The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly

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At times it is humorous, at others there are indelible vignettes - one of the long term partner (beautfully played by EmmanuelleSeigner) assisting his lover to communicate with him by telephone. The loud activities and patients of the hospital hurt his ears, but once they are gone, he can hear butterflies in his head.

This is a true biographical sketch of a French Journalist Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric) who was also the editor of magazine ELLE. Forty-three year old Elle magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby - Jean-Do to his friends - awakens not knowing where he is. More important than her beauty, the concern and the kindness on her face day after day was inspiring.

Besides the hospital's therapist team, there is also Céline ( Emmanuelle Seigner), his estranged partner and the mother of his three children. In addition to wonderful direction and visuals, what I'll always take from this film is (1) the incredible patience of the speech therapists (which includes Celine, his wife) and (2) continually wondering how frustrated Jean-Do must have felt in his horrible physical condition. Though Bauby died suddenly of pneumonia mere days after the 1997 publication of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, the book has become a bestseller around the world and was adapted, in 2007, into a major motion picture staring French film actors Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Seigner.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a film of enormous power that shakes us and enables us to get in touch with the miracle of each moment. As a painter, as someone who doesn't want to make a painting that looks like the last one I made, I thought it was a really good palette.

Sunday: Bauby dreads Sundays as there as no visitors of any sort, friends or hospital staff, besides the rare nurse. Drawing closer to his destination, he sees Fangio, a patient of the hospital who cannot sit so he must remain standing or lying down. His brain is still working just as well as it ever has, perhaps even more efficiently, because it has to. Bauby's condition is manifesting itself rather differently than his counterpart's, and differently to the text book cases that medical staff are more familiar with. That's a heavy statement to make, but off the top of my head, I cannot think of another film that explores the inner workings of a character so intimately and believably, while blending cinematography, sound effects, and musical score in such harmony -- but in a fashion we (as American's at least) are not trained to enjoy.

He then goes on to the next exhibit which is a recreation of his hospital room except his pictures and posters on his wall contain stills of people he recognizes. He also meets quite a few tourists, who are directed to the hospital after emergencies, such as broken limbs. The first time he went, he passed the building where he used to work as Elle's editor-in-chief, which makes him weep. Despite a complete lack of improvement in his body as a whole he is gradually increasing the sphere of movement of his head.In December of that year, however, on an ordinary Friday evening, while driving through Paris to pick his son up for a weekend of fun and bonding, he suffered a massive stroke.

He also receives several visits from his ex-wife, Sylvie, with whom he has two children, Celeste and Theophile. We do not actually see Jean-Do until about a third of the way through the film but we can hear his thoughts which are in turn angry, funny, and bitterly ironic. It is the true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby whose life halts when he awakens from a coma.

Next Section Character List Previous Section About The Diving Bell and the Butterfly How To Cite https://www. Jean-Do answers, but his answers are not understood by the doctor, as Jean-Do cannot speak: we are only hearing his internal voice.