Black Swan - DVD

Great movie very interesting style of film for me at least. Nice change of tone to my usual movie type. Also comes with the digital code so thats great.

A bit too weird for me! Although, I do like Portman and Cassel.

When I first saw Black Swan in theaters twelve years ago, I was struck by the darker undertones throughout the film -- it's a great psychological thriller and I highly recommend it. As usual however, my review will focus more on the Blu-ray release (transfer, special features, etc) than the actual film itself. First off, my immediate reaction after watching the Blu-ray was that it was not as clean or as high-def an experience as I had remembered from the theater. Granted, my memory of the theatrical release 12 years ago is unquestionably somewhat faded, and with the advent of 4K TVs perhaps my expectations are higher now as well. However, after thinking about it more, I believe the graininess/grittiness of the video is actually intentional, especially given the psychological nature of this movie and the fact that the overall color scheme leans towards the dark and muted side (again, for atmospheric effect). With that in mind, I find that the graininess of the visuals actually heighten the sense of foreboding the way an old black-and-white horror film might seem creepier than a modern, full-color crisp 4K remaster. So while I initially was disappointed in the visual quality, I am now quite impressed by the directorial vision. While I may have been initially hesitant about the video quality, the audio was spot on from the very beginning. This disc has a 5.1 DTS-HD Master track which (if you have the equipment for it) is both amazing and downright terrifying - the subtlety with which the ambient sounds are reproduced all around you is flat out chill-inducing. As was expected from a movie about ballet, the scoring and music are exceptional... but the clarity of the dialog really blew me away. The importance of hearing every whisper is especially noted considering the relationship the protagonist (Nina, Natalie Portman) has with her main "frenemy" (Lily, Mila Kinus) and the psychological journey she goes through during this film. If there is one area where this blu-ray version of the movie falters somewhat, I'd have to say it is in the Special Features department. While I had lower expectations since this isn't the "special edition" version (a 2-disc version does exist) I have to say I kind of expected more than just a "making of" featurette and a digital copy of the movie, especially considering how well received the movie was when it came out. All in all, the atmospheric visuals and incredible sound are faithful representations of the theatrical release, while the extra features are somewhat lacking. Still, I bought this disc to mainly enjoy the movie itself, not the features, and in that regards I can say I wholeheartedly DID enjoy it. I highly recommend the film, though personally I do wish I had sprung for the 2-disc special edition instead.

What a great psychological thriller! I saw this in the movies, and got it on blu-ray when it first released...and I was more than happy to get it again, for the cover art and the digital copy that came included with this; this was one of the covers that included the POP ART with the standard cover below. Love the movie and the performances!

I bought this as a gift for my adult child, who loves this movie, and insisted on a 5 star review. Natalie Portman is excellent as the troubled ballet star.