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The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Posted on August 17, 2018 by Village Vidiot

I liked this Julian Schnabel look at the final years of Jean-Dominique Bauby, the editor of Elle who suffers a massive stroke and loses all ability to move but is fully there inside. It’s a story of will and determination as he learns to write a book by blinking each letter to an amazingly patient assistant. All the people are beautiful. Would this work if they looked like normal people?. I don’t know Would we watch this?. Jean-Do, of course, is disfigured in the stroke, but he’s set off against the rest. Max Von Sydow as his father is particularly wonderful. The feature on the making of the film is very interesting and everyone loves everyone else and they all love Schnabel. My sister Erica wondered why the French weren’t using the neural computers that existed then. Anyone know?. Some of his friends and even his lover can’t bear to come and see him, just as he couldn’t bear to visit a friend who was held hostage for four years in Beirut when Bauby gave him his seat on a plane and it was hijacked. People are imperfect in every way but physically. A very interesting movie. Excellent soundtrack including several songs by Tom Waits. See this one

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