{"id":3214,"date":"2011-01-22T09:29:16","date_gmt":"2011-01-22T09:29:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/\/?p=3214"},"modified":"2021-07-30T21:43:45","modified_gmt":"2021-07-30T21:43:45","slug":"the-black-swan-and-the-social-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/the-black-swan-and-the-social-network\/","title":{"rendered":"The Black Swan & The Social Network"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Social Network<\/em> is a fascinating look at a cold, superior, technical genius, Mark Zuckerberg the FaceBook billionaire. In the film, Zuckerberg is personally disconnected from human warmth, emotion and compassion. \u00a0He became the world’s youngest billionaire by helping other people connect with each other via technology. \u00a0The Black Swa<\/em>n is the story of a young dancer who is a cold, dispassionate and disconnected but technically perfect ballerina. \u00a0She is chosen to dance the dual leads in Swan Lake<\/em> and descends into madness preparing for the role.<\/p>\n

I liked The Social Network<\/em> but despised\u00a0The Black Swan, a<\/em>lthough I did admire the stunning visuals.\u00a0 The truth is,\u00a0Aronofsky’s film\u00a0\u00a0infuriated me and pushed my buttons like no film I’ve ever seen. \u00a0I had an intensely personal reaction to it. \u00a0It spoke to me about the biggest problem in my own life.<\/p>\n

Both Power of Reason<\/a> films were horrific in their own way. \u00a0Let’s start with the professional analysis before getting personal.<\/p>\n

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The monstrous tragedy of \u00a0The Social Network<\/em> is that Zuckerberg cold-heartedly dumps his only true friend and first supporter. \u00a0He does so for calculated business reasons. \u00a0Zuckerberg is surrounded by people or “friends” but is utterly alone. \u00a0Now that he is on his way to becoming a multi-billionaire, how can he ever know for sure that someone likes him for himself and not for his money or influence? \u00a0The more successful he becomes the more isolated he becomes from authentic friendship and genuine human connection.<\/p>\n

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With the addition of \u00a0madness, delusion and horror, Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) in The Black Swan<\/em> portrays the Dark Side of the Power of Reason Character Type<\/a>. \u00a0Issues concerning the boundaries of sanity, the limits of order or of logic, the genesis of evil, the ever-present potential of irrational chaos and the overwhelming nature of unbridled emotion or desire \u00a0are very much at the center of all Dark Side Power of Reason<\/a> films.<\/p>\n

Andrew O’Hehir writing on Salon.com<\/em> describes Nina as: \u00a0“(A) dancer whose prodigious technique is a little cold, mechanical and even fearful\u2026 (And) Nina can’t tell the difference between the real world and what’s in her head.” \u00a0In the film, she is described as “technically brilliant” but devoid of passion or sensuality. \u00a0A key exchange between Tomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) and Nina explains the dilemma:<\/p>\n

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Thomas Leroy: The truth is when I look at you all I see is the white swan. Yes you’re beautiful, fearful, and fragile. Ideal casting. But the black swan? It’s a hard fucking job to dance both.<\/p>\n

Nina: I can dance the black swan, too.<\/p>\n

Thomas Leroy: Really? In 4 years every time you dance I see you obsessed getting each and every move perfectly right but I never see you lose yourself. Ever! All that discipline for what?<\/p>\n

Nina: (whispers) I just want to be perfect.<\/p>\n

Power of Reason<\/a> characters are technical geniuses who are disconnected or alienated from others (and often themselves). They fear being inadequate to the task at hand, not having enough resources to deal with a situation in a rational, logical or technical manner.\u00a0They fear being overwhelmed by emotion, engulfed by passion, or getting caught up in chaos or forces they cannot control or contain. \u00a0The duality of Power of Reason<\/a> films concern\u00a0Connection vs. Alienation,\u00a0Man vs. Monster,\u00a0Sanity vs. Madness,\u00a0Natural vs. Unnatural and\u00a0Purity vs. Contamination (or debauchery).<\/p>\n

Rick Groen, writing in The Globe and Mail<\/em>, discusses these themes: \u00a0“Nina must destroy the sweet, pure girl in order to liberate the bold, mature artist. But that idea terrifies her, and with good reason \u2013 as we know from horror movies, metamorphosis can be deadly.”<\/p>\n

“Nina becomes so consumed with becoming this monster seductress that her body simply begins to turn her into one. Her skin is pimpling like a chicken\u2019s. Her shoulder blades are scarred. Is her body repaying her for those bulimic bathroom breaks? Aronofsky situates the entire film so deeply inside Nina\u2019s fraying psyche that we\u2019re unsure whether to believe the figurative monsters Nina concocts. Is (her mother) Erica (Barbara Hershey) a gorgon because that\u2019s how Nina sees her? Is the company\u2019s fading star (Winona Ryder) also its (crazy) Norma Desmond? … Is the more socially limber Lily a (sinister) frenemy or just the girl with a dragon tattoo?” \u00a0 asks Wesley Morris writing in the Boston Globe<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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In A Beautiful Mind<\/em> and Donnie Darko<\/em> salvation comes from embracing and connecting with others. \u00a0Nash’s salvation is his wife, son and the students he formerly disdained. \u00a0Darko finds salvation by selflessly sacrificing himself for the girl he loves and who would have died in his place. \u00a0Jekyll finds no salvation. \u00a0He is consumed by and transformed into pure evil.<\/p>\n

.<\/span>Nina Sayers is like Dr. Jekyll. \u00a0Metamorphosis doesn’t help her face and transcend her fears. \u00a0Instead, it makes her one with them, consumed in madness and the malevolence of murder\/suicide. \u00a0What the film seems to be saying about art and artists is what pushed my buttons.<\/p>\n

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I’m afraid I can too easily become that obsessed writer. \u00a0I struggle to maintain a healthy balance between work and play, creativity and regeneration, losing myself in the story and being present in the here-and-now of life. \u00a0The thing that disturbed me most about The Black Swan<\/em> is the idea that to be a great artist we must sacrifice everything including our humanity. \u00a0Every major character in the film is monstrously selfish, insular, obsessed and willing to sacrifice themselves and others without thought, care or any sense of compassion. \u00a0Is that really<\/em> what creates and makes great art?<\/p>\n

Where in The Black Swan<\/em> is the sense of joy in creation? \u00a0Where is the fun and exhilaration in doing what you love? Where is the transcendence in art? \u00a0How does it elevate the human spirit? \u00a0How is it life-affirming? \u00a0There is nothing of any of those concepts at work in The Black Swan<\/em>. There is no humanity here and no generosity on display anywhere in the film.<\/p>\n

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Diana Byer, the artistic director of the New York Theater Ballet, says that: \u00a0\u201cA person who doesn\u2019t live life can\u2019t bring anything to a ballet. You have to live life to create an art form.\u201d \u00a0Sarah Maslin, The New York TImes<\/em><\/p>\n

“Nina is just a collection of neurotic behaviors… nearly all the conflict on screen derives from her victimization (or perceived victimization?) at the hands of others. We never understand what’s at stake for her as an artist, other than sheer achievement for achievement’s sake. With this movie’s curious inattention to the question of why performing matters to its heroine, it could just as easily be a movie about a girl’s brutal struggle to become Baskin Robbins’ employee of the month,” \u00a0writes Dana Stevens in Slate.com<\/em><\/p>\n

Richard Corliss says in Time Magazine<\/em>: \u00a0“The Black Swan<\/em> isn’t an advance. It’s a throwback, in three ways. First, to what Freud called ‘the return of the repressed’ \u2014 that repressed desires created severe neuroses. Second, to the Method cult notion of empathizing with a character until you become it. (As Laurence Olivier legendarily told Dustin Hoffman when the younger star was agonizing over his motivation in the tooth-drilling sequence of Marathon Man<\/em>: ‘Dear boy, why not just try acting?’) Third, and most reductively, to the ancient commandments of the horror genre, which teach that a young woman is either a virgin, who’s pure enough to fight the demon, or a whore, who somehow deserves to be killed (especially when she’s just had sex). The idea of a healthy eroticism is alien to these films; they allow no middle ground. I’m pretty sure this is a guy’s idea of a woman’s sexuality. The Black Swan<\/em> had women in front of the camera, men as the director and writers and cinematographer.”<\/p>\n

\"Billy

Tutor One: What does it feel like when you’re dancing?<\/p>\n

Billy: Don’t know. Sorta feels good. Sorta stiff and that, but once I get going… then I like, forget everything. And… sorta disappear. Sorta disappear. Like I feel a change in my whole body. And I’ve got this fire in my body. I’m just there. Flyin’ like a bird. Like electricity. Yeah, like electricity.<\/p>\n

Coincidentally, when Billy’s father, brother and best friend come to see Billy perform as an adult in London he is dancing the lead in \u00a0Matthew Bourne’s… Swan Lake. \u00a0It is a ballet performed by all men. \u00a0See the YouTube video clip of Billy’s performance here<\/a>. \u00a0When told his family is in the audience, Billy smiles backstage. \u00a0Moving into the spotlight he literally jumps for joy and my heart leaps with him.<\/p>\n

Billy Elliot<\/em> may be a sugar-coated fairy tale or fable version of a film about artists. \u00a0It may not be a serious, complex or “important” film, but I wonder what it says about the state of our society when business AND the arts are portrayed in such an unrelenting, obsessive and monstrous way. Or am I just tragically unhip? \u00a0I would love to hear your thoughts. Comment here or on my FaceBook<\/a> page.<\/p>\n

Directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and<\/div>\n
John J. McLaughlinDirected by Darren Aronofsky and written by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two of the most highly acclaimed and most talked about movies of the 2011 Awards season are The Black Swan, directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and John J. McLaughlin and The Social Network Directed by David Fincher and written Aaron Sorkin adapted from a book by Ben Mezrich. Both are Power of Reason films with Power of Reason protagonists. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,55,58],"tags":[690,691,997,755,998,25,26,611,999,1000,27,28,1001,30,31,950,964,32,1002,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,1003,1004,41,42],"class_list":["post-3214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movies-character-development-screenwriting-screenplay-script-blog","category-power-of-idealism","category-power-of-reason","tag-award","tag-awards","tag-ballet","tag-billy-elliot","tag-black-swan","tag-character","tag-characters","tag-darren-aronofsky","tag-david-fincher","tag-donnie-darko","tag-emotional-toolbox","tag-etb","tag-facebook","tag-film","tag-films","tag-golden-globes","tag-jake-gyllenhaal","tag-laurie-hutzler","tag-mark-zuckerberg","tag-movies","tag-nine-character-types","tag-screenplay","tag-screenplays","tag-screenwriting","tag-script","tag-scripts","tag-scriptwriting","tag-social-media","tag-social-network","tag-tv","tag-writing"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n.jpg",960,720,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n-300x225.jpg",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n-768x576.jpg",768,576,true],"large":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n.jpg",960,720,false],"ttshowcase_normal":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n.jpg",125,94,false],"ttshowcase_small":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n.jpg",75,56,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n.jpg",960,720,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n.jpg",960,720,false],"Image Size 500x500":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n.jpg",500,375,false],"woocommerce_thumbnail":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n-300x400.jpg",300,400,true],"woocommerce_single":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n-600x450.jpg",600,450,true],"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n-100x100.jpg",100,100,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Laurie Hutzler","author_link":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/author\/admin\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Two of the most highly acclaimed and most talked about movies of the 2011 Awards season are The Black Swan, directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and John J. McLaughlin and The Social Network Directed by David Fincher and written Aaron Sorkin adapted from a book by Ben Mezrich. Both…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3214"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3214\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}