Review: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Directed: Julian Schnabel

Written: Ronald Harwood and Jean-Dominique Bauby(novel)

Starring: Mathieu Amalric

For the majority of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly we see through the eyes of Jean-Dominique Bauby editor of Elle magazine. When we aren't seeing things through his eyes we are seeing things he remembers or imagines. "Other than my eye, two things aren't paralyzed, my imagination and my memory. " Bauby says as he lays in a hospital bed, completely paralyzed except for his left eye. How did he get in this position? Jean-Dominique Bauby had a stroke at the age of 43 and ended up with the very rare "locked in" syndrome, a syndrome in which the patient retains almost all memory and recognition but remains paralyzed. Through a system developed for those with locked in syndrome, Bauby can communicate by blinking. At first they use the simple system of "One blink means yes." and "Two blinks mean no." Eventually a system is worked out where a person works with Bauby by reading out an alphabet in order of how commonly a letter is used. Bauby blinks when they read the letter he wants and they can eventually form whole words and sentences. It was this system that allowed Bauby to make his memoir "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly". This provided an insiders view of "locked in" syndrome and when the memoirs were adapted into film the "insiders view" is absolutely retained. When I say "see through the eyes" of Jean-Dominique Bauby I mean it in a very literal way. As in, we see every time he blinks, we see his eyelids being sewn shut, and we hear his inner monologue desperate to speak out. It is these portions of the movie with their cinematography that make the film literally one of the most involving movies I have ever seen.

Not only do we get to see Bauby's time in the hospital, we also see flashbacks of his life as the rockstar-like womanizing editor of Elle magazine and of his life as a loving father to his children. I felt a deep feeling of sadness after seeing a flashback of Bauby so vibrant and full of life, and then cut back to him after the stroke with a lifeless expression on his face. Bauby's inner monologue serves as the films narration as we see him visit his kids, see his friends, make friends with his stenographer, and even see his condition improve. We see all these moments of his life and they are countered with the voice telling us how he longs to play with his children or make love to a woman. This provided a much more emotionally effective experience than I anticipated and could even leave more sensitive viewers shaken by how intense the emotion can become. Mathieu Amalric does a good job as Jean-Dominique Bauby but in all honesty there is not a lot that he does that isn't a testament to the excellent writing. Do not take this the wrong way, he was better than decent, but the writing and narration are the real stars of the movie and I don't see a lot that Mathieu adds to those things since he spends the majority of the film off screen.

Julian Schnabel shows off some very impressive direction in Diving Bell. The style of the movie being pulled off this well overall is not something that is common in even some of the artsiest corners of cinema. The film essentially became his baby and he has taken very good care of it. Interestingly enough the screenplay adapted from Bauby's memoirs by Ronald Harwood was written completely in English, it was not until Schnabel came aboard that the decision to film the movie in Bauby's native tongue of French was even put on the table. It is such a sad sight to see Bauby's condition improve in the later half of the film only to see him quickly be taken away by pneumonia. Thank God he could finish his memoirs and that they could be adapted into this magnificent film. Lots of movies like to take a long hard look at the human psyche and give their take on it. The difference between those films and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is that in this film, the human psyche is taking a long hard look at us from the inside, and for the first time we get to see through his eyes.

9.7/10

Metaphor in Mark Doty’s "Difference"

In Mark Doty's poem "Difference" there is a very interesting statement about jellyfish. The first half of the poem focuses on several metaphors for jellyfish such as "this one a breathing heart, this a pulsing flower. This one a rolled condom, or a plastic purse swallowing itself,that one a Tiffany shade" (17-21). These metaphors are obvious and provide some easily imagined imagery, each one is relatable to the look and/or shape of a jellyfish. It is not until around the halfway point of the poem that the speaker uses the metaphors to his advantage when he says "sheer ectoplasm recognizable only as the stuff of metaphor." (31-33) It is at this point that the reader can begin to understand how the speaker looks at jellyfish.

Imagine a young child at an aquarium. He is looking into a tank full of jellyfish with big eyes full of wonder. Imagine what is going through his mind. He is not thinking "Look at the beauty of marine life." he is thinking "Wow, those look like floating glowing grocery bags!" Most poems are entirely dependent upon the use of metaphor and there is no shortage of school assignments begging students to "Find the metaphor!" Metaphors, after all, are the basis for all education. We learn how one thing works by pointing out its similarities to something we already know. You could say there is an often childhood-like feeling accompanying metaphor even when using metaphors for very adult things like war or death. "Difference" follows the basic rules of using metaphors, but is different for how it dissects what metaphors mean. The speaker is using jellyfish as something that automatically applies itself to metaphor. It is almost impossible to look at a jellyfish for a period of more than a few seconds and not think of what else it looks like besides a jellyfish. By using such an easy metaphor and comparing it to things like condoms and opera, the speaker is representing the imagination of the world itself.

"Hear how the mouth, so full of longing for the world, changes its shape?" (58-60). We see all these things in jellyfish, because our imaginations want to see it. Is that not what fuels our imagination, the longing to see what is not there? Jellyfish as a metaphor for metaphors? All I see is a floating grocery bag.

Exercise I in Poems: Fourth Edition

Pleasures of Recognition:

The Double Play by Robert Wallace

The pleasure of recognition is notable here in how the poet takes a simple game of baseball, something we have all seen and compares it to something more elegant and beautiful like a ballet. It in a way makes baseball seem much more wonderful and less boring than the average viewer would think at first glance.

Because River-Fog by Fukayabu Kiyowara

The reader would gain pleasure of recognition in this poem by possibly remembering moments they have had in which they are entrenched in nature. I was immediately reminded of a camping trip in 8th grade in which I climbed up a small mountain and went back down on the river enjoying the view in silence.

A Foreign Ruler by Walter Savage Landor

A different kind of pleasure from recognition is found in this poem. Not pleasure in the sense that you are reminded of something and then feel better for it. Pleasure in the sense that through most political quandaries, feelings have felt the same. The poem was written centuries ago but could easily be applied to several leaders throughout time, all the way up to the leaders of today. There is something strangely comforting in seeing someone who has been dead for hundreds of years share a connection with today.

Not Drunk by Thomas Love Peacock (wow)

It is hard for me to find a connection with the novel, but imagining it from an adult drinker perspective I would probably say that it accurately relates back to often loose definitions of "drunk" that people supply as excuse for whatever they may do next in their stupor of Bud Light.

The Chinese Checker Players by Richard Brautigan

This poem appealed the most to me. I never had any relationship with an old woman and Chinese checkers but it takes me back to childhood games. The innocence of a child who cheats at a game is difficult to look at, they believe they are cunning when their plan is so obvious. I have to wonder if the old woman knows the boy is cheating, and cheats along with him, Chinese checkers is not what matters but more of the loneliness she feels after her husbands death combined with the ever listening ears of the cheating child. A good pair.