for myself and also for the character. I learned that artistry has to do with pleasing yourself, not with pleasing someone else. Nina’s key to becoming an artist is finding pleasure herself, not trying to just please her mother or Thomas Leroy. So, I was sort of stepping out of that whole world of being a child and becoming a woman.
In-Depth Interview With Darren Aronofsky For ‘Black Swan’ – Starring Natalie Portman
Jan 17th
With the release of Black Swan in UK cinemas this Friday, and Natalie Portman securing the best actress award for her role as Nina at last night’s Golden Globes, what better time to unveil this interview with Darren Aronofsky. I’m pretty sure I’ve gushed over this film enough by now. All you need to know is that it’s engrossing, beautifully twisted and wholly fantabulous! Aronofsky’s been the man behind some of my favourite films of the last twelve years in The Wrestler, The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream and Pi. Check out what he had to say about the film below. Natalie Portman interview coming up in the next few days.
When did you first embark on Black Swan? Where did the idea come from?
Darren Aronofsky: My sister was a dancer growing up and she was very into ballet. It wasn’t really anything that I understood. But as I got older, I was thinking about worlds to set films in and I thought ballet could be an interesting world to explore. In addition, I was very interested in Dostoevsky’s ‘The Double’, which is a story about a guy who wakes up and his double is there, and the double starts to replace his life. Then I went to see a production of Swan Lake, which I thought was just a bunch of girls in tutus. I didn’t know what it was. But when I saw that there was a Black Swan and a White Swan, played by one dancer, and it was kind of a Eureka moment, it was like ‘oh wow, a double…’ So then it started to come together…
How long ago?
Darren Aronofsky: I met with Natalie eight or nine years ago. We met in Times Square and had a coffee and I had this idea for something set in the ballet world. It was slowly evolving over the years and it finally came together after The Wrestler. I was working on it with Mark (Heyman, screenwriter) and it was a very hard script to finish because understanding the ballet world was really complicated.
Was your sister hoping to become a professional dancer?
Darren Aronofsky: Well Patti got pretty far and she went to a professional ballet school, all the way through high school. And then once she got out of high school, she stopped. She realised that it wasn’t for her and now she does other stuff.
Did you have complete artistic freedom doing this film?
Darren Aronofsky: Fox Searchlight is very collaborative. They’ll argue with you but they basically trust their directors in general, or at least with me they did and they were very generous. The artistic freedom was controlled by the limitation of money and time.
My Top 10 Films Of 2010
Dec 31st
I’m going to be totally honest and concede that I’m completely useless at compiling lists. Reason one: I’m always changing my mind. Reason two: Me preferring one film over another depends entirely on my mood. Reason three: I’m lazy. Reason four: Because I am. So without further ado here’s what I consider to be the 10 best films of 2010. (Please note these are the films I have seen in 2010, I know a couple of them aren’t released in the UK until 2011)
1. Blue Valentine
Blue Valentine is unquestionably the most beautifully heartrending film I’ve watched in a long, LONG time. It has it’s fair share of excruciatingly painful to watch moments, however in equal measures it’s full of humour, warmth and charm. Both Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams give ridiculously multi layered and human performances. Beautiful and brutal in equal measures, writer-director Derek Cianfrance I salute you!
2. Black Swan
Natalie Portman has never been better and Darren Aronofsky further cements his place as one of the best directors working today with Black Swan. The movie is on all counts breathtaking. You won’t see a more hauntingly enchanting film this year. No film commanded my attention as much as this did, I was spell bounded the whole time.
New International Poster For Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Black Swan’ – Starring Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel & Mila Kunis
Dec 6th
Glamour Magazine have got their mitts on this new international poster for Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan. I think I’ve gushed over this film enough by now. All you need to know is that it’s engrossing, beautifully twisted and wholly fantabulous! Black Swan is set for release January 21st, 2011 in the UK. You can check out my interview with Natalie Portman here, Darren Aronofsky interview here, and Mila Kunis/Vincent Cassel here.
Black Swan follows the story of Nina (Portman), a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her retired ballerina mother Erica (Barbara Hershey) who zealously supports her daughter’s professional ambition. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side with a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.
New International Trailer For Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Black Swan’ – Starring Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel & Mila Kunis
Dec 2nd
Fox Searchlight have unveiled this new international trailer for Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Black Swan’ via MSN. As I’ve said previously Black Swan is neck and neck with 127 Hours for my favourite film of 2010. The movies breathtaking, you won’t see a more hauntingly enchanting film this year – scouts honour, beaver’s promise! Black Swan is set for release January 21st, 2011 in the UK, while the US get’s the film tomorrow. You can check out my interview with Natalie Portman here, Darren Aronofsky interview here, and Mila Kunis/Vincent Cassel here.
Black Swan follows the story of Nina (Portman), a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her retired ballerina mother Erica (Barbara Hershey) who zealously supports her daughter’s professional ambition. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side with a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.
Darren Aronofsky Interview For Black Swan – Starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis & Vincent Cassel
Nov 25th
With just over a week away from Black Swan’s release in the US (December 3rd), I thought what better time to let out the bag this interview with director Darren Aronofsky. As I’ve said before Black Swan is neck and neck with 127 Hours for my favourite movie of 2010. The film is breathtaking, you won’t see a more hauntingly enchanting movie this year. Aronofsky’s been the man behind some of my favourite films of the last twelve years in The Wrestler, The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream and Pi. You can check out my interview with Natalie Portman here, previous interview with Darren Aronofsky here, and Mila Kunis/Vincent Cassel here
How did you immerse yourself in this world of Ballet?
Darren Aronofsky: Well the ballet world was a very hard world to get into. Usually when you make a movie doors open up, but the Ballet world just really couldn’t care. They’re just very very insular and self involved, they’re very very focused, it took along time. But slowly but surely we met a few dancers who were interested in sharing their storys, and we did a lot of research and eventually the choreographer Benjamin Millepied came on board, that gave us a kind of stamp of approval because he’s very well respected in the Ballet world, slowly but surely that helped us out.
There’s a connection between your previous film The Wrestler and Black Swan in terms of the body injuries and dedication, can you explain that?
Darren Aronofsky: When we were cutting The Wrestler, and we had really got into revitalizing this film, we had been developing it for eight years actively and it kind of died during The Wrestler. Then one of my producers on The Wrestler, Mark Hayman, who was also my director of development, came to me and said he wanted to write something, so I said what about a Ballet project and he got deep into it and said there were a lot of similarities between this and The Wrestler, I wasn’t afraid of that. I thought it was an interesting thing because ones about the highest art and ones about the lowest art; if you wanna call wrestling an “art”. I think they are both about performance and performers, how performers put their bodies before their health, their age and their physicality.
What in terms of creativity, were your biggest struggles or challenges making this film?
Darren Aronofsky: It was a really difficult film to make, after The Wrestler and everyone had been like what are you doing making a film about wrestling with Mickey Rourke, and we had the success we had with it, I thought it would get easier with this film having Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, and Winona Ryder on board but it was still very very difficult, raising the money for this film was harder than raising the money for The Wrestler. Two weeks out the money fell apart, I don’t even think my actors knew this (laughs), after training for months and months. But then we were very lucky and we quickly got Fox Searchlight to come in after we were on our hands and knees begging. Because we had so little money, every single day was really difficult, there was never an easy day, everyday was like ‘oh my gosh we have to do all that today’, and then the next day it was the same, it was 42 days of a huge hustle. There was no money for post production and we had to do over 300 special effects, so basically it was really really hard until now (laughs).
I really enjoyed the look of the film with your choices of different camera moves and the grainy look.
Darren Aronofsky: The film is shot in 16mm film, that’s what sort of gives it that delicious grain, we shot it wide screen as well, exactly the same as The Wrestler. But very early on I knew I wanted to get the camera on stage with the dancers. Because I think when you’re in the audience it looks so effortless, these dancers train their entire lives and make it appear so effortless, but then when you go back stage you see all the tendons, muscles moving, bloody feet and sweat. As a director to capture that I knew I wanted to get the camera out of the wings – which is how most people have seen ballet. I was a little nervous about using this kind of hand held style of filming that we used in The Wrestler in a psychological thriller/horror film, because I thought the documentary feel would suck out the tension. We were really debating, but eventually we said screw it, lets give it a shot.