Swan Lake Gets A Dark Makeover in "Black Swan"

The fairy tale ballet Swan Lake gets a seriously dark makeover in the new film Black Swan, premiering at the Venice Film Festival on September 1st. When you read the premise you have to wonder why they haven't done it before.

First of all, this is NOT a film for kids or even many teens. We're talking serious psychological thriller bordering on horror here. It's set in the world of the New York City Ballet company but isn't just a 'rival ballerina meets rival ballerina' plot. In this film reality and fantasy begin to blur until you wonder if there might be more than one way the lead Swan named Nina (played by Portman) is right for the role. A particular scene in which Nina pulls a black feather out of her back raises a ton of questions: Is she under attack by someone? The other ballerina? Her mother? Herself? Is someone manipulating her into thinking she's going crazy? If you know the story of Swan Lake, you'll instantly see how each of these scenarios is a plausible possibility and Director Darren Aronofsky explores them all.
Here's the official synopsis from Rough Cut Reviews:

"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."

If you Google for information you'll find the big buzz is not only about Natalie Portman's scary and dark makeover (and a controversial kiss scene) but also spotlights Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream) and his penchant for portraying strong but conflicted women in eerie movies. This film definitely falls into that category. (See HERE for the Times article but be warned - the page opens with a scary image right at the top!)

Natalie Portman is indeed a ballet student and has been working and preparing to make this project a reality for at least the last decade, though I haven't been able to find much information on how much actually dancing she does in the film herself (though you can see her signed pointe shoes used in filming, below). With regard to the traditional Swan Lake dual role of Odette/Odile, which is explored at least in part through the film, it is a principle role and very demanding role.
So make the kiddies leave the room before you watch the trailer below - although you don't really see any violence, some of the images are nightmare-making for little ones (maybe some sensitive big ones too):


It's on my must-see list (combining ballet, fairy tales and psychological twists has me intrigued) but I have no idea how I'm going to see it before my toddler goes to preschool!

The official site is HERE.

The film opens in theaters on December 1st, 2010.

Cinderella Gets A Live-Action 'Reboot' (& More)

The writer of The Devil Wears Prada recently had her live-action Cinderella pitch bought by Disney.

From The Wrap:

Using the working title "Cinderella," the film is expected to deviate from the original fairy tale, although it's unclear how, or whether the new version will be released in 3D like the studio's reimagining of "Alice in Wonderland," which has grossed more than a billion dollars since it was released in March.

(You can read the whole article HERE.)

Amanda Seyfried-Raymond (of Mama Mia, who is currently at work with Twilight director on another fairy tale, The Girl with the Red Riding Hood) is rumored to be the star. (see article HERE and IMDB's article HERE).

You'll also see rumors in the articles linked to above regarding Angeline Jolie's rumored attachment to play the lead in Disney's other live-action fairy tale revisit, Maleficent - a live-action Sleeping Beauty.

But that's not all. Snow White is looking at a live-action revisit with the seven dwarves being cast as robbers once again, plus a dragon (not by Disney but a company called Relativity Media). The Wizard of Oz is looking at a revisit too by both Warner Brothers and Disney once again.

[Sidenote: if you enjoy speculating on actresses playing other Disney princesses and why they may - or may not - fit, have a look at this faux casting couch HERE.]

And yes - this is all due to Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, so you can thank (or blame) him. ;)

Hansel & Gretel Meet Avatar and Transformers?

The degrees of separation between Grimm's Hansel & Gretel and the hit movie Avatar has just gone from 'lots' to '0'. Announced at the end of last month, Avatar lead character designer Joseph C. Pepe will be on the team, specifically designing the witch and additional creatures from German mythology that are being added to the plot and landscape of the film.

From VFXPlanet:

In addition to the infamous witch in the gingerbread house, the film showcases the legendary creatures of German mythology. These Teutonic beings will be designed by Joseph C. Pepe, the lead character designer from Avatar. The film is live action.

Not only that, the Director is Transformers own Michael Bay (also of Pearl Harbor and Armageddon). We are being told to expect: "a 3D action packed visual FX experience."

Hansel and Gretel is currently scheduled for a shoot on location in Germany for spring next year, and to be released at the end of 2011. (source: Dominion)

While some people seem a little dubious about all this, and about all the fairy tale films expected to pop up in the wake of Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland, I think it has a lot of potential. We'll just have to wait and see...

Note: Click on images to be taken to the sources.

Jim Henson Company's "The Dark Crystal" Sequel Coming in 2011

NOTE: FRIDAY, Feb 12th 2010 UPDATE & CORRECTION AT END OF POST

I know "The Dark Crystal" isn't strictly a fairy tale but I know it appeals to many fairy tale enthusiasts so here's an update:

It's been some years since a sequel to Jim Henson's "The Dark Crystal" (titled "The Power of the Dark Crystal") was announced and last week official news appeared for the first time in a couple of years about the production.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement at The Muppet Newsflash:

The project has undergone several reworkings and overhauls and is finally preparing to move out of pre-production. The film's epic screenplay was recently rewritten by screenwriter Craig Pearce ("Moulin Rouge!", "Romeo + Juliet"), and producer Lisa Henson says that the film now has a "really great script."

The Jim Henson Company is now partnering with Australian production company Omnilab Media to produce their "Dark Crystal" sequel. Henson previously partnered with Omnilab to produce the television series "Farscape" from 1999-2003. The Jim Henson Company is preparing to unveil some more concrete announcements very soon, so a lot more information should be rolling out in the not so distant future.

A little more information is available HERE, as well as old information and artwork from the initial sequel development.

Here's a sneak peek at some development artwork:

FRIDAY UPDATE:
The place I heard about this was actually Metafilter HERE, on February 5th THIS year, and I forgot to link to that sorry. (This is what happens when I try to blog in a hurry!) The announcement on the official blog and Muppet Newsflash are indeed a year old now and there has only been one little peep of news about it since, in August of 2009 HERE. I have put in a request for information about the film to the Henson Company/Muppet News but have yet to hear back from them. Here's hoping we get some news soon.

Irish Fairy Tale Film "Ondine" Coming Soon - 1st Trailer

It won't be here in time for Valentine's Day but there's a fairy tale romantic movie coming our way.

The new film, "Ondine", (coming to theaters possibly as early as June this year), stars Colin Farrell and is directed by veteran director Neil Jordan. The movie's story has much in common with both "The Little Mermaid" & water nymph fairy tales as well as the ballet (which is based on the fairy tale novel "Undine" by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, which in turn was based on various folktales). You can read more about Motte Fouqué's story HERE, the plot of which is now usually considered a fairy tale in its own right.
From FirstShowing.net:

Written and directed by Neil Jordan (of The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire, The Brave One), Ondine is a lyrical modern fairy tale that tells the story of Syracuse (Colin Farrell), an Irish fisherman whose life is transformed when he catches a beautiful and mysterious woman (Alicja Bachleda) in his nets. His daughter Annie comes to believe that the woman is a magical creature, while Syracuse falls helplessly in love. However, like all fairy tales, enchantment and darkness go hand in hand. A story of love, hope and the unwavering belief in the impossible. Magnolia is distributing in the US but hasn't set a release date yet.

Here's a little more about the movie (and the making of it) from TheStar.com's interview with director Neil Jordan:

The importance of imagination and the challenges of creating a fairy tale in a less than magical environment were the main themes of an afternoon press conversation for the film Ondine.

The movie, directed by Neil Jordan and starring Colin Farrell, is about an Irish fisherman who finds a young woman in his net who he believes is a mermaid.

"I went back to Ireland and just had this image of a fisherman who had caught a girl in his net and it was a very captivating image," said Jordan.

He added, "People need a sense of fantasy in their lives to be able to live."

Jordan said he wanted to make the film reflect the "reality," of working life for many people in Ireland, but still create a sense of magic.

"The fairy tale romps into peoples lives, but turns out to be based incredibly in reality," he said. "In a strange way, reality is its own fairy tale."

Here's some notes on writing the screenplay from Jordan via FlicksNews:

During the Writer's Strike a Hollywood project fell through - Heart Shaped Box. I went back to Ireland where I have a house in West Cork and wrote this fairy tale, which could shoot entirely within a radius of five miles from where I live. About a fisherman, who pulled up a living girl in his net. His disabled daughter, who invented stories about her. These stories feed on local legends - sea creatures, seal creatures, selkies. How they only have a certain time on land. How they fall in love with their rescuer. How they can make a wish come true. How the sea always calls them back.

Much of what the girl invents turns out to be true, but never in ways she expected. The whole thing develops into an impossibly romantic love story, in which real human beings insist on turning their lives into a fairy tale. Because reality is too hard, maybe. Because that is what we love to do, have to do, maybe…

Not just fairy-tale based but described as 'a fairy tale', it appears to be a story of the older, folktale type, rather than the pop-culture type and a well layered, romantic story. (Yay!)

The fairy tale of Ondine has mainly been kept in people's memory by two treatments:

1) Arthur Rackham's incredibly gorgeous illustrations of the fairy tale (see some of them below)

2) The ballet "Ondine", made even more popular by the legendary British prima ballerina assoluta Margot Fonteyn for whom it was a signature role (even when she was dancing in her 60's - see a couple of pics below).

You can also see some gorgeous images from the underwater photo shoot for a recent production by The Royal Ballet in one of my previous posts HERE.

A lesser known Broadway production also helped the story stay in the popular consciousness though - especially when Audrey Hepburn played the role of the water nymph, Ondine. Here are some promotional photos taken for the production:

The movie sounds very promising and is getting positive reviews, having been shown on the Indie film circuit. Word is, even if you're not a Colin Farrell fan, it's worth a look. It's attracting critical attention and has already garnered multiple nominations for the seventh IFTA's (Irish Film & Television Awards).

Here's the first trailer (it should be noted that the film does NOT turn into a thriller or horror as the trailer seems to imply- the film is primarily a romance and a study in hope, with a good dose of mystery):

I'm definitely looking forward to this film.

Stories for the Season: The Blue Bird

"The Blue Bird" was one of those fairy tales that had a huge influence on me as a child, thanks to the 1976 film adaptation which I saw in the theater. The story begins on Christmas Eve and is all about giving and new beginnings.

Here's a summary:

Two somewhat disgruntled children, Tyltyl (the older girl) and Mytyl (the boy) after wishing Christmas would be better for them (their parents are poor and cannot afford all the presents and wonderful food that other richer people are indulging in), are sent out by the fairy Bérylune on a fantastical trip into various lands (Land of Luxury, the Past, the Future etc) to search for the Bluebird of Happiness. They are accompanied by their dog and cat (given human form by the fairy - who also gives other objects like milk, sugar, light and fire a temporary human form), the characters of which provide their own complications to the search along the way. Finally returning home empty-handed, the children see in the light of the new day that the bird has been in a cage in their home the whole time. Tyltyl, having found happiness in herself, gives the bird as a present to a sick neighbor but the bird escapes to freedom.

The story was made into a play in the early 1900's by Maeterlinck, which was very successful and popular, and has been made into more stage adaptations, including ballets, as well. The play has also been made into a film a number of times: two silent films, another in color (which is the most famous, with Shirley Temple as Tyltyl) in 1940, another in 1976 (with Elizabeth Taylor, which I saw as a child) and later as a Japanese anime. Three of the films are now available on DVD (you can see a lot of images from all three films HERE).

The story is very much about teaching the value of family, love and 'the journey' (not 'getting the prize') and the importance of sharing and giving but despite being overtly didactic in this manner, the films and story have a lot of charm and all these 'lessons' contribute greatly to the overall Christmas and New Year feel.

As a child, I especially loved all the objects coming to life, the spirits of the forest/trees, seeing the children who were about to be born and the personified cat and dog and must admit these are still big draws to the tale for me today.

You can read the whole version (in prose, as written out for children from the play) HERE.

Stories for the Season: Edward Scissorhands

"Edward Scissorhands" is a movie it took me a very long time to see. When it was first in theaters I found the poster disturbingly like the "Freddy" horror posters and, despite what people were saying, didn't want to subject myself to anything remotely in that genre.

Many years later I saw the movie and quickly realized it wasn't a horror at all but a beautiful modern (and romantic) fairy tale of a boy misunderstood simply because of how he looks. It's quite reminiscent of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" with a light and magical aspect (for the most part) instead of the heavy Victor Hugo touch. The PG rating is more because of the unfortunate boy/creature's appearance than anything else, otherwise the film is touchingly humorous, beautifully fantastic and very romantic. The film is in many people's favorite fantasy film picks and has even been adapted into a very successful ballet.The supposedly true story of how the first snow came to fall on the town, is being told to a child by her grandmother. An old inventor is slowly completing his life's work: a boy he names Edward but Edward's creator dies before he can give him the hands he made for him and the poor boy-creature is left alone in the mansion/castle he was created in. One day a kindly Avon lady comes knocking one day and takes him under her wing. In all his years with his substitute hands that are made of knives and scissors, the gentle-hearted Edward has learned to use them to create beautiful things. This helps people get over their first fearful impression of him to start with but nothing is straight forward - of course. Especially when Edward falls in love with the Avon lady's beautiful daughter...In a quick search for favorite Christmas movies it's not surprising to see "Edward Scissorhands" on the peoples lists. The music alone has some beautiful winter/Christmas-sounding pieces but when you add the story you add the heart.

Shrek Forever After: The Final Chapter - Trailer Released

Dreamworks has done very well with the Shrek franchise, despite general agreement that the installments following the original movie were... 'not as good'. But they're making another one - the 'last' one - and it's coming in May 2010. (Actually there will be one more if rumors are correct, but perhaps that will be confirmed only if/when the numbers from this movie come in...).

The trailer for the fourth Shrek film has just been released and it appears that Shrek is basically getting the It's A Wonderful Life treatment, with the fate of his kingdom dependent on how he manages in this alternate universe.Here's the plot summary from Empire Online:

In the fourth outing for the fairytale spoof adventure, Shrek is seemingly tired of his domesticated life with wife Fiona and the kids, and pines for a time when his mere presence could send villagers scattering.

But when he strikes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin to try to regain his mojo, the beardy trickster (Edit FTNH: where's the beard?) makes his life magically hell, transporting him to a version of Far Far Away where he never existed.

There, he finds Donkey reduced to cart duty, Puss In Boots as a lazy slob and Rumpelstiltskin ruling the place....

Here's the trailer:

I'm sure we'll see more before May. The question really is, is this a good way to bring the magic back?

The Princess and the Frog: 2 New Clips

Fan Art from "The Princess and the Frog"
Artist Unknown

Here are two more clips that were released just before Disney's "The Princess and the Frog" hit theaters.
The first one is from the song sequence "Almost There" and pops into a Mary-Blair-esque style for a short while (think retro-style, like the development for Disney's Alice in Wonderland and Cinderella):


If you can't get that clip to play (it's been temperamental for me) try this one HERE.

The second is our introduction to the 'fairy godmother' type character of Mama Odie:

Disney's "The Princess and the Frog" - 1st Weekend Summary

As you know, "The Princess and the Frog" hit theaters last Friday and many people have been holding their breath to see how a fairy-tale-hand-drawn (and black princess) Disney film would do.

Rather than explain and quote at length, here's a summary (please note, these points are compiled from many articles. I have not yet seen the film myself):

• Good news: The Princess and the Frog was a strong number one at the box office all weekend

• Bad news: It didn't open as strongly as the Disney Execs were hoping (i.e. match Pixar's opening takes)
  

• Good news: It still recouped over a quarter of the disclosed production costs in the first weekend so should be strong enough to support the idea of a) more fairy tale films b) more hand drawn films

• Bad news: There's still a long way to go before it makes a profit (at the box office, that is - this doesn't take any merchandise sales into account of course!)

• Good news: Even harsh critics are calling it 'a good film'

• Bad news: It's considered rather girly so boys probably won't be attending much, bringing potential box office numbers down (this should have been expected though with the word "Princess" in the title)
  

• Good news: Mid-December releases tend to have a long life so prospects look good for it's box office future (and takings and therefore investment in future fairy tale films)

• Good news: The general response is that Disney did a good job of a) a black heroine b) representing New Orleans c) a fun yet romantic story that kept audiences engaged

• Good news: Audiences are loving the hand drawn look (so there will be more support for more hand-drawn fairy tale films in the future)

As you can see there's more good news than bad. The big test will come when "Sherlock Holmes" and "Avatar" are released to see how PatF does then and how much staying power it has (despite that it's targeted at a completely different audience). If you're interested in reading more in depth I recommend starting HERE.

Projection: With audiences and critics responding very favorably, the frog's legs are looking quite strong (as is the future of more fairy tale films from Disney). :)[Disney fairy tales currently in production: Rapunzel (CG), King of the Elves (CG), Snow Queen (hand-drawn).]

Nutcracker Heading For An Action Movie Makeover

The Nutcracker

Poster design for Jefferson Performing Arts Society
by Lisa K. Weber

This could be a lot of fun - "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" is heading for a family action film in the vein of "The Chronicles of Narnia".

There aren't a lot of details yet. The pitch was just accepted by New Line Cinema from the writer behind Jack the Giant Killer (Darren Lemke), currently in production under the direction of Bryan Singer, making news today.

It would seem the film will be going back to the original E.T.A. Hoffman story which is rather more complex than the tale is portrayed as being in the popular Christmas ballet.From Reuters & ABC:

The story centers on a 12-year-old girl, her brother and sister, who receive gifts from their clockmaker-inventor godfather on Christmas Eve, one of which is a Nutcracker doll. That night, the girl embarks on an adventure that includes a war involving a seven-headed Mouse King and his army of mice.

The story, with its themes of ugliness and beauty, has been adapted into various forms of animation, and the ballet version has found itself on screens many times.

... Lemke has worked often with folk and fairy tales; in addition to writing "Giant," he worked on DreamWorks Animation's fairy tale-skewing "Shrek Forever After." He also worked with Temple Hill on an update of "The Wizard of Oz."

You can read the rest of the article HERE.

There seems to be some skepticism about the concept but then I'm guessing those people haven't read the original story. There are some insights HERE on the kind of man and writer Hoffman was. I also found a very interesting article on the illustrator of the pieces shown in this post (bar the illustrations at the head and tail), Jan Pienkowski. Mr. Pienkowski purposely explored the darker side of the Hoffman story in his illustrations and discusses that in this interesting article HERE.Here's an excerpt:

Pienkowski realised the story of The Nutcracker could be drawn in a way that was not as we have come to know it - all sugary sweet like the Tchaikovsky ballet. It became clear that his portrayal could be dark and magical, reflecting the much scarier tale first written in German in 1816 by ETA Hoffmann. And so, in Nut Cracker, a new version of the story translated by David Walser (Pienkowski's lifelong partner) and published in time for Christmas, a gothic Godfather Drossel­meier has been born, complete with spiked hair and biker boots...

... In Hoffmann's - and Pienkowski's - version the tale takes place over several nights and is far more complicated and menacing. The story of the war of the mice is told by Drosselmeier himself, perched on top of a clock with his cloak spread out behind him like wings. The tale he tells is of a time when he was clockmaker to the royal palace. In an act of revenge on the King and Queen for the murder of her seven sons, the Mouse Queen turns the royal baby, Princess Pirlipat, into a shrivelled creature with piercing eyes and a mouth 'like a gash from ear to ear'. The only way of lifting the spell on the Princess is to find a boy capable of cracking a Krakatuk nut. The boy who can crack the nut turns out to be Drosselmeier's nephew, but as he lifts the curse on the Princess it falls on him, and he in turn is changed into a shrivelled creature with a wide mouth - a nutcracker. The only way for Drossel­meier's nephew to be restored is to kill the Mouse Queen's seven-headed son, born after the deaths of her other sons. The battle that ensues is the beginning of the ballet as we know it.

'There was a bit at the end of the German original when the nutcracker becomes a real man, introduced to Clara and her family, and then suddenly starts walking around the drawing-room cracking nuts with his teeth,' Walser says. 'I thought this rather far-fetched and sinister so I cut it out. But when I told a seven-year-old girl I'd cut it, she was so disappointed. Children like that kind of dark complexity, you see.'

You can read the whole of the long article HERE.

Drosselmeyer's workshop...
by Steering For North/Cate

If the movie makers do their research we could be in for a very interesting movie.

The SurLaLune blog just had a week dedicated to Nutcracker so be sure to go and check those entries for more Nutcracker goodness (HERE).