"Flesh and Bone" echoes the dark tone of Black Swan, but like Center Stage and classic The Red Shoes, it uses real dancers as lead actors. This article gives an in-depth look at how the show compares to those films as well as to other TV series like Breaking Pointe and Dance Academy: http://screenprism.com/insights/article/where-does-flesh-and-bone-fit-in-with-other-shows-and-films-about-ballet
shareFlesh and Bone is probably going to stand out as a great ballet drama and seems to be going head to head with Black Swan over which will be remembered as the most agonizingly beautiful depiction of the dark side of a ballerina*.
*corrected
Well, each to his/her own, and I'm glad if it gave you pleasure, but, to this professional ballet dancer/teacher, BLACK SWAN was mostly annoying and frequently silly. Then again, it portrayed some details about workaday ballet company life more accurately than many ballet-themed movies or TV shows do. On the other hand, it really got so much wrong, especially about the overall atmosphere and spirit of a professional dance company.
Just make a movie that makes me care, one way or another. I'm open.
yeah, BS was bullsh... as the abbreviation stands for. even though it desperately wanted to be dark, freudian and deep it was just a shallow 50 shades of grey style of phoney cinema. if not for Natalie it would be a trash.
shareTo tell you the truth, that was also my initial reaction to Black Swan; pretentious, unrealistic, annoying. But when I took a second look at it, I realized it was never meant to be realistic. The movie is not about ballet, but about a psychologically troubled girl who happens to be a ballerina. The second time I watched the movie, I found myself admiring the symbolism, the cinematography and the acting that gave a unique flavour to this movie. I won't say that it is without flaws, but I definitely re-evaluated my very negative first impression after a second viewing and after going-through a few analyses.
As far as realism is concerned, I'm far more confident that Flesh and Bone will do the ballet scene more justice, while keeping some elements of psychological drama. I've only watched the first episode, but I already feel like it will be a great ballet series that also skillfully touches on some darker issues (unlike Black Swan which was centered on those dark issues more than the ballet scene itself).