JULIAN SCHNABEL

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBBB.5.  

Original title:  Le Scaphandre et le Papillon

France/USA, 2007.  Pathé Renn Productions, France 3 Cinéma, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, C.R.R.A.V. Nord Pas de Calais, Région Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Canal+, CinéCinéma, Banque Populaire Images 7.  Screenplay by Ronald Harwood, based on the book by Jean-Dominique Bauby.  Cinematography by Janusz Kaminski.  Produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Jon Kilik.  Music by Paul Cantelon.  Production Design by Michel Eric, Laurent Ott.  Costume Design by Olivier Beriot.  Film Editing by Juliette Welfling. 

Immensely moving film based on the book of the same name by Jean-Dominique Bauby, a high profile magazine editor who suffered a stroke in the prime of his life that left him with what the doctors called “locked-in syndrome”:  Dauby’s intellectual capacities weren’t affected in the slightest by his condition, but his brain was disconnected from any motor control of his body except for the blinking of one eye. With this limited means of expression, and thanks to the endless patience of a series of kind and devoted nurses, Dauby was eventually able to not only communicate with those around him but to pen an entire autobiography that covered his life experiences. This beautiful, heart-rending film by Julian Schnabel (Before Night Falls) presents another portrait of an afflicted artist that puts as much poetry into the story as it seems that Dauby put into his writing, infusing healthy doses of humour and pathos into a film that tells us not only of our capacity for survival, but of the human need for dreams. If the scene on the phone between Dauby (played so effectively by Mathieu Amalric) and his aging father (Max von Sydow) doesn’t reduce you to tears, you’re a fucking heartless bastard. Features excellent support by Emmanuelle Seigner, the lovely Marie-Josée Croze, and a cameo by Jean-Pierre Cassel in his final film.

Academy Award Nominations:  Best Director (Julian Schnabel); Best Adapted Screenplay; Best Cinematography; Best Film Editing

Cannes Film Festival Award:  Best Director (Julian Schnabel)

Golden Globe Awards:  Best Director (Julian Schnabel); Best Foreign Language Film
Nomination: Best Screenplay

Toronto International Film Festival:  2007