Abstract
At the outset of Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan (2010), Natalie Portman’s character, Nina Sayers, auditions for the part of the Swan Queen in the ballet Swan Lake. The dancer who plays the lead must dance not only the part of the white swan, but her evil twin, the black swan. “If I was only casting the White Swan, she’d be yours,” Thomas Leroy, the ballet director, played by Vincent Cassel, whispers in Nina’s ear, taunting her, during her audition. “But I’m not… Now show me your Black Swan, Nina!” he commands.
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© 2013 Daniel Sullivan and Jeff Greenberg
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Goldenberg, J.L. (2013). Black Swan/White Swan: On Female Objectification, Creatureliness, and Death Denial. In: Sullivan, D., Greenberg, J. (eds) Death in Classic and Contemporary Film. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137276896_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137276896_7
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-44686-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-27689-6
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