Swan Lake

Swan Lake — Plot

Bruhn’s Swan Lake was a fascinating psychological drama that departed from traditional versions, which proved controversial and ground-breaking. He enhanced the role of Prince Siegfried, whom he occasionally performed, with more dancing and depth, saying he wished to tell the story of the Prince rather than the Swan Queen. He also changed the role of Von Rothbart, the evil sorcerer, to the Black Queen (initially played by Franca). His telling changed the story from a struggle between good and evil to focus on the Prince’s relationships with the women in his life – his mother, the Black Queen, the Swan Queen and the Black Swan – each representing a different form of control or influence. To emphasize the powerful emotion of the story, Bruhn reinstated the tragic ending, with the Prince driven to his death by the swans.

• Release date
• December 27, 1967
• Runtime
• 78 min

Swan Lake — Cast

Erik Bruhn Prince

L

Lois Smith Swan Queen/Black Swan

C

Celia Franca Black Queen

Y

Yves Cousineau Tutor

O

Olga Makcheeva Queen Mother

J

Joysanne Sidimus Prince's Friend

L

Leeyan Granger Leading Swan

V

Vanessa Harwood Leading Swan