Review of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) by Mary K — 01 Sep 2009

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) Le Scaphandre et le papillon. I was surprised this was not nominated for best foreign film 2007. See my lists. I have 4 or 5 lists of films nominated for best foreign film Oscar.

this is a wonderful movie showing how courageous the human heart can be. In this film a famous magazine editor has stroke. He does live but is paralyzed. He learns to communicate by blinking his left eye.

The accident happened in 1995. I hope by now (or as early as possible) he got the computer eye reading mechanism used by Stephen Hawking to communicate and write. The way he succeeded in writing this book seems like a slow nightmare to me but proves the strength of the human mind and personality-perseverance.

A Cambridge scientist built a device that enables Hawking to write onto a computer with small movements of his body, and then have a voice synthesizer speak what he has typed. The author of this book has no such luxuries.

the film is very interesting in the fact that it is filmed from his perspective in bed and then the wheelchair (with one eye blinking once for yes twice for no) Bauby died of pneumonia two days after the book was published in French.

It was a runaway bestseller in Europe. 2 minutes and how many blinks to make one word. WOW I will buy this book and read it. This is a fascinating film but depressed me because he could not have the equipment of Stephen Hawking.

Certainly one of the best films of 2007. It was nominated only for 1 Oscar Best Director Julian Schnabel. It was nominated for some other awards- I am surprised not more!! Schnabel won the Best Director prize at Cannes.

Hats off the Ell magazine for honoring his contract (signed prior to his stroke) for the book and providing the manpower to capture his dictation. There is an actual photo of Bauby on Wikipedia which shows him in bed in the hospital dictating the book to stenographer Claude Mendibil.

five stars highest recommendation.