THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY

France, 2007, 120 minutes, Colour.
Matthieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seignier, Anne Consigny, Max von Sydow.
Directed by Julian Schnabel.

This is a fine film, well worth seeing. It is demanding and harrowing, but excellent.

Oscar-nominated writer, Ronald Harwood (and winner for The Pianist), was commissioned to adapt the autobiographical book of the same name by Jean- Dominique Bauby. Since Bauby, at the age of 42, a successful editor of Elle magazine in Paris, was unexpectedly cut down by a stroke with the consequence of a rare condition, lock-in syndrome, which meant that his only way of communication from his still clear and active mind was through the blinking of one of his eyes, Harwood thought that the screen adaptation was an impossible task. However, he decided to follow the book and tell the story, especially for the first part of the film, from the confined point of view of Bauby.

It is to the credit of the writer, the director, American artist and painter, Julian Schnabel, and the intense control of actor, Matthieu Amalric as Bauby, that this way of storytelling involves the audience fully in Bauby’s experience and creates an extraordinary empathy. Later, the film will move a little away from the confinement, but it works so well initially, that this sense of sharing Bauby’s hardships and his creativity stays with us.

And his creativity is important. Initially, shocked to find himself so limited, he is tempted to despair. His plight is more severe than that shown in Javier Bardem’s character in The Sea Inside where the plea is made for assisted suicide or Hillary Swank’s paralysed boxer in Million Dollar Baby which shows an assisted suicide. Yet Bauby, tempted by suicide, opts for life. He loses the use of an eye but, when carers realise that they can get his answers to questions by his blinking letter by letter, he begins to communicate intelligently. He lets his imagination wander and he writes, letter by slow letter, his book. He uses the diving bell as the image for his paralysed situation. He uses the butterfly as the image of his unfettered imagination.

If ever there was a film that advocated life and a quality of life, it is The Diving Bell and the Bell Jar.

Harwood wrote the screenplay in English. When the decision was made that it would be more appropriate to make the film in French, the screenplay was translated, American Schnabel quickly learnt French – and the film was nominated for and has won some awards for Best Foreign Language film. Schnabel was named best director at Cannes, 2007.

Matthieu Amalric does eventually have the opportunity to appear in flashbacks, showing the stroke, showing his relationship with his wife, children and lover. Particularly moving is a flashback where he shaves his father, an emotional moment, especially with a very fine cameo by Max Von Sydow as the father.

While so much of the film is confined to the hospital, the film is not restricting. And the fine performances from the carers and the women in Bauby’s life (awkwardly communicating with each other to know how he is) complement the focus on Bauby.

An extraordinarily life-affirming film.

1.The impact of the film? Critical acclaim? Humane? Themes of life, hope, achievement, communication? A human heritage?

2.The acclaim for the book in the 1990s? The skill in adapting the book to the screen? Communicating the experience of the book?

3.The structure: the camerawork for the initial awakening from the coma, the point of view of Jean-Do? The gradual shapes and light? His condition? His point of view for the first part of the film? His limited vision, coping, seeing the treatment, the visits, the therapy? Learning to blink for communication? His not being able to speak? His imagination and memory being alive? His wanting to die, his moving from self-pity to affirming life? The good and the bad in his life, the insertion of the flashbacks? The role of his father, Ines and the visit to Lourdes, Celeste and the children? The meals, the phone calls? Finally going back to the event of the stroke?

4.The skill of the visuals, the camerawork, the point of view, the stylised and the realistic? The imagination? Its being wide-ranging, around the world? The realism of his life and treatment? The musical score and the songs? The importance of the credits, the ice falling and being restored? The flashbacks to the origins of the hospital, the period of the Empress Eugenie, the 19th century look and costumes?

5.The audience identifying with Jean- Do? Middle-aged and older men identifying with him, his experience, stroke, illness? The medical background of the stroke, the Locked Syndrome? Its limits, the paralysis, complete dependence? The hard work in communicating? The desire for death, to self-pity, to life?

6.The filling in the background of Jean- Do’s life, his early forties, his relationship with his wife, the children, his relationship with Ines, with his father? His being the editor, at Elle Magazine? Fashion, work, skills, writing, wanting to rewrite The Count of Monte Cristo from a feminine point of view? The visit to Lourdes? The day of the accident, visualising the stroke?

7.The importance of the inner monologues, articulate, the fact that the audience only could hear them? The detailed learning of how to converse, the significant letters, the blinks, the method for his transcribing the book? The letters, the eyelids, the slow process – yet the achievement of the book? The phone in his room and his being able to hear the callers?

8.The doctor, the information, the sewing up of the eye to prevent infection, being left with only one eye, with distorted lips? His glasses? The distorted face? His breathing, the drips, the therapy to get his tongue moving backwards so that he could swallow, the episode with the fly on his nose, his attempts to sing? The range of exercise, movement, massage, in the pool?

9.Henriette, coming to teach language, his impatience with her, hurting her, her coming back and apologising, the progress? The detail of the repetition of the letters and the blinking? Marie and her therapy, her Catholic background, talking about prayer, taking Jean- Do to Mass? Meeting with the priest, the discussing, the blessing? The talk about Lourdes – and his reminiscences going there with Ines, her faith, buying the statue, his scepticism, observing the grotto, the processions?

10.The reading to him, Laurent and his attempts, failing, yet his friendship?

11.The phone call to the editor, the issue of the contract, asking for the woman to take dictation? Claude, her job, her skills? Her place in Jean-Do’s? fantasies, sexual the dinner? Her devotion to him and the dedication of the book to her?

12.His wife, her personality, the visits, the children? The standing on the station – and the memories of Jean- Do as a boy at the station? Her being hurt by him, the visits, going on the beach, play, the drama that she was present when Ines rang, Jean- Do and his wanting Ines to come?

13.Ines, the visit to Lourdes, her love for Jean- Do, her phone call, wanting to talk to Jean- Do with his wife out of the room, her inability to visit him?

14.The scene with his father, his devotion to his father, shaving him, their talk, his father being proud of him, the father’s phone call, Jean- Do hearing his voice, and the impact of the father not being able to hear his son?

15.The man who went to Lebanon, the visualising of his taking Jean- Do’s place on the plane, his coming to visit Jean- Do in hospital, Jean- Do feeling guilty for not having rung him after his release from being a hostage? The man’s kindness, his affirmation of Jean- Do and how to deal with the equivalent of being a hostage?

16.The enjoyment of the hospital, the memories of his childhood, going onto the balcony, his imagining the world and its being visualised? On the boat, at sea? The difficulties of life – and the television and wanting it on and the doctor leaving and turning it off during the football match?

17.The limits, the Sunday, his being alone, the empty institution?

18.The sadness of the ending, the information about Jean- Do’s death yet the achievement of the publication of the book? The contrast with themes of assisted suicide as in The Sea Inside and Million Dollar Baby? The affirmation of life – and some achievement even within a short spact of time and with enormous effort?