The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
94 %
Reviews Counted: 142 Fresh: 133 Rotten:9 Average Rating: 8.2/10
Consensus:
It is staggering that this biopic about a paralyzed writer would contain such breathtaking visuals and dynamic performances. Director Julian Schnabel found illuminating ways of portraying the protagonist's "locked-in syndrome," exploring with poetic visuals the personal triumphs of this man limited by his hospital bed.
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins
Theatrical Release: Nov 30, 2007 Limited
Box Office: $5,875,116
Synopsis: Celebrated painter and filmmaker Julian Schnabel's third feature finds him reaching new artistic heights with this audacious and personal biopic, based on the best-selling memoir of the same name. The film tells the remarkable tale of Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric), the... [More]
Genre: Foreign Films
Starring: Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josee Croze, Anne Consigny, Patrick Chesnais
Director: Julian Schnabel
Screenwriter: Ronald Harwood
Producer: Kathleen Kennedy, Jon Kilik
Composer: Paul Cantelon
Screenwriter: Ronald Harwood
Producer: Kathleen Kennedy, Jon Kilik
Composer: Paul Cantelon
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Reviews
Comment
Delves into the horrific destiny and triumphant creative, if not physical struggle of this French celebrity, whose stroke left him completely paralyzed save for interior silent monologues, and the furiously blinking eye of this ill-fated ravaged cyclops.
04/19/08
The camera techniques used actually give the audience just a hint of what it must be like to live with a fully aware mind, and one working eye.
03/04/08
Thanks to wonderful direction, editing, and cinematography, Schnabel convinces us of this perspective with a stroke of brilliance...
02/23/08
Screenwriter Ronald Harwood turns this first person novel into an intensely first person movie. There are times when it seems impossible that a camera could even be present, the surroundings are so perfectly interior to a man. Amazing.
02/16/08
While the result is a stirring homage to the power of imagination, memory and the human spirit, it is also an insightful approximation of the creative process itself.
02/15/08
Lingers long after the lights come up. We can be grateful that films of quiet, unique beauty continue to be made.
02/13/08
In spite of the rawness the film's subject, Schnabel wisely didn't create a weepy--far from it. This is a film about a flawed womanizer with little time for his children who comes to face himself by the vehicle of his own memoir.
02/10/08
Taking us from great depths to ethereal heights, this extraordinary true story is an inspiring reinforcement of inextinguishable inner strength and determination in the face of unimaginable adversity
02/08/08
... it is infused with Bauby's sarcastic sense of humor and engages us with questions of what makes a life worth living.
02/08/08
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly transcends the uplifting movie-of-the-week story through Schnabel's artful direction and deep empathy.
02/05/08
Click to read the article
02/05/08
The unique POV is not a gimmicky technique but a transferring of creative responsibility.
02/02/08
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is...a sensational cinematic canvas created by a man who understands the inherent beauty in form, function, and now filmmaking.
02/01/08
One of the most challenging films in the recent memory...However, it's definitely worth it to stick with the film.
01/31/08
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• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly at Rotten Tomatoes
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• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly at AskMen
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly at IGN
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly at AskMen
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