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The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)

 -  Drama | Romance  -  5 February 1988 (USA)
7.3
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Ratings: 7.3/10 from 18,995 users  
Reviews: 123 user | 39 critic

In 1968, a Czech doctor with an active sex life meets a woman who wants monogamy, and then the Soviet invasion further disrupts their lives.

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(novel), (screenplay), 1 more credit »
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Title: The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)

The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) on IMDb 7.3/10

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Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 6 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
Franz
...
The Ambassador
Pavel Landovský ...
Pavel
...
Chief Surgeon
...
Interior Ministry Official
...
The Engineer
Tomasz Borkowy ...
Jiri (as Tomek Bork)
Bruce Myers ...
Czech Editor
Pavel Slabý ...
Pavel's Nephew
Pascale Kalensky ...
Nurse Katja
Jacques Ciron ...
Swiss Restaurant Manager
Anne Lonnberg ...
Swiss Photographer
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Storyline

Tomas is a doctor and a lady-killer in 1960s Czechoslovakia, an apolitical man who is struck with love for the bookish country girl Tereza; his more sophisticated sometime lover Sabina eventually accepts their relationship and the two women form an electric friendship. The three are caught up in the events of the Prague Spring (1968), until the Soviet tanks crush the non-violent rebels; their illusions are shattered and their lives change forever. Written by Dan Hartung <dhartung@mcs.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

A Lovers Story.

Genres:

Drama | Romance

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

5 February 1988 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

La insoportable levedad del ser  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$10,006,806 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Jean-Claude Carrière's original script deviated drastically from the final film version. Philip Kaufman feared it was too "arty" for a commercial audience. Milan Kundera read Carrière's original script after seeing the film and said, "That's how it should be done." See more »

Goofs

DX-coded film was not invented until the 1980s. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
First Title Card: In Prague, in 1968, there lived a young doctor named Tomas...
Tomas: Take off your clothes.
[line recurs several times during film]
See more »

Connections

Spoofed in The Unbearable Whiteness of Dean (1995) See more »

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User Reviews

 
Sublime
22 November 2000 | by (Washington DC) – See all my reviews

Well acted and well directed. An uninhibited examination of lust vs. love, and the comfort of monogamy vs. the prison of possessiveness without over-dramatization or false emotion. Kaufman's depiction is faithful to Kundera's work, even if some depth is lost, as is inevitable in any film adaptation of a novel.


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Judging the movie on its own merit... sabika-angelz
Awful, bad, horrible movie. schtrunfe
ONCE AGAIN: the ending - plothole? wim_mols
I've heard DDL say... honeybabyplease
READ THE BOOK! chelsea_104
Kundera's thoughts? JellybeanJack
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