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Diving Bell and the Butterfly (The)
Original Title
Le scaphandre et le papillon- Director: Julian Schnabel
- Writer: Ronald Harwood; Jean-Dominique Bauby
- Producer: François-Xavier Decraene; Léonard Glowinski
CGiii Comment
Schnabel is rapidly becoming the doyenne of the biopic.
With Oscar-winning (The Pianist) Harwood doing the screenplay - the combination is divine artistry.
A rollercoaster ride of emotion and Schnabel effortlessly blends humour into the bleak existence - sometimes with cringing effect.
Bringing this story to the screen required great skill - the evidence is everywhere.
When you have nothing but imagination - this is what you can do.
An incredible achievement.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
Forty-three year old Elle magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby - Jean-Do to his friends - awakens not knowing where he is. He is in a Berck-sur-Mer hospital, where he has been for the past several weeks in a coma after suffering a massive stroke. Although his cognitive facilities are in tact, he quickly learns that he has what is called locked-in syndrome which has resulted in him being almost completely paralyzed, including not being able to speak. One of his few functioning muscles is his left eye. His physical situation and hospitalization uncomfortably bring together the many people in his life, including: Céline Desmoulins, his ex-lover and mother of his children; Inès, his current lover; and his aged father who he calls Papinou. Among his compassionate recuperative team are his physical therapist Marie, and his speech therapist Henriette.
Cast & Characters
Mathieu Amalric as Jean-Do;
Emmanuelle Seigner as Celine;
Marie-Josee Croze as Henriette Roi;
Anne Consigny as Claude;
Patrick Chesnais as Le Docteur Lepage;
Niels Arestrup as Roussin;
Olatz Lopez Garmendia as Marie Lopez;
Jean-Pierre Cassel as Pere Lucien et le Vendeur;
Marina Hands as Josephine;
Max von Sydow as Papinou;
Gerard Watkins as Le Docteur Cocheton;
Theo Sampaio as Theophile;
Fiorella Campanella as Celeste;
Talina Boyaci as Hortense;
Isaach De Bankole as Laurent