Le scaphandre et le papillon (2007)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Julian Schnabel

Writers (WGA):

Ronald Harwood (screenplay)
Jean-Dominique Bauby (book)

Release Date:

23 May 2007 (Belgium)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

Let your imagination set you free

Plot:

The true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffers a stroke and has to live with an almost totally paralyzed body; only his left eye isn't paralyzed.

Plot Keywords:

Eye | Stroke | Editor | France | Blink

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 40 wins & 33 nominations

Cast

Mathieu Amalric	...	Jean-Do
Emmanuelle Seigner	...	Céline
Marie-Josée Croze	...	Henriette Roi
Anne Consigny	...	Claude
Patrick Chesnais	...	Le Docteur Lepage
Niels Arestrup	...	Roussin
Olatz López Garmendia	...	Marie Lopez
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Père Lucien et le Vendeur
Marina Hands	...	Joséphine
Max von Sydow	...	Papinou
Gérard Watkins	...	Le Docteur Cocheton
Théo Sampaio	...	Théophile
Fiorella Campanella	...	Céleste
Talina Boyaci	...	Hortense
Isaach De Bankolé	...	Laurent
Emma de Caunes	...	L'Impératrice Eugénie
Jean-Philippe Écoffey	...	Le Docteur Mercier et Nortier de Villefort
Nicolas Le Riche	...	Nijinski
Anne Alvaro	...	Betty
Françoise Lebrun	...	Madame Bauby
Zinedine Soualem	...	Joubert
Georges Roche	...	Fourneau
Agathe de La Fontaine	...	Inès
Yves-Marie Coppin	...	Le pêcheur
François Delaive	...	L'infirmier
Franck Victor	...	Paul
Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre	...	Diane (as Laure de Clermont)
Virginie Delmotte	...	L'infirmière
Daniel Lapostolle	...	Aide-soignant 1
Philippe Roux	...	Aide-soignant 2
François Filloux	...	L'infirmier de nuit
Elvis Polanski	...	Jean-Do enfant
Cedric Brelet von Sydow	...	Papinou jeune
Sara Séguéla	...	La paraplégique Lourdes
Vasile Negru	...	Le Violoniste
Marie Meyer	...	Mannequin
Ilze Bajare	...	Mannequin
Anna Chyzh	...	Mannequin
Antoine Bréant	...	Assistant Jean-Baptiste Mondino
Azzedine Alaïa	...	Himself
Michael Wincott	...	Fashion Photographer
Jean-Baptiste Mondino	...	Himself
Lenny Kravitz	...	Himself
Farida Khelfa	...	Herself

Directed by
Julian Schnabel

Writing credits (WGA)
Ronald Harwood		(screenplay)
Jean-Dominique Bauby		(book "Le scaphandre et le papillon")

Produced by
François-Xavier Decraene	....	line producer
Léonard Glowinski	....	associate producer
Pierre Grunstein	....	executive producer
Kathleen Kennedy	....	producer
Jon Kilik	....	producer
Jim Lemley	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Paul Cantelon

Cinematography by
Janusz Kaminski

Film Editing by
Juliette Welfling

Production Design by
Michel Eric
Laurent Ott

Costume Design by
Olivier Bériot

Makeup Department
Olivier Alonso	....	assistant special effects makeup artist (as Olivier Alonso)
Florence Batteault	....	makeup artist
Sandrine Cirilli	....	makeup artist
Raphael Cornillon	....	wigs (as Raphaël Cornillon)
Elizabeth Delesalle	....	makeup artist
Thierry Di Cecca	....	hair stylist
Mélanie Gerbeaux	....	wigs
Christian Gruau	....	key hair stylist
Myriam Hottois	....	key makeup artist
Benoît Lestang	....	special makeup effects artist
Laure Moulin	....	hair stylist
Geoffroy Selley	....	assistant special effects makeup artist (as Geoffroy Felley)
Chloé Van Lierde	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Virginia Anderson	....	post-production manager
David Artigala	....	assistant unit manager
Virginie Bernard	....	assistant unit manager
Olivier Billard	....	assistant unit manager
Delphine Brunet	....	assistant unit manager
Gwenael Camuzard	....	assistant unit manager
Xavier Champagnac	....	assistant unit manager
Sebastien Cosset	....	assistant unit manager
Sébastien Coulet	....	assistant unit manager
Mathieu Desouches	....	assistant unit manager
Deborah Dours	....	assistant unit manager
Stephan Guillemet	....	unit production manager
Maud Hubert	....	assistant unit manager
Olivier Jacob	....	unit manager
Emilie Larribaut-Guinguene	....	assistant unit manager
Vincent Lefeuvre	....	assistant production manager
Logan Lelièvre	....	assistant unit manager
Julien Linières	....	assistant unit manager
Anne-Claire Loridant	....	assistant unit manager
Emmanuel Mathieu	....	unit manager
Julien Minet	....	assistant unit manager
Jean-Patrick Nourricier	....	assistant unit manager
Laurent Platiau	....	assistant unit manager
David Thooris	....	assistant unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mathilde Cavillan	....	second assistant director
Stéphane Gluck	....	first assistant director
Sébastien Marziniak	....	assistant director
Lucie Wagner	....	trainee assistant director

Art Department
Christian Gazio	....	property master
Alain Pitrel	....	set dresser
Franck Gies	....	carpenter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Damien Bera	....	sound re-recording mixer
Boris Chapelle	....	assistant sound editor
Philippe Dongé	....	sound mix technician
Dominique Gaborieau	....	sound
Damien Lazzérini	....	assistant sound mixer
Yann Lebrun	....	sound detection
Frédérique Liébaut	....	post-synchronization
Vincent Milner	....	assistant foley artist
Jean-Paul Mugel	....	sound recordist
Yves-Marie Omnes	....	boom operator
Philippe Penot	....	foley artist
Cyrille Richard	....	dialogue editor
Francis Wargnier	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Olivier Afonso	....	special effects makeup
Philippe Alleton	....	special effects
Jean-Claude Dauphinot	....	special effects
Georges Demétrau	....	special effects supervisor
Clive R. Kay	....	special effects contact lenses
Jérome Miel	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Luc Augereau	....	visual effects producer
Anita Lech Bedez	....	digital artist
Yann Blondel	....	senior visual effects supervisor
Adrien Borzakian	....	digital artist
Arnaud Damez	....	digital artist
Elodie Ly Tri	....	retouch and restoration
Charlotte Quemy	....	retouch and restoration
Fred Roz	....	titles
Laurence Vidot	....	visual effects coordinator
Aurélie Villard	....	digital artist

Stunts
Pascal Guégan	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
François Amadei	....	electrician
Damien Auriol	....	grip
Jérôme Baudoin	....	electrician
Sébastien Courtain	....	electrician
Adrien Debackere	....	second assistant camera
Pascal Delaunay	....	grip
Olivier Fortin	....	focus puller
Jan Gagnaire	....	grip
Germain Garziano	....	trainee grip
Antonin Gendre	....	key grip
Etienne George	....	still photographer
Alexandre Gotkovski	....	electrician
Yann Grelot	....	grip
Geoffroy Hassoun	....	grip
Damien Jousselin	....	electrician
Gilbert Lecluyse	....	camera operator (as Berto)
Mikael Monod	....	gaffer
Pascal Morisset	....	cinematographer: underwater sequences
Benoît Pain	....	second assistant camera
Ludovic Petit	....	electrician
Steeven Petitteville	....	first assistant camera
Michel Revest	....	cinematographer: underwater sequences
Alexandre Ricco	....	grip
Roland Savoye	....	cinematographer: underwater sequences
Vincent Tulasne	....	video assist operator
François-Xavier Walter	....	grip
Jörg Widmer	....	Steadicam operator

Casting Department
Rachel Berger	....	casting assistant
Sana El Ghoul	....	casting assistant
Jérôme Sacerdot	....	extras casting assistant
Laurent Soulet	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Crisp Jones Alexia	....	wardrobe
Alexia Crisp-Jones	....	on-set costumer
Camille Janbon	....	assistant costume designer
Camille Joste	....	costumer
Lucia Lefebvre	....	on-set costumer
Sylvie Néant	....	on-set costumer
Daniella Telle	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Marcela Figueroa	....	assistant editor
Marie-Pierre Frappier	....	assistant editor
Nelly Ollivault	....	assistant editor
Carlos Pinto	....	second assistant editor
Gilles Granier	....	dailies color grader (uncredited)

Music Department
Julian Schnabel	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Arnaud Bisselbach	....	driver
Hélène Millet	....	driver

Other crew
Edith Barrier	....	production administrator
Virginie Bernard	....	production assistant
Catherine Brelet	....	personal assistant: Mr. Max Von Sydow (as Catherine Brelet-Von Sydow)
Bernard Caroff	....	groupman
David Caroff	....	groupman
Maguy J.B. Cohen	....	personal assistant: Mr. Schnabel (as Maguy Cohen)
Sean Cooney	....	post-prodution executive
Amélie Dibon	....	production secretary
Marion Gervais	....	coach: children
Claudy Gibier	....	groupman
Marie Guillon	....	production administrator
Elyse Klaits	....	associate: Ms. Kennedy
Bianca Turetsky	....	personal assistant: Mr. Schnabel

Thanks
Laurie Anderson	....	special thanks
Kathleen Brennan	....	special thanks
Naomi Campbell	....	special thanks
Jean-Pierre Cassel	....	dedicatee
Ferdinand Chesnais	....	dedicatee
Aurelio De Laurentiis	....	special thanks
Raffaella De Laurentiis	....	special thanks
Linda Evangelista	....	special thanks
Laird John Hamilton	....	special thanks (as Laird Hamilton)
Dennis Hopper	....	special thanks
François Ivernel	....	special thanks
Mike Medavoy	....	special thanks
Luce Mellor	....	special thanks
Tatjana Patitz	....	special thanks
Roman Polanski	....	special thanks
Lou Reed	....	special thanks
Jack Schnabel	....	dedicatee
Sebastián Silva	....	special thanks
Joe Strummer	....	special thanks
U2	....	special thanks
Tom Waits	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Pathé Renn Productions
• France 3 Cinéma (co-production)
• Kennedy/Marshall Company, The (in association with)
• C.R.R.A.V. Nord Pas de Calais (support)
• Région Nord-Pas-de-Calais (support)
• Canal+ (participation)
• CinéCinéma (participation)
• Banque Populaire Images 7 (in association with)

Distributors

• Alternative Films (2007) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Pathe (2007) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• A-Film Distribution (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Alfa Films (2008) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Asmik Ace Entertainment (2008) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Festive Films (2008) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Golden Village Entertainment (2008) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Miramax Films (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• Pathé (2007) (France) (theatrical)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2008) (Finland) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Cinema Without Frontiers (2008) (Russia) (all media)
• Prokino Filmverleih (2008) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Creative Artists Agency (CAA)  filmmakers representation
• Dolby Laboratories  sound post-production

Also Known As:

Le scaphandre et le papillon (France)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for nudity, sexual content and some language.

Runtime:

France:112 min | USA:112 min

Country:

France | USA

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Ireland:12A | Canada:PG | Netherlands:6 | Taiwan:PG-12 | Sweden:7 | Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-7 | South Korea:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #43714) | Hong Kong:IIB | Greece:K-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Berck, Pas-de-Calais, France

Company:

Pathé Renn Productions

Trivia:

Julian Schnabel went as far as to learn French to make the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where Jean-Do shaves his father, he shaves the moustache area and the shaving cream is removed, but in the next shot this area is covered with shaving cream again. In the following shot the father's upper lift is clean of shaving cream again.

Quotes:

Dr. Lepage: We want you to take it easy for a few days.
Jean-Dominique Bauby: What do you think I'm doing now?

Movie Connections:

References Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Soundtrack:

Ultra Violet (Light My Way)

The films places you inside the author's head and keeps you there.

Earlier this year, a good friend, avid reader and film buff informed me that one of her favorite books was the basis for a film which recently won awards at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. I knew nothing of the novel or the film so she offered me the book to read. I enjoyed the story but didn't completely appreciate its depth until I recently got a sneak peek at the film.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is about Jean-Dominique Bauby, (Mathieu Amalric) a popular editor of the French fashion magazine 'Elle.' At age 43 he is stricken with a stroke leaving him with lock-in syndrome, a medical condition that, except for his left eye, rendered him completely immobile. In fear of his right eye becoming "septic" doctors quickly stitched the eye shut.

This sealing of that eye is an early scene, which is so perfectly shot that it places you inside Bauby's head and body, and keeps you there for the entire film. You see the world as he views it while desiring to be free of the paralyzing feeling of a sinking diving bell. At other times, with his imagination, you find yourself fluttering as free as a butterfly.

Bauby wrote his story with the use of a unique sequence of letters specifically designed so he could blink his eye to communicate as he created every single word of his story.

This film is in no way depressing. The cinematography is brilliantly captured. Everyone was completely captivated by the screenplay as we experienced life deep inside Bauby's body, mind and soul. For the entire 2+ hours, you won't want to be anyplace else.