Giles

Just a head's up to all the Washingtonians here:

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Tuesday, December 11, 7:30 p.m.
Landmark E Street Cinema, 555 11th St., N.W.
PG-13; 112 minutes
Directed by Julian Schnabel; In English & French with English subtitles

THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY is the remarkable true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric), a successful and charismatic editor-in-chief of French Elle, who believes he is living his life to its absolute fullest when a sudden stroke leaves him in a life-altered state. While the physical challenges of Bauby's fate leave him with little hope for the future, he begins to discover how his life's passions, his rich memories, and his newfound imagination can help him achieve a life without boundaries.

The film allows us to see the world Bauby lived in and how he used his imagination and memory to escape–soaring like a butterfly–from the deep-sea diving bell that he pictured himself trapped in. Schnabel and screenwriter Ronald Harwood do justice to the enormous courage and determination of the man and the caring patience of those who helped him.

After this advance screening, director Julian Schnabel will be interviewed by Michael Kyrioglou, Director of the DC Film Society.


Special thanks to Miramax Films!

Resident Associates $7; Gen. Admission $10
Although no tickets will be issued, you will need to register to attend this program. Click below (no handling fee online) or call 202-633-3030 ($3 handling fee per order) to place your order.


Diving Bell and the Butterfly

JPRaup

Really want to see this film. Hope it comes to where I live.

The Bus

Screenings where you have to pay?

sundog

I pay for most of the screenings I attend. Except for the FREE screenings (which I don't see it advertised as such in the article).

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is worth seeing. I was surprised it was so unsentimental. It's not callous or cynical, it just doesn't go for the cheap stuff. That said, I found it to be a bit too pretty and precious in spots and not very affecting in the long run. But I was never bored.

Trevor

I know I'm bumping an old thread, but it appears to be the only one on this incredible film. I just saw it today, so it's still out there, and deserves Oscar nominations in my opinion. I just read that Depp was originally scheduled to play the lead, but had to drop out to make that lousy third Pirates film. Shame.

Arpeggi

Incredible film, indeed. Mathieu Amalric was superb, Deep wouldn't have been better.

Trevor

I didn't mean to imply that he would have been necessarily better. But can you imagine the increased attention the film would have received ?!

Daytripper

Is this film worth a trip to the theater? I mean, I know it's supposed to be great. And I want to see it. But can it wait for a rental?

Arpeggi

No, you can't wait for a rental.

Trevor

Yep, it would be just as good on a small screen vs large.

Patman

"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" will make you re-think just about everything you take for granted in terms of the simple act of day-to-day living. How does a person handle being a victim of a stroke that leaves him fully paralyzed, save for his left eye (though his mind was more than capable of processing past memories, comprehending present conditions and creating with his imagination). This is the true-life story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, a man who was living the good life, and after the stroke, he finds the resolve to keep on living with the love and support of friends and family, and writing by literally dictating a book by blinking his left eye with the help of some very dedicated therapists and a writing/dictation partner.

The cinematic treatment of giving viewers a look into Bauby's point-of-view is masterfully done, very off-putting and disorienting and limiting at times, but also presents us with Bauby's humor in his inner thoughts as he re-adjusts to his "locked-in" condition after the stroke. Thankfully, the entire film is not all shot from Bauby's point-of-view, and we are given glimpses into Bauby's past via flashbacks and dreams, and episodes of relating to family in poignant ways, while also showing the effort it took the therapists to provide Bauby with a form of communication given his set of present circumstances. Bauby had a complicated personal life, and no doubt did that help him in his writing which occupied his mind and provided him with purpose.

I give it 3.5 stars, or a grade of B+ (mainly because I was about to go out of my mind when the alphabet keep being spoken outloud so many times as Bauby blinked to spell out words).

JPRaup

I hate you. This film is never gonna come anywhere near me and its killing me inside, yet you can go see it right now if you wanted to and you are debating it?!?

hardercore

This is a remarkable film. It is deeply, deeply affecting, yet never comes across as trying to extract those emotions out of you in any cheap way. It fails to regress into sentimental moments -- Schnabel doesn't allow it, and neither does his main character, Jean-Dominique. Credit to the incredible direction here ... the point-of-view work and the cinematography are sights to behold. Max Von Sydow gives the most astounding performance in a 5-minute scene this year (and that includes Holbrook in Into The Wild, who was, in his own right, great, too). This film was nominated for 4 Oscars and with crucial nominations in the Editing and Directing categories, one wonders how close it really was to getting that Best Picture nomination. It certainly deserves it more than, at least, "Juno". JPRaup and those that have not seen it, do so as soon as you get the chance.

conscience

I was reminded to post my comments about this film because I just received the book from B&N. It looks to be a short read and I am excited to delve into it.

I absolutely loved that the film did not try and tug at your heartstrings through manipulation. Jean-Do, although hindered by the stroke, never lost his "assholeness" and never felt sorry for himself. That isn't to say that the film wasn't emotional. Yes, Max Von Sydow was extraordinary and I got a little choked up when he called Jean-Do.

Only downside, and probably why this won't win Best Cinematography, is that I had to get used to the camera doing the "blinking" for the first ten minutes or so. Not that this was a negative just something that I had not seen before.

It is laughable that this was beat out by Atonement and Juno for a Best Picture nomination and show exactly why the Oscars are irrelevant. This film will be remembered years from now while those two rot away in video land...