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 A beautiful portrayal of the human spirit in the face of despair Nov 07, 2009
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is a profound feat of filmmaking. It is based on the real-life story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, a man who suddenly finds himself in the kind of medical predicament horror stories are made of: he suffers a stroke resulting in "locked-in" syndrome, wherein Bauby, though aware of his surroundings and able to hear and see people and things around him, is completely paralyzed and unable to respond to anyone or anything (though he comes to gain some control over one of his eyelids, which is remarkably how the real-life Bauby wrote his memoirs of the same name solely by blinking).
It is truly a nightmare of a situation, and yet this film is masterfully made into a thing of beauty and hope. For although Bauby's own body has completely turned against him and shut down, his mind has not, and the film beautifully depicts the power of the mind and the spirit as Bauby's vivid imagination sweeps him away from his dreary hospital bed and into all sorts of fantasy excursions, some real-life flashbacks foraying into his past life, and others that appear to only exist as creations of Bauby's mind. Director Julian Schnabel captures these scenes beautifully, with touches of nostalgia and surrealism that create a beauty from the despair.
Rarely does a film manage to juxtapose the depressing and the hopeful so well. Bauby's present is bleak and depressing. It is clear he will not recover from his condition, and the film brutally depicts Bauby's family and friends as they struggle to cope with his predicament. (Perhaps the best, most heart-wrenching scene of the film comes from a one-sided phone conversation between Bauby, who is trapped in his body and cannot speak, and his elderly father (brilliantly portrayed by Max von Sydow), who in his own way is trapped in his apartment and cannot visit his ailing son.)
The strength of Bauby's spirit when his body is in such dire straits is incredible and inspiring. At times it is difficult to see the film as a happy one--there is nothing about Bauby's predicament that is happy or hopeful in the least. And yet the fact that Bauby never gives up, never acquiesces to the situation his mind has found his body is as moving and hopeful a story as any. "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is not an easy film to watch, but it is a visually stunning story of the power and strength of the human spirit, and the real-life story of a man whose imagination refused to die.
Le scaphandre et le papillon Oct 01, 2009
I forget how I got interested in this movie, since I read the book after seeing the film. Anyway, I loved this movie. I watched it three times in one day. I love French Movies so I don't need to worry about being disappointed.
It was cool seeing what Bauby saw and hearing his thoughts. It was neat how you
slowly saw what Bauby looked like. First you saw what he saw, then you end up seeing him. I liked the nurse who took care of him, the one that taught him how to communicate. The movie as a whole was a cool experience and everyone should see the movie at least once during their life.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 BASED on a true story Aug 24, 2009
The film is very good, and I will not go into details since many reviewers have already done so very eloquently.
I will only point a few aspects, since many people think this is 100% a true story. For the most part it is, and some changes don't take anything away from the real story or the book. For example, in real life Jean-Do had 2 children but in the movie he had 3. In real life a chauffeur was driving him when he became ill. These changes are minor, and can enhance the drama developing on the screen. Like when Jean-Do says he wants to die. It's a powerful cinematic moment, but in real life it never happened.
I used to watch a TV show called History vs. Hollywood and love to learn about what the true story really is and what is presented on the screen. In this case, the relationship between Jean-Do and his girlfriend is totally butchered by Schnabel, and unfortunately -as is often the case- people take what they see on the screen to be the truth.
In real life, Jean-Do's girlfriend was by his side throughout his ordeal, and he actually died while she was holding his hand. I think that a more accurate portrayal of this relationship would have greatly enhanced the film. In contrast, the "mother of his children" seldom visited him at the hospital, and was in New York when Jean-Do died. She was a consultant for the film, and had a big influence on how some things were portrayed. This angered a few people who were close to jean-Do and know the true story.
[...]
So overall it is a very good movie that could have been better had it adhered closer to reality. I would give it 3.5 out of 5. As the saying goes, "don't judge a book by its movie."
Hopefully more people will become aware of what is real and what is fiction.
I decided to stop pitying myself. Other than my eye, two things aren't paralyzed, my imagination and my memory Jul 21, 2009
The concept of this film and the way it has been shot really fascinated me. Not only was most of it shot as if viewing the world from the left eye, to recreate the protagonist's experience, moreover I found it unmistakeably 'French'-even though it was directed by Julian Schnabel. He has really captured the spirit of the story, creating a beautiful touching film, which also provides a visual feast. The film is uncompromising and unsentimentally honest, reaching out to that 'which is human inside of us'. Mathieu Almaric made an excellent Jean-Dominique Bauby, whose life the film portrays.
Amazing story, beautifully told Jul 15, 2009
I didn't rush to see this when it was in the theaters because I feared it would be too depressing. I was even reluctant to play the DVD and told myself I'd just start it and if it was too heavy I'd stop it. However I was engaged immediately and watched it intently till the end.
Yes, the subject is unbelievably difficult. It is a true story--no one would make anything like this up! And yet it is told in such a way that, if anything, it is inspiring. First I was very touched by the devotion of the staff--especially the three young women who help him with such passion and purity. They are all quite beautiful, too! Then, the mother of his children, who was no longer his lover, came and gave him the same type of love and care. Calling out the letters of the alphabet while watching his eye for a blink is a painstakingly slow process and certainly is a labor of love. She even transmitted his message to his lover, which was certainly a hard thing for her to do.
It was all of this amazing care that brought the spirit of the film up from being horribly depressing to one of hope. Yes, it was amazing that Bauby eventually came out of his hopelessness and self-pity to write the book---that is the main point of the story. But I haven't seen much comment on the love that was poured out on this man...from bouquets of roses, to a birthday party from the staff, to calls and cards and visits from friends and family. And, as another person commented, the quality of care from the French National Health Service bears notice; this was not a private clinic for the very wealthy--it was a public hospital. wow!
A couple of reviewers made the point that not enough of Bauby's pre-stroke life was shown and I do agree with that. We saw that he was a very successfuly bon vivant type, living the good life in Paris, but I do wonder about his character. The voice over said that he had failed to love any of the women he'd been with, although it was obvious that he got them to love him. Was he just superficial or a bit of a cad? Perhaps, since the film's script was drawn from Bauby's book, that aspect of the story was never told. Or maybe the film maker decided not to hit us over the head with it.
At any rate the story is an amazing one, certainly one that deserves to be told. And it was beautifully told in a way that avoids cheap sentimentality. I urge anyone who is interested in the human condition to see the film--it will be a rewarding experience.
(I read somewhere that Johnny Depp had been considered to play Dauby and I think that he would have been a great improvement over the French actor.)
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