The Diving Bell and the Butterfly | 
 enlarge | Actors: Anne Alvaro, Niels Arestrup, Jean-pierre Cassel, Patrick Chesnais, Isaach De Bankole
Studio: Miramax
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.99
Buy New: $9.99
You Save: $20.00 (67%)
New (43) Used (22) Collectible (2) from $6.23
Avg. Customer Rating:  59 reviews
Sales Rank: 1046
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 112
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.7
MPN: DISD55967D
UPC: 786936750119
EAN: 0786936750119
ASIN: B00104QSOC
Theatrical Release Date: December 25, 2007
Release Date: April 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 04/29/2008 Run time: 112 minutes Rating: Pg13
Amazon.com
The seemingly claustrophobic story of a man imprisoned in his paralyzed body becomes a dazzling and expansive movie about love, imagination, and the will to live. After a stroke, Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric, Kings and Queen) can only move his left eye--and through that eye he learns to communicate, one letter at a time. With the help of his speech therapist (Marie-Josee Croze, Munich) and a stenographer (Anne Consigny, Anna M.), Bauby writes the stunning memoir The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. But such a plot summary makes the movie sound like lofty, self-important medicine--far from it. Director Julian Schnabel (Basquiat, Before Night Falls), working from an elegant screenplay by Ronald Harwood (The Pianist) and with an oustanding cast (which also includes Frantic's Emmanuelle Seigner as Bauby's neglected wife), has created a movie as engrossing and hypnotic as a thriller, a movie that wrestles with mortality yet has stubborn streaks of dark humor and eroticism, that portrays a man who overcomes unimaginable obstacles but refuses to paint him as a saint. Schnabel was once dismissed as a pompous and overblown painter, but he's crafted an intimate visual poem, a humble sonata about life at its most fragile. --Bret Fetzer
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| Customer Reviews: Read 54 more reviews...
 hella stellar in periscope and emotional magnitude December 6, 2008
caution) slightly slow to grab the viewer; ultimately, worth the wait. when the movie opens it kind of took me by surprise even though i knew it was coming, this seeing the world through Bauby's eyes; but then we are treated to a loss of one of those eyes, as the medic sews the eye shut, its hard not to cringe. i pegged this one as utter misery until Bauby begins to speak and shows his personality, as the movie unfolds we see that he has a canny wit and engaging inner dialogue one that is sure to draw any viewer into his little spyglass. this is a story of a man who led an extremely full life, successful glamorous career, loved by many, family and children, good health, you name it; then Bam! a ruinous stroke as he is driving his new car with his son as his passenger, and then the long road back to a semi-non vegitative state. What Bauby goes through to communicate is sheer madness. I came away with so much admiration for the main character, and for this truly creative and visionary film maker. There are so many scenes that just grab the hand of the reader and pull them into the picture; all I can say, is See this movie! It will break your heart and re-mend it all in one sitting. This one is past the turn off of entertainment and on the long slow drive down to Georgia where the winds shall blow as they wish; you have no say in where your soul lands.
 Triumph of the human spirit October 20, 2008
When magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric) suffers a massive stroke, the result is a case of `locked-in syndrome,' which leaves the body paralyzed but the mind unaffected. Through a laborious system of blinking, he defies his condition to communicate not only with those around him, but with the world as well via the writing of his memoir.
Director Julian Schnabel and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski use a full palette of film techniques to bring us into Bauby's world, often presenting scenes from his point of view. In collaboration with Ronald Harwood's sensitive script and the excellent cast, they have made a fascinating, bittersweet film about courage and love.
Excellent... October 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
French film with English subtitles. This is a memoir of Jean-Dominique Bauby - a man on top of the world - editor of Elle - a popular fashion design magazine. Bauby suddenly acquires "locked-in" syndrome - a rare illness which paralyzes him from his head to his toes. Bauby cannot speak but remains trapped in a sound mind. He only has the use of his left eye - and with patient care givers he learns to "sign" and communicate with his eye by blinking. After passing through bouts of claustrophobia, Bauby dreams, imagines and reflects. He reflects back on love, love lost, regrets and his relationships with his wife, children, parents and lovers. After shaking off his depressive state, Bauby writes the memoir "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" by signing one letter at a time to his stenographer.
You live Bauby's claustrophobia in this film - being trapped in his body - he cannot swap a fly off his noise - cannot change the channel on the T.V. - cannot wipe the drool from his face.
There are beautiful moving scenes with his aging Father, his wife, his lover and children.
You feel Bauby's will to live and his desire to return to the life that was.
There is spectacular cinematography in this film. French villages. Ocean views. Sweeping vistas. Red and white lighthouse.
This film was the winner of many awards and is deserving of all. One of the best films I have had the pleasure to watch.
Diving Bell and Butterly September 30, 2008
The most striking element of the film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is most certainly the cinematography. The majority of the film is shot from the perspective of Jean-Dominique Bauby's eye. This creates some very interesting and dynamic shots. I found the first couple scenes particularly interesting. When the film begins, Mr. Bauby's eye slowly opens and looks around the room. The Camera is extremely out of focus and blurry. It immediately draws you deep into the film. As people begin to take notice of Mr. Bauby's awakening the shallow focus becomes more obvious. People's faces are blurry until they move as close as possible to the camera. As the film progresses, the depth of field progressively become deeper. As Mr. Bauby's vision becomes clearer, so do ours. The attention to realism and detail in the film is the most important part of it. The purpose of the attention to detail is clear; the film invites us to become fully immersed in the experience of Jean-Dominique.
Later in the film we are kicked out of Jean-Dominique Bauby's perspective rather abruptly. The cinematographer makes some really unique stylistic choices throughout the film. For example, the scene in which Mr. Bauby is driving in his convertible soon before his stroke, the camera moves often and abnormally. Sometimes the camera focuses upward at the sky and the tops of buildings from inside the car. While many different symbols and other things can be inferred from this stylistic choice, it at the very least sets the film apart from the norm.
As with any film, a combination of cinematography, directing, and editing make a film work or fail but "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly's" cinematography creates a unique and intriguing feel to the film that draws you in and never lets go, even when it kicks you out.
The Diving Bell and The Butterfly September 10, 2008
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Some lines from the script that will give you a flavor of Jean-Dominique Baubly (Jean-Do) and the circumstance of his life.
I am a vegetable, lying in my bed unable to move. My whole body is encased in a kind of diving suit.
I have decided to stop pitying myself. Other than my eye, two things aren't paralyzed. My imagination. And my memory.
These are only two ways I can escape from my diving bell.
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