In this film there are also Swan Lake allusions: white swans on the wedding feast vs black swans on the Oprichniki’s feast, Anastasia in white (“white swan” – the traditional Russian metaphor for a beautiful woman) is replaced by Fyodor in black – like Odette and her twin/double Odile. Odile’s ecstatic pas de deux – and Fyodor’s fiery dance, both with many repeated rotations. The tsar himself – an imposing bird of prey, like evil sorcerer Rothbart who is traditionally portrayed as hawk/vulture in Russian ballet.
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