May 14, 2012

What:  The Celluloid Couch

Presented by the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute

Because movies are the unique product of the human imagination, they are affected by unconscious influences. The Celluloid Couch skillfully examines movies from the perspective of analytic thought and theory. Each film in the series is introduced and analyzed by a psychoanalytic professional, providing the audience with interpretations and insights from a unique vantage.

Black Swan

Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is chosen to dance the role of Swan Queen in Darren Aronofsky’s 2010 psychological thriller BLACK SWAN.  Fragile and beautiful, Nina dances the part of the innocent white swan with perfect technique. A ruthless impresario pressures her to let go and lose herself to be able to dance the seductive and aggressive black swan part, while Nina’s mother, a former ballet dancer who left the corps to have Nina, pressures her to remain an innocent sweet girl. Between her mother’s envy, the impresario’s sexualized cruelty, and the threat of being replaced by Lily, who dances the black swan with abandon and sensual ease, Nina, in anguish, begins to hallucinate and lose her mind.   Britt-Marie Schiller, PhD, Discussant

(Darren Arnofsky, 2010, USA, 108 min.)

Official trailer

When:  Thursday, May 17 at 7:30 pm

For more information please visit the Film Series website.

Where:  Webster University, Winifred Moore Auditorium, 470 E. Lockwood, Webster Groves, MO 63119

Cost:  $6 general admission, $5 seniors (60+), students from other schools, and Webster University Alumni.  Cash or check only.

The Webster University Film Series receives funding from the Regional Arts Commission and the Missouri Arts Council - a state agency.

With its home campus in St. Louis, Webster University is the only Tier 1, private, non-profit U.S.-based University providing a network of international residential campuses.  Founded in 1915, Webster University’s campus network today includes metropolitan, military and corporate locations around the world, as well as traditional campuses in Asia, Europe and North America.  The university is committed to delivering high-quality learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and individual excellence.

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