The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
Le scaphandre et le papillon (original title)

The true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffers a stroke and has to live with an almost totally paralyzed body; only his left eye isn't paralyzed.

Director:

Julian Schnabel

Writers:

Ronald Harwood (screenplay), Jean-Dominique Bauby (book)

Stars:

Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josée Croze

Top 250 #221 | Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 55 wins & 41 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mathieu Amalric	...	Jean-Do
Emmanuelle Seigner	...	Céline
Marie-Josée Croze	...	Henriette Roi
Anne Consigny	...	Claude
Patrick Chesnais	...	Le Docteur Lepage
Niels Arestrup	...	Roussin
Olatz López Garmendia	...	Marie Lopez
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Père Lucien et le Vendeur
Marina Hands	...	Joséphine
Max von Sydow	...	Papinou
Gérard Watkins	...	Le Docteur Cocheton
Théo Sampaio	...	Théophile
Fiorella Campanella	...	Céleste
Talina Boyaci	...	Hortense
Isaach De Bankolé	...	Laurent

Storyline

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. Henriette eventually teaches him to communicate using a system where he spells out words: she reads out the letters of the alphabet in ...

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Plot Keywords:

Eye | Paralyzed | Editor | Stroke | Blink | 

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Taglines:

Let your imagination set you free

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for nudity, sexual content and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [es]

Country:

France USA

Language:

French

Release Date:

23 May 2007 (France)

Also Known As:

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Filming Locations:

France

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£106,911 (UK) (8 February 2008)

Gross:

$5,990,075 (USA) (4 April 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pathé Renn Productions, France 3 Cinéma, Kennedy/Marshall Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Almost the entire opening 40 minutes of the film are taken from Bauby's point of view.

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Goofs

Jean-Dominique shaves his father's mustache, removing the shaving cream. In the next shot, his mustache is covered with shaving cream again. In the following shot, the shaving cream is gone again.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Céline: Bauby, 43, a renowned journalist, family man and free spirit, was planning a book about female revenge.

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Summer Special 2008/09 (2008)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is mentioned by Margaret during a discussion of the best movies of 2008.

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Soundtracks

"Quatre cents coups"
Composed by Jean Constantin
from the film The 400 Blows
Written and directed by François Truffaut
¿ Les Films Du Carosse
With the kind authorization of MK2

User Reviews

A powerful and emotional journey

THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY is a jewel of a French film with a story that impacts an audience with an appreciation for life (the butterfly) and for the despair of what may happen if a tragedy might befall you (the diving bell)with the beautiful landscapes of France as a backdrop. The lighting and photography enhance the film, and the faces of the French women are wondrous to behold as the story unfolds on the screen. This film deserves all the accolades that it has received in a story which is spellbinding and emotional. The cast is superb, the scenes that depict the father and son are very real and show the importance of acceptance of father for son, which is carried down to his own children, and the final scenes leave you with a great respect for the writer and his story. Merci beau coup, Ronald Harwood, for delivering this story to the screen.