Diving Bell & The Butterfly

Julian Schnabel, well accepted as one of the important visual artists of our time, continues to impress with his small but elite group of films, proving that paintings and cinema are closely related as a means to reach the psyche. In 'Le Scaphandre et le papillon' ('The Diving Bell and the Butterfly') he has transformed the memoir of Jean-Dominique Bauby (with the sensitive screen adaptation by Ronald Harwood) into an experience for the mind and the heart. It is an extraordinary blend of visual effects, poetry, exquisite acting, and the perseverance of the human mind to communicate with the world when all seeming variations of communication are stripped away.

Jean-Dominique (Jean-Do) Bauby (Mathieu Amalric) was the editor of the French magazine 'Elle', living with the beautiful Céline Desmoulins (Emmanuelle Seigner) and their three children, when during a ride with his son he has a massive stroke that leaves him completely paralyzed (the 'locked-in syndrome'). When he awakens from his coma he is able to hear and to see but he cannot speak or move, except for his eyes. From this point we, the audience, experience the world as through the eyes of Jean-Do, share his frustrations of being unable to speak, and in his ultimately having to communicate through the fine skills of his speech therapist Henriette Durand (Marie-Josée Croze) by blinking his eye once or twice for yes or no as each letter of the alphabet is spoken an arduous task for both patient and visitor. He decides he wants to write his memoirs and Claude (Anne Consigny) is assigned to take his 'dictation'. The only faculties Jean-Do retains are his memory and his fantasies, and it is through the acting out of these that we discover the victim's private and secret life as well as his relationships to colleagues and lovers and family. He imagines the hospital where he is confined in the time of Nijinsky (Nicolas Le Riche) and Empress Eugénie (Emma de Caunes) and filters the realities of his life through the interactions with his comrades Laurent (Isaach De Bankolé) and others as well as vivid memories of his relationship with his father Papinou Bauby (Max von Sydow). With the patient assistance of the health providers, friends and family he is able to complete his memoir, the story of a man locked in a diving bell longing for the freedom of a butterfly, released form its cocoon. .

Getting used to the film technique Schnabel uses takes patience, but for those who are willing to accept the pace of the film, rich with fantasy and historical sequences, the impact is not only compelling but breathtaking. This telling of a true story is a fine work from all concerned and for this viewer it is one of the best films of recent years. Grady Harp, May 08

****1/2

Because film is a largely realistic medium, "impressionism" is a style rarely attempted by even the most adventurous of moviemakers. Indeed, Terrance Malick is one of the few directors working today who has found consistent success (artistic if not commercial) in that genre. Now we can add French filmmaker Julian Schnabel to the list for his truly remarkable work in "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," a movie that defies easy categorization and is quite unlike anything we've encountered before.

The story definitely falls into the "truth is stranger than fiction" category. Jean-Dominique Bauby was a 43-year-old writer and editor-in-chief of Elle Magazine when, in 1995, he suffered a massive stroke that left him completely paralyzed in all but his left eye. Confined to a bed and a wheelchair and unable to speak or move, all Bauby could do was look out on the world around him without any real hope of ever being able to communicate beyond a simple batting of the eyelid in response to a string of "yes or no" questions. However, thanks to the ingenuity of one of his therapists, Bauby eventually found a way by painstakingly spelling out each word one letter at a time to not only communicate fully with those around him but to actually dictate an entire best-selling book with the use of his one eye.

For the first twenty minutes or so, we see the world only as Bauby does, from the severely limited viewpoint of his one good eye, as he wakes up from his coma and begins to slowly realize what has happened to him. As the story progresses, Schnabel gradually allows us to escape Bauby's bodily prison and to see the events from a more objective angle. From that point on, we split our time fairly evenly between these two perspectives.

"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" could have been a mere "gimmick film" were it not for the tremendously revelatory nature of Bauby's tale. Through voiceover narration, we are able to enter into Bauby`s mind to explore the many thoughts and moods that enlighten or plague him. At first, of course, Bauby is filled with a sense of hopelessness and despair, telling his therapist early on that the one thing he wishes for above all else is death. However, as time goes on, Bauby begins to realize that, while his body may be trapped in a physical prison (a diving bell), his mind is now free to soar as never before into the realm of fantasy, imagination and memory (the butterfly). Forced to remove himself from the petty concerns that so often overtake us in our daily lives, Bauby is now able to contemplate the things that REALLY matter in life, principally, what it means to be a partner to his girlfriend, a father to his children, and a son to his aged father. As such, the movie becomes a celebration of the ability of the human spirit to endure and flourish under even the most trying of circumstances. The impressionism comes as Schnabel follows the course of Bauby's dreams, visions, memories and imaginings as they come pouring out in virtual stream-of-consciousness fashion, always backed up by Bauby's lyrical contemplation on what they mean to him both as an individual and as a part of the collective human race.

"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is a movie overflowing with imagination and surprise, as when, out of nowhere, Schnabel and screenwriter Ronald Harwood insert a lovely little homage to the opening scene in "The 400 Blows." Conversely, the scene in which Bauby has his right eye sewn shut against his unheeded wishes is quite literally harrowing. Indeed, the movie is often at its most poignant in scenes where Bauby is completely at the mercy of what other people think is best for him, as when an unthinking orderly turns off a soccer match just as Bauby is really getting into it or a well-meaning therapist takes Bauby, an avowed atheist, to visit a Catholic priest. It is at times like these that he is closest to having his identity as an individual subsumed by his illness and the people around him.

Beyond the brilliant performances by Mathieu Amallic as Bauby, Max von Sydow as his 92-year-old father, and Emmanuelle Seigner as his longtime girlfriend, among others, special recognition must surely go to editor Juliette Welfling and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski (Spielberg's preferred cameraman) for the various miracles they have wrought in bringing this tightrope-walking tour-de-force to the screen.

Heartbreaking but never sentimental, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is that rare film that will haunt you for a long time after it's over and will make you look at life in a whole new way.

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This was, by all accounts, a stunning film. The photography was sensitive, beautiful, evocative, as was the acting. Had I not read the book I would have loved it. But, I did read the book, and out of respect for a man who made an effort which can only be described as superhuman, I simply cannot recommend this film.

Jean-Dominigue Bauby, former editor-in-chief of Elle Magazine, was struck down in the prime of life by a massive stroke which left him completely paralyzed, but conscious. Personally, I cannot imagine a worse fate. Once he emerged from his coma, Bauby was faced with the knowledge that he was trapped inside the "diving bell", his own personal prison. It was only through the concerted efforts of his his inner circle of friends and his speech therapist, who devised a method through which he could communicate to the outside world by blinking his left eyelid, that Bauby was able to survive the horrors of his half life--and, indeed, overcome them.

Where the movie fails, and fails horribly, is in telling the truth. The movie version was clearly based primarily on input from Bauby's ex, the mother of his two children. (Why Schnabel felt compelled to add a third child is beyond me, as it added nothing to the story.) If you watch the film, you will weep at his ex's devotion, shudder at the rejection of his girlfriend, be touched by Bauby's deep remorse about how badly he treated his loyal ex--none of which conforms to reality.

The true story, the one you can read in Bauby's book, is far more touching. Bauby's "personal bodyguard", those who cared for him tenderly every day, did not include his ex, whom he only mentions once in his book. It did however, include his girlfriend, who certainly did not reject him, and in whose arms Bauby died. (It was clear from these distortions of reality that Bauby's ex had a vengeful streak.) But, more importantly, the most powerful loves of Bauby's life were his two children, with whom he shared a deeply loving relationship. (In one key scene from the book, unfortunately ommitted from the movie, Bauby's daughter climbs into his lap and repeats over and over again, "You are my daddy.")

Aside from maligning the people Bauby genuinely loved, the film also misprepresented Bauby himself. The author of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was not prone to self-pity. Not once did he express the desire to die. Nor did he have sexual fantasies about the women who were helping him. (French directors really need to give "cherchez la femme" a rest.) Instead, what Bauby wrote about, and what he has to offer the rest of us, was an indomitable spirit, a courage that defies words. Though he was trapped in the prison of his body, Bauby was able to draw upon the most poetic, the most profound insights in order to create a memoir that is honest without being self-indulgent.

Ultimately, I believe that the film did Bauby a grave injustice. Bauby went to such heroic lengths to communicate, the least Schnabel could have done would have been to respect the words Bauby labored so hard to produce. I would encourage everyone to read Bauby's memoir. It is deeply moving and much more inspiring than the film. And it's the real thing.

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A very moving and expertly crafted film. Too bad it derives its melodrama from fictionalized characters and scenes. Why not stick to Bauby's story and pull out the real drama that was his life? Read the book, and understand the man's actual story. Also, read the Salon article online (Feb 23, 2008) which tells how Bauby's family was upset with the director's distorted facts added for cinematic effect. The real story is better.

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Before I knew it, I was already an hour into the movie when I glanced to see how much time had elapsed. This is one movie that deserves all the cliches that are so overused today: Riveting, powerful, moving. I'm not into current movies, but I'm glad I made an exception here because it restores my faith in the filmmaking industry that original movies (or, in this case, adaptations from books) can not only be made, but in a way that keeps you watching and has the experience stay with you.

Shooting the movie from the perspective of the late Jean-Dominique Bauby was beyond brilliant. It wasn't done in a contrived way, but, rather, in a way that you felt you were right there with Bauby in a body that, indeed, became a prison.

Other reviewers on this page have covered just about everything regarding the film, but I will put my hat in the ring and say this is one movie that deserves putting aside almost two hours to watch. Beyond excellent job on the part of everyone associated with this film! Donna Di Giacomo

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