Link to Part 2: https://vimeo.com/672122689 Rated: R (For violence, language, sexuality, and drug use) Tagline: “Love is a battlefield.” Link to Original Publication at Experience Film: https://experiencefilm.net/2022/02/10/a-dark-night-has-arrived/ MOVIE SUMMARY -------- Five stories, ONE psychological civil war. Batman confronts Joker. A white swan learns to dance the black. American soldiers embark on secret missions to assassinate rogue officers. A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life. Experience five classic films, as well as others, from a whole new blended perspective. Cleverly re-cut in high definition, and synced faithfully to a robust soundtrack of more than 30 music tracks. A Dark Night is Shakespearean Drama at its finest hour. “Was ever book containing such vile matter so fairly bound? O, that deceit should dwell in such a gorgeous palace!” EPISODE SUMMARY (PART 1) (1) *NINA* (Natalie Portman) -------- We lay our scene INSIDE the chaotic mind of NINA (Natalie Portman in "Black Swan") a ballet dancer who has been selected for the dual role of the Swan Queen in Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake." The other 4 movie plots (Batman, Romeo + Juliet, The Rock, and Apocalypse Now) are thus, in one sense, CONTAINED within Nina's imagination, as FICTION. In another sense they are independently REAL. In the ensuing B&W TITLE SEQUENCE we see Natalie Portman marching on a remote BEACH, rifle in hand. This is Portman's character from the movie, "Annihilation". But I want you to think of her character here as synonymous with "NINA" from Black Swan. ***Every time you see an actor appearing in MORE THAN ONE MOVIE in this montage, you should think of them as THE SAME character*** Portman appears in 4 different movies throughout this entire montage. So, think of all 4 of her characters as one and the same here. THE LIGHTHOUSE Nina enters at the end of the credits sequence is an important LANDMARK throughout this story. It represents a sacred space of INTERNAL refuge for Nina - A place for her to PROCESS her experience, as she transitions into The Black Swan. After the opening credits we meet THOMAS (Vincent Cassel), Nina's DIRECTOR. He reviews the story of Swan Lake with his ballet company, as they warmup. "We all know the story..." The lustful BLACK SWAN "Tricks and seduces" THE WHITE SWAN'S PRINCE CHARMING, leading the white swan to commit suicide. Director, THOMAS represents NINA's real-life prince charming. So, when THOMAS begins flirting with LILY (The real-life BLACK SWAN) and then having sex with her, NINA (The real-life WHITE SWAN) spirals into madness. However, rather than killing herself, as in the play, NINA chooses to MURDER LILY instead. This decision exacerbates her insanity, and sets her on a fast-track toward DARKNESS. (2) *BRUCE WAYNE* aka BATMAN (Christian Bale) --------- We enter Chistopher Nolan's masterpiece, "The Dark Night" right in the middle, at its darkest hour. Bruce Wayne laments, "Gotham needs its true hero (HARVEY DENT, aka "GOTHAM"S WHITE KNIGHT. And I let that murdering psychopath (THE JOKER) blow him half to hell." We can draw a parallel between Gotham's DARK & WHITE KNIGHTS, (Bruce & Harvey) and the WHITE & BLACK SWANS (Lily & Nina). They are the masculine equivalent archetypes... TO BE CONTINUED... Was this partial description helpful? If you found it helpful please let me know in the comments and I'll write more. Thanks for watching / reading. Let me know here at the blog post: https://experiencefilm.net/2022/02/10/a-dark-night-has-arrived/
