The film, “The Diving Bell and The Butterfly,” is a story about a man who becomes almost completely paralyzed after having a stroke. Jean-Dominique Bauby, who we learn is editor of the fashion magazine, Elle, is told that he has Locked-in Syndrome, which means that he is barely able to communicate with the world around him although he still has brain functioning. His body is completely paralyzed except for one eyelid. While Bauby is in the hospital, a speech therapist works with him so he can communicate in sentences and phrases. She reads letters off to him in the order of frequency of use and Bauby learns to blink when the letter arises that spells what he wants to say. Bauby learns to communicate with others in this way.
Before his stroke, Bauby had signed a contract to write a book. Continuing with his contract, he works with a book dealer who agrees to take the time to allow Bauby to write the book by blinking. The book is written over a period of time. Jean-Dominique lives long enough to hear what the critics say about his book, but then dies soon after from pneumonia.
We learn through flashbacks that Jean-Dominique has three children. We see other people from his past, including his father, who is confined to his apartment due to old age, and a friend who was held hostage for a number of years. These people are in similar situations because they are confined or isolated in some way, just as Jean-Dominique is now.
An interesting part of this film is the way Jean-Dominique’s story is told. The film is told from his perspective, with flashbacks as well. We also see scenes from Dominique’s imagination. Scenes are often shown of Bauby underwater, encased in a diving bell. It symbolizes his feeling of being trapped and not being able to communicate how he would like to. We are introduced to his story at the very beginning of the movie by watching doctors and nurses looking over him. We hear Bauby’s thoughts and attempts to speak, although the doctors are unable to hear him. Throughout much of the movie this filmic device is used. The camera puts the viewers in a position that mimics Bauby’s, and therefore we hear his thoughts and feelings.
The movie had a depressing tone, overall. Viewers continually see the declining health of Jean-Dominique. We see his children and wife who are saddened by seeing their father and husband in such a condition. Even Jean-Dominique does not want to see his own face after the stroke. We are, however, able to hear Bauby’s jokes and humor through his thoughts, even though he cannot express them to others. This lightens the tone of the movie and brings some laughs to the audience. The filmic devices were very interesting. They were very realistic, especially when viewing the outside world through Bauby’s eyes. One scene even shows what Bauby sees as his non-working eye is being sewn up by the doctor! I would recommend this movie for anyone who is interested in French films, with the exception of young children.
Comments for the Diving Bell
ReplyDeleteI find it very ironic that an American painter and director (Julian Schnabel) brought the story of Jean-Dominique Bauby to the big screen.I wanted to take note of French culture within the film and though may one may find that difficult when the story is brought to life by an American, I think in this case the Director did a fine job. I think that It was a smart decision to use a French actor (Mathieu Amalric) as the lead. The film wouldn't have seemed as "real" if the lead weren't French.After watching the film I really wanted to read the book to determine the closeness of Jean-Dominique Bauby's own book to that of a film .
Summary of “The Diving Bell and The Butterfly” Article by Erica Gann
ReplyDeleteThe article is a review and summary of “The Diving Bell and The Butterfly.” The director of is Julian Schnabel. The movie focuses on the sarcasm of the main character, Bauby. Small details become big events for him; an example is when a fly lands on his nose and Bauby is unable to swat it away. The writer of the article is also impressed by the cinematic devices used, especially towards the beginning of the film. The camera flickers and the audience is able to perceive Bauby from his own point of view. Flashbacks are also used throughout the film to show the events leading up to this point in Bauby’s life, but they are not in chronological order. The film shows the simple life that Bauby must now live. Bauby, however, trys to look at life in a new light instead of feeling doomed to death.
Here is the link to the original article: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=28773844&site=ehost-live
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ReplyDeleteNarrative Patterns for “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
After watching The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, it seemed to have certain pattern throughout the movie. These recurrences, narrative patterns, created emotions for the audience to connect to in order to understand what Jean-Dominique Bauby was feeling and thinking. One main narrative pattern is watching the scenes through his eye. The camera only shows what he would only see out of his one eye. This is significant because it allows the audience to feel how it is to only see that much when looking at objects. Characters would come in and out of the camera angle just as how Jean-Dominique would see things. Also, the sound was a narrative pattern because it related to how he would here things or signify things. For example, when Jean-Dominique was getting massaged by the therapist, there was no sound signifying that he could not feel anything that she was doing. Another narrative pattern is the blinking of his eyes in order to communicate with others. This is shown throughout the whole movie and is significant because it is a part of his life now. One of the last narrative patterns that I am going to talk about is how Jean-Dominique starts to appreciate his life and what he has. Instead of pitying himself he realizes that he is not dead yet and needs to make the most of what he has still.
“The Diving Bell and The Butterfly: A Film Review” By Erica Gann
ReplyDeleteThis article is another review of “The Diving Bell and The Butterfly.” The writer of this article, L. R. Rambo, gives a lot more opinion and feelings than the previous article I read about the same film. This writer loved the performance by the actor who played Jean-Dominique Bauby. The film allows one to see everything through Bauby’s one functional eye. Rambo describes how he felt claustrophobic and a sense of desperation while watching the film this way. The writer remembers when he, himself, had a stroke and therefore felt fear and thankfulness that his stroke did not lead to what Bauby had to go through. Bauby is trapped in a certain kind of prison because of his condition.
Later in the film, Bauby finds that he still has his imagination to keep himself preoccupied. He is also able to use his blinking eye to communicate with others. The article tells us that the audience has to have a large amount of empathy and patience to watch the film. It is unpredictable and does not follow the typical Hollywood path of a happy ending. I was also surprised to learn that the director of this film, Julian Schnabel, is an American filmmaker and artist. He learned French, used real French actors, and used the same hospital that Bauby was treated at. This definitely shows Schnabel’s dedication to the film. Overall, the article had nothing bad to say about “The Diving Bell and The Butterfly” based on this real-life story.
Weblink for this article: http://journals.ohiolink.edu/ejc/pdf.cgi/Rambo_L._R.pdf?issn=00312789&issue=v56i0004&article=463_tdbatbafr