"Double" Drama-Black Swan vs. Ballerina & your thoughts on the topic

[digitalbabe]

Though this thread pertains to the film, Black Swan, I thought it would be interesting to discuss this in the context of movies, and your enjoyment of them, generally. This controversy has been brewing for a while, regarding this film, especially given the all out promotion of the film, and of course, her win. If you google, you will find articles surfaced for weeks and months regarding this unfolding "drama".

How do you feel about stunt doubles, or actors/actresses who do not do all of their own work, but get acclaim for the finished product?

Article from San Francisco Examiner:

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Natalie Portman’s ‘Black Swan’ stunt-double drama
TAGS: Black Swan Jennifer Aniston khloe kardashian kim kardashian Natalie Portman san francisco
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By: Kitty Raymond 03/29/11 10:00 PM
Special To The Examiner

Swan fight: Natalie Portman’s dance double for “Black Swan,” Sarah Lane, claims that roughly 5 percent of the full-body dance shots are actually of Portman, but director Darren Aronosfky says otherwise. (Getty Images file photo)
Many women would be psyched to have Natalie Portman’s face — but dancer Sarah Lane wasn’t pleased that the star’s head was grafted onto her body for some scenes in her Oscar-winning role in “Black Swan.” The dance double — credited as a stunt double — charged to Entertainment Weekly magazine that she was the one onscreen during most of the film’s complicated dance sequences.

“Of the full body shots, I would say 5 percent are Natalie,” the American Ballet Theatre performer contended. “I mean, from a professional dancer’s standpoint, she doesn’t look like a professional ballet dancer at all and she can’t dance in pointe shoes. And she can’t move her body. She’s very stiff.”

“They wanted to create this idea in people’s minds that Natalie was some kind of prodigy or so gifted in dance and really worked so hard to make herself a ballerina in a year and a half for the movie, basically because of the Oscar,” Sarah fumed. “It is demeaning to the profession and not just to me. I’ve been doing this for 22 years.”

But the film’s director, Darren Aronofsky, released a statement maintaining, “I had my editor count shots. There are 139 dance shots in the film. 111 are Natalie Portman untouched. 28 are her dance double Sarah Lane. If you do the math, that’s 80 percent Natalie Portman.”

Hold on there — we were told there would be no math in Scoop!

 

[Horhay]

How can she complain? she agreed to go as a DOUBLE, period! If the studios want to go and market and make people believe that was Natalie then too bad. It sucks not to get recognized for the work you did, but don't you go in knowing that's going to happen at the end anyways?

You are casted as a double and that's all you are going to be credited for, has it ever been any different?

 

[digitalbabe]

Yeah, I think the Academy members have also spoken out, because Fox Searchlight marketed Natalie's training along with the movie, insinuating that she learned all of the movies, and that we were seeing her in 80% of the shots, which is now being disputed. People feel deceived, especially because cast members were allegedly told to stay quiet about this fact-i.e the people involved with the film basically lied.

 

[Horhay]

I think people are making this a bigger issue than it is. Natalie Portman was great during the non dancing sequences too or is there a dispute over that too? Big deal, even if they said that Natalie was not in all the shots and this ballerina was in most, majority of people would still not know who the heck she is!

She'll still be credited as the double...

 

[digitalbabe]

Hey Horhay-I totally agree that she did a good job in the non-dancing scenes. I think the issue is going beyond what the double is saying-people are upset about the principle that Fox Searchlight marketed the film as though she did most of the dancing herself, when her head was actually CGI'd on the body of the ballerina (other articles) and people involved with the film were asked to lie, apparently.

There is also evidence, that Fox Searchlight had video footage that leaked, describing that process pulled off of Youtube, because it didn't match what they had publicly said-which is that she had done 80% of the dancing herself (Aranofsky's statement). Since her win was for her overall performance, including her ability to create this character and her marketed learning of the dancing, some folks, including those that voted for her Academy Award win, are just feeling duped, I suppose.

 

[Horhay]

Yeah I can see how some feel that way. However, I don't think she is to blame for how the studio decided to manipulate the marketing. I am almost certain that other studios do the same exact thing it's just that many of them don't win the Oscar

 

[digitalbabe]

Horhay-I said the same thing to my partner when I was reading one of the articles-had this film not created the incredible buzz that it did, no one would even be discussing this, which doesn't mean there is not an issue with the studio's transparency and intent, of course. I also think that since this film was supposed to be a story and character driven film, and not effects driven, and given the skill necessary to learn this dancing, which often takes a lifetime to perfect, the discussion is even more heated. Natalie and all other actors were bound by confidentiality to not say anything about this. I've liked the film since it's been released (hence my avatar), because it was dark, psychologically complex, and very beautiful, visually, for me.


The discussion in regards to the double vs. Natalie could be a matter of contract and how she'd be credited, etc etc. But it still disappoints me a a bit that it seems that they deliberately duped the audience and other decision makers that had direct control over the fate of the film's ongoing success.

 

[Horhay]

I agree on the fact that it will take many a lifetime to perfect the type of dancing utilized in the film and you make a good point over what the contract says about the crediting of the dancer. Personally I don't feel like they lied to me in any way shape of form, all I want at the end of the day is to see the final product, which turned out to be well beyond my expectations. Now, those at the Academy feeling duped, why? honestly, why? Isn't their job to examine the final product and decide which actress/movie deserves the Oscar based on their performance? If so, why are they worrying about what the double is saying and the amount of dancing Natalie did?

The film created a huge buzz that is only bringing in problems for the studio for its transparency, but that's just something outside the film, it doesn't/shouldn't affect the movie or the great performances found within. The success of the film wasn't entirely because of how Fox treated the marketing, but because it was a good movie.

I remember my gf telling me about it and how Natalie learned how to dance and I was just skeptical lol. I know the level of difficulty and I knew there was a double. People just don't get that good in a year and half.

 

[digitalbabe]

Hey Horhay, from the articles I've read, the members of the Academy as well as others, feel duped because false information was used to market the film, which for them constitutes fraud. I don't think most people dispute the quality of Natalie's performance, including myself, but they are not happy that the studio allegedly lied on several different levels,and told the involved staff to keep those lies under wraps.

 

[Wreck]

I think people are making this a bigger issue than it is. Natalie Portman was great during the non dancing sequences too or is there a dispute over that too? Big deal, even if they said that Natalie was not in all the shots and this ballerina was in most, majority of people would still not know who the heck she is!

She'll still be credited as the double...

Yeah but to me, back in the days you had to really do **** to win ... now its all money under the table politics.

Remember when De Niro REALLY gained all the weight for Raging Bull! Now that's doing something!

And a cool little known fact of that night when he won Best Actor ...

The Oscars were held the day after President Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr., who did it as an attempt to impress Jodie Foster, who played a child prostitute in another of Scorsese's famous films, Taxi Driver.[38] Out of fear of being attacked, Scorsese went to the ceremony with FBI bodyguards disguised as guests who escorted him out before the announcement of the Academy Award for Best Picture was made