The Last Movie I Saw

I remember that for many years I resisted seeing the classic ballet film The Red Shoes, made by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger back in the 1940s and widely hailed as something of a masterpiece. Since my interest in ballet was practically nil, I didn't bother checking it out until I had seen a few other Powell/Pressburger collaborations and became convinced that maybe they could make something interesting out of the subject. Turns out I was right, and much to my surprise I ended up liking The Red Shoes quite a bit. So, when I heard that Darren Aronofsky, another director whose work I've really liked over the years, came out with Black Swan, I was willing to forgo the long and pointless wait to see it. Unfortunately, this did not lead to the same happy ending, as I found it a bit of a tough go. As you've probably read elsewhere, Natalie Portman is amazing in the lead performance of a dancer who has the technical skill to wow an audience, but lacks the soul or passion in her performance to make it truly transcendent. My problem with the movie is that her struggle to conquer her flaws unfolds like a horror film, with lots of violence, both emotional and physical, and I just don't care for horror films. Watching graceful bodies mutilated-- even understanding this was largely imaginary, an extended metaphor for the physical abuses the dancers put themselves through willingly as a matter of course-- was too off-putting, and that's not what appeals to me in screen entertainment. Maybe if I were more of a ballet fan, I would have appreciated those segments where the dancing is in the spotlight, but since I don't, I was left with the nasty business of watching someone destroy herself for my entertainment. Definitely not my cup of tea.