Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Harmonia (A) on February 19, 2008 at 01:36:59

In Reply to: RE: Butterfly and the Diving Bell (Part II). Five stars out of five posted by Duilawyer on February 18, 2008 at 21:03:21

Saw it again last night in a theater...even more rivetting second time around. Who'da thought trendy NY painter Julian Schnabel would turn out to be such a profoundly delicate and humane movie director??? And that screenwriter Ronald Harwood, about whom I have decidedly mixed feelings, found the perfect structure and POV for telling Bauby's story? This is the most beautiful and imaginative movie I've seen all year. It delivers the goods.

Schnabel is nominated for a directing Oscar, which he's unlikely to win. Harwood won the Bafta and is also nominated for an adapted screenplay Oscar, Janusz Kaminsky is deservingly nommed for cinematography and Juliette Welfling for editing, brilliant work all. The movie should have been nominated for best pic too (Michael Clayton??? Ya gotta be kidding.) All the performances are superb, and it's a shame Mathieu Amalric wasn't nominated, along with Max Von Sydow, who is astonishing as Bauby's father.

Amalric does more with one eye than many actors do with their entire bodies. He's so subtle, inhabits the spirit of Bauby so honestly, that you don't even realize what you've seen until the movie is over...he's that believable. And Von Sydow broke my heart. Period.

Edits: 02/19/08   02/19/08   02/19/08