The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)

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.

Director:

Philip Kaufman

Writers:

Milan Kundera (novel), Jean-Claude Carrière (screenplay)

Stars:

Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche, Lena Olin

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Day-Lewis	...	Tomas
Juliette Binoche	...	Tereza
Lena Olin	...	Sabina
Derek de Lint	...	Franz
Erland Josephson	...	The Ambassador
Pavel Landovský	...	Pavel
Donald Moffat	...	Chief Surgeon
Daniel Olbrychski	...	Interior Ministry Official
Stellan Skarsgård	...	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

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.

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Plot Keywords:

female full frontal nudity | czechoslovakian history | sexual promiscuity | soviet invasion of czechoslovakia | soviet occupation | 

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Taglines:

A Lovers Story.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Juliette Binoche: The Art of Being - Official Fansite MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 February 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

La insoportable levedad del ser

Filming Locations:

Prague, Czech Republic

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$202,189, 5 February 1988, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$10,006,806

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Saul Zaentz Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

171 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The sequence depicting the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia incorporates real documentary footage of the era shot by students of Prague Film School with new scenes recreated for the movie. One of the film students, Jan Nemec, has a small role as a cameraman who is beaten and has his film confiscated by the Soviet police.

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Goofs

When Tomas drives to the spa town to perform an operation in the beginning of the film, he is shown driving a light blue sedan with an aluminum roof rack. After meeting Tereza and then leaving to drive back back to Prague, he is seen driving off in a car of a darker shade of blue with no roof rack.

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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]

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Connections

Referenced in Sex at 24 Frames Per Second (2003)

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Soundtracks

"String Quartet N°1 (Kreutzer Sonata)
Composed by Leos Janácek
(1923)

User Reviews

A wonderful Film

This is a great work. The Actors, director and all involved in this production should be very proud. It is wonderful Film.

The acting is pure and real. Juliette Binoche is truly a remarkable actor. Her desperation is beautifully played ( "I know he loves me."). Only a cold heart could not be moved by such a truthful performance. Daniel Day-Lewis plays his part with such realism, that he seems almost not to be acting. That is the art of his game. Lena Olin is outstanding. The scene in which she complains about the music is, I feel, a classic.

I love this film, and thats what it is, a film. Not a book. This Film seems to tap into something truly moving and touching. Thank you to all the crew involved. A Classic of Cinema.