For some, the movie will require a fair degree of patience but it's worth it; this is an incredible story, all the more so for being a true one. It virtually forces one to think about what you would do under similar circumstances and that's not a comforting thought. The real life Jean Dominique Balby was a man of intense fortitude to come to grips with the nature of his paralysis, a rare condition called 'locked-in syndrome' that left him entirely immobile except for his left eye. Trained to communicate by blinking 'yes' or 'no' to the letters of the alphabet, Jean-Do was able to dictate a book on his experience under the attentive and patient care of his transcriber, Claude (Anne Consigny). Not only does the story reflect on the randomness of life's events in the case of Jean-Do, but also includes that of a man who Jean-Do gave up his seat on an airplane for. The plane was hijacked by terrorists and Pierre Rousin (Niels Arestrup) remained a hostage for a period of four years, thereby experiencing his own trial of solitude and tribulation. What keeps Jean-Do going are his memories and imagination, without which he would have succumbed early to a withering death. One wonders what traumatic event might have caused his condition, though a scene late in the picture reveals that it was merely a stroke that occurred while driving his son to the theater. I say merely, but the effect as we experience throughout the film was devastating. The story is entirely inspirational, though it's adherence to the facts of Jean-Do's relationship with the mother of his children and the mistress who's never shown in the picture is virtually reversed. One might take a look at the review on this board of 'edog101' for some insight into that story, one which affirms that film makers needn't tamper with the facts in order to produce a compelling movie.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007): Dir: Julian Schnabel / Cast: Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Max Von Sydow, Marie-Josee Croze, Anne Consigny: Depressing yet provocative film about freedom of mind and body. It is the true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby whose life halts when he awakens from a coma. He can hear and understand but unable to communicate. Director Julian Schnabel does a fantastic job at emphasizing immobility. The feeling isn't pleasant even for the viewer but that is precisely why the film works. Mathieu Amalric brilliantly plays off the paralysis. He uses his eyes to indicate communication but his fate is more a relief to the audience when they would likely prefer the same thing. Emmanuelle Seigner plays the mother of his three children who sticks by him thick and thin. Max Von Sydow plays his father whose own memory is fading. He can sympathize with his son but within his own disability he is at similar loss. Marie-Josee Croze displays the patience of a social worker. Her highlight is the techniques she teaches him in his process of effective communication. The role is fairly straight forward but Croze nails it creating a scene stealing performance. Anne Consigny also makes an appearance. Film gives strong sense of being paralyzed, which makes it more effective than pleasant. Score: 8 / 10

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (original French title: Le Scaphandre et le Papillon) is not only the story of what happened to Jean-Dominique Bauby after he suffered a stroke, it is a story of the human will, and the fighting spirit of Mr. Bauby in particular. There's no doubt about it, the real life story is a 10 out of 10. How about the movie?Unfortunately the movie doesn't quite live up to its potential, or do full justice to this amazing story. That's not to say it isn't well acted. Mathieu Amalric can not be faulted, he is flawless in his portrayal of Jean-Dominique Bauby. However, the movie does not quite deliver on the emotional level, or in setting up the story fully. We spend a lot of time seeing Bauby communicating with beautiful women by blinking his left eye. It becomes more about the writing of the book than it does about his life and his incredible accomplishment. Even the conclusion fades away.It's still a movie I would recommend, most of all because of the overall qualities intrinsic in the real life story. Done right, it could have been a multiple Academy-award winning movie.

The true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric) who suffers a stroke and has to live with an almost totally paralyzed body; only his left eye is not paralyzed.Director Julian Schnabel is a pretty amazing guy. Not only is he a great artist and painter, who also happens to work on films, but he went the extra mile of learning French in order to make this movie. Did it have to be in French? No, but Schnabel demanded it.Some of this film takes place from the point of view of Bauby, which is pretty amazing given that he is paralyzed in all but his left eye. That makes the use of the camera very limited, but also rather powerful if done right. Here, it is done right.