This is a beautiful movie based on the true story of Jean Dominique Bauby. Jean Do, as his friends call him, is chief editing director at the monthly magazine Elle, sure most of you know it. He has probably an exciting like, a divorce behind him... in a word a normal and successful life until a brain attack, just like that without any reasons leaves him totally paralysed. He has only the left eye functioning and can hear, but otherwise he is completely paralysed... impossible to move, speak, eat...
The movie tells his story from the day one when he wakes up from his multi-weeks/months coma. He will write a book with his left eye. The movie, although it takes a few minor liberties from the book, basically tells his story during the writing of the book. When I came out of the movie I had to buy the book and read it the next day... it is a short read but very touching. The movie is excellent and I think it was quite a challenge to adapt such a book on the big screen but the result is simply fantastic. They have managed what many fail in bringing a book to the big scren... i.e. bring the soul of the book on the screen... and what a challenge given the nature of this book!
You come out of the movie and put into perspective your little daily problems be it at work with your boss (not me boss! you are the best boss!!! just in case he reads this!!!)or your personal life...
The guy has self irony, he makes jokes, he wonders if he is complaining too much!!! He is totally paralysed and speaks with his left eye!!!! he gives us a beautiful lesson of courage and a poignant testimony...
Before the accident he wanted to write the modern story of the Count of Monte Cristo, with a female character to replace Edmond Dantes (Monte Cristo)... a modern tale of vengeance. And he finds hinmslef trapped and prisoner of his own body!!! he has just an incredible story and very touching. Jean Dominique Bauby suffers from the Locked-in syndrome, something rare... and guess what in the Count of Monte Cristo there is a character similar to the condition he is in!!! He says: 'well you dream of behing Edmond Dantes and I would have never taught to be reincarnated in Noirtier de Villefort!'
He has this beautiful analogy, Mithra-Grandchamp (a horse he got a tip on but had such a nice and enjoyable lunch at Vincenne that he came two seconds too late to bet on the horse... he was given 20 to 1 and missed this opportunity, the horse won the race) so he says something like this: 'Mithra-Grandchamp is the nostalgy from a past that is over and above all the remorse of missed opportunities. Mithra-Grandchamp are the women we did not know how to love, the opportunities we did not want to catch, the moments of happiness we left fly away. Today I get the feeling my life is just a sequence of these little failures. A race we know the outcome but we are unable to bet on the winner' Sorry for the translation but the idea is there. The book has been translated in English and many other languages so try to find it and read it it's a beautiful book, very touching and poetic...
I do not want to sound patronising or pathetic but enjoy your life, make most of it according to your possibilities, I do not say just enjoy every day to the fullest as it was the last one, but find what your private and professional goals in life are and work toward reaching them... do not postpone what is important to you... I realised that sometimes ago and already made the necessary changes but this movie reminded me of it. If you reach these goals or not is not so important but go for it so that you won't have regrets! I do not complain, I had quite a full and exciting life before too but I have my Mithra-Grandchamps and just hope I will not have more of them in the future.
Ok it's a long review but the movie is really worth it, his book has been translated in 28 languages (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly in English), so there is a chance you can pick yours. The movie is only shown in French here in Geneva.
Global Forums > Movie / Book / Music Reviews > Le Scaphandre et le Papillon - Great movie
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Le Scaphandre et le Papillon - Great movie
Jun 30, 2007 @ 15:36
The text you are quoting:
This is a beautiful movie based on the true story of Jean Dominique Bauby. Jean Do, as his friends call him, is chief editing director at the monthly magazine Elle, sure most of you know it. He has probably an exciting like, a divorce behind him... in a word a normal and successful life until a brain attack, just like that without any reasons leaves him totally paralysed. He has only the left eye functioning and can hear, but otherwise he is completely paralysed... impossible to move, speak, eat...
The movie tells his story from the day one when he wakes up from his multi-weeks/months coma. He will write a book with his left eye. The movie, although it takes a few minor liberties from the book, basically tells his story during the writing of the book. When I came out of the movie I had to buy the book and read it the next day... it is a short read but very touching. The movie is excellent and I think it was quite a challenge to adapt such a book on the big screen but the result is simply fantastic. They have managed what many fail in bringing a book to the big scren... i.e. bring the soul of the book on the screen... and what a challenge given the nature of this book!
You come out of the movie and put into perspective your little daily problems be it at work with your boss (not me boss! you are the best boss!!! just in case he reads this!!!)or your personal life...
The guy has self irony, he makes jokes, he wonders if he is complaining too much!!! He is totally paralysed and speaks with his left eye!!!! he gives us a beautiful lesson of courage and a poignant testimony...
Before the accident he wanted to write the modern story of the Count of Monte Cristo, with a female character to replace Edmond Dantes (Monte Cristo)... a modern tale of vengeance. And he finds hinmslef trapped and prisoner of his own body!!! he has just an incredible story and very touching. Jean Dominique Bauby suffers from the Locked-in syndrome, something rare... and guess what in the Count of Monte Cristo there is a character similar to the condition he is in!!! He says: 'well you dream of behing Edmond Dantes and I would have never taught to be reincarnated in Noirtier de Villefort!'
He has this beautiful analogy, Mithra-Grandchamp (a horse he got a tip on but had such a nice and enjoyable lunch at Vincenne that he came two seconds too late to bet on the horse... he was given 20 to 1 and missed this opportunity, the horse won the race) so he says something like this: 'Mithra-Grandchamp is the nostalgy from a past that is over and above all the remorse of missed opportunities. Mithra-Grandchamp are the women we did not know how to love, the opportunities we did not want to catch, the moments of happiness we left fly away. Today I get the feeling my life is just a sequence of these little failures. A race we know the outcome but we are unable to bet on the winner' Sorry for the translation but the idea is there. The book has been translated in English and many other languages so try to find it and read it it's a beautiful book, very touching and poetic...
I do not want to sound patronising or pathetic but enjoy your life, make most of it according to your possibilities, I do not say just enjoy every day to the fullest as it was the last one, but find what your private and professional goals in life are and work toward reaching them... do not postpone what is important to you... I realised that sometimes ago and already made the necessary changes but this movie reminded me of it. If you reach these goals or not is not so important but go for it so that you won't have regrets! I do not complain, I had quite a full and exciting life before too but I have my Mithra-Grandchamps and just hope I will not have more of them in the future.
Ok it's a long review but the movie is really worth it, his book has been translated in 28 languages (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly in English), so there is a chance you can pick yours. The movie is only shown in French here in Geneva.
inmoodforJun 30, 2007 @ 15:36
The movie tells his story from the day one when he wakes up from his multi-weeks/months coma. He will write a book with his left eye. The movie, although it takes a few minor liberties from the book, basically tells his story during the writing of the book. When I came out of the movie I had to buy the book and read it the next day... it is a short read but very touching. The movie is excellent and I think it was quite a challenge to adapt such a book on the big screen but the result is simply fantastic. They have managed what many fail in bringing a book to the big scren... i.e. bring the soul of the book on the screen... and what a challenge given the nature of this book!
You come out of the movie and put into perspective your little daily problems be it at work with your boss (not me boss! you are the best boss!!! just in case he reads this!!!)or your personal life...
The guy has self irony, he makes jokes, he wonders if he is complaining too much!!! He is totally paralysed and speaks with his left eye!!!! he gives us a beautiful lesson of courage and a poignant testimony...
Before the accident he wanted to write the modern story of the Count of Monte Cristo, with a female character to replace Edmond Dantes (Monte Cristo)... a modern tale of vengeance. And he finds hinmslef trapped and prisoner of his own body!!! he has just an incredible story and very touching. Jean Dominique Bauby suffers from the Locked-in syndrome, something rare... and guess what in the Count of Monte Cristo there is a character similar to the condition he is in!!! He says: 'well you dream of behing Edmond Dantes and I would have never taught to be reincarnated in Noirtier de Villefort!'
He has this beautiful analogy, Mithra-Grandchamp (a horse he got a tip on but had such a nice and enjoyable lunch at Vincenne that he came two seconds too late to bet on the horse... he was given 20 to 1 and missed this opportunity, the horse won the race) so he says something like this: 'Mithra-Grandchamp is the nostalgy from a past that is over and above all the remorse of missed opportunities. Mithra-Grandchamp are the women we did not know how to love, the opportunities we did not want to catch, the moments of happiness we left fly away. Today I get the feeling my life is just a sequence of these little failures. A race we know the outcome but we are unable to bet on the winner' Sorry for the translation but the idea is there. The book has been translated in English and many other languages so try to find it and read it it's a beautiful book, very touching and poetic...
I do not want to sound patronising or pathetic but enjoy your life, make most of it according to your possibilities, I do not say just enjoy every day to the fullest as it was the last one, but find what your private and professional goals in life are and work toward reaching them... do not postpone what is important to you... I realised that sometimes ago and already made the necessary changes but this movie reminded me of it. If you reach these goals or not is not so important but go for it so that you won't have regrets! I do not complain, I had quite a full and exciting life before too but I have my Mithra-Grandchamps and just hope I will not have more of them in the future.
Ok it's a long review but the movie is really worth it, his book has been translated in 28 languages (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly in English), so there is a chance you can pick yours. The movie is only shown in French here in Geneva.
inmoodforJun 30, 2007 @ 15:36
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