The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is one of the most visually beautiful films I have ever. And that is no surprise because it is directed by artist Julian Schnabel.
The film is based on a book (wonderfully adapted by Ronald Harwood) by Jean-Dominique Bauby. Bauby (played in the film by the wonderful French actor Mathieu Almaric) was the editor of the French edition of Vogue. He had it all - money, women, etc.). And then one day he had a stroke. It left him with a very rare disorder - locked in syndrome. Bauby's mind worked perfectly. His thoughts were very lucid. But he was paralyzed and couldn't communicate with anyone. The only part of his body that he can move is his left eye. With a great deal of patience he learns to spell words by blinking. And that is how he wrote the book.
At the beginning of the film we are taken to the time that Bauby wakes up from his coma. We are in his head and we hear his thoughts. During this part of the film I felt very claustrophobic.
We see flashbacks of his life and also his current fantasies.
Schnabel's partner in this visual feast is cinematographer Janusz Kaminski. As mentioned before, Almaric is terrific. There are a number of women from Bauby's life in the film - some of them are played by Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josee Croze and Anne Cosigny among others.
All of them were wonderful. And then there is the great Max von Sydow. He plays Bauby's father. He is only in two scenes but they are two of the best scenes in the film. One of them is particularly heartbreaking.
My only qualm with the film is that I wanted to feel more emotionally connected to Bauby. But I was very tired when I saw the film and look forward to seeing it again on DVD (I will most certainly by it) and being able to give it more time to watch and digest it better.
I saw the film at a preview screening and Schnabel, Harwood, Almaric, Seigner, Croze and producer Jon Kilik were there to answer questions. I highly recommend this film. Yes, it is a difficult subject to deal with. But it is also a marvelous film and should not be missed.
December 23, 2007 - Edit: I decided to see this film again because I was tired and a bit preoccupied when I I first saw the film. I loved even more the second time around and I did connect emotionally to Bauby. I really felt that this could happen to anyone and that we have to try to make each moment count. And we have to come to terms with our mortality. Almaric was wonderful as Bauby. I hope that a lot of people get to see this wonderful, amazing film.
The film is based on a book (wonderfully adapted by Ronald Harwood) by Jean-Dominique Bauby. Bauby (played in the film by the wonderful French actor Mathieu Almaric) was the editor of the French edition of Vogue. He had it all - money, women, etc.). And then one day he had a stroke. It left him with a very rare disorder - locked in syndrome. Bauby's mind worked perfectly. His thoughts were very lucid. But he was paralyzed and couldn't communicate with anyone. The only part of his body that he can move is his left eye. With a great deal of patience he learns to spell words by blinking. And that is how he wrote the book.
At the beginning of the film we are taken to the time that Bauby wakes up from his coma. We are in his head and we hear his thoughts. During this part of the film I felt very claustrophobic.
We see flashbacks of his life and also his current fantasies.
Schnabel's partner in this visual feast is cinematographer Janusz Kaminski. As mentioned before, Almaric is terrific. There are a number of women from Bauby's life in the film - some of them are played by Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josee Croze and Anne Cosigny among others.
All of them were wonderful. And then there is the great Max von Sydow. He plays Bauby's father. He is only in two scenes but they are two of the best scenes in the film. One of them is particularly heartbreaking.
My only qualm with the film is that I wanted to feel more emotionally connected to Bauby. But I was very tired when I saw the film and look forward to seeing it again on DVD (I will most certainly by it) and being able to give it more time to watch and digest it better.
I saw the film at a preview screening and Schnabel, Harwood, Almaric, Seigner, Croze and producer Jon Kilik were there to answer questions. I highly recommend this film. Yes, it is a difficult subject to deal with. But it is also a marvelous film and should not be missed.
December 23, 2007 - Edit: I decided to see this film again because I was tired and a bit preoccupied when I I first saw the film. I loved even more the second time around and I did connect emotionally to Bauby. I really felt that this could happen to anyone and that we have to try to make each moment count. And we have to come to terms with our mortality. Almaric was wonderful as Bauby. I hope that a lot of people get to see this wonderful, amazing film.
posted by Film Fanatic | 3:48 PM
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