The Diving Bell and the Butterfly



The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Introduction

Men of flesh and blood, geniuses whose status has not waived the disease and despite it, or through it, we have made great strides humanity. Charismatic journalist and editor of French Elle magazine, Jean-Dominique Bauby suffered a stroke at age 43. Nevertheless, he wrote his autobiography, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, which was later made into a film. Bauby wrote and edited the book on his head and dictated letter by letter (by an alphabet recognition system through his left eye wink) his assistant Claude Mendibil. The book was published in 2007, ten days before Bauby died of pneumonia. He suffered a stroke that left him quadriplegic and with "locked-in syndrome", i.e. was paralyzed, unable to eat, speak or breathe without assistance but his mind worked perfectly. He could only communicate by blinking his left eye. Bauby created a new world from the things they retained control: his imagination and memory.

Answer 1

As it was mentioned, the film adapts the autobiography of Jean-Dominique Bauby, a journalist who in 1995 had a brutal stroke, he fell into a coma from which he awoke completely paralyzed. Although mentally alert, was imprisoned inside your body, only able to communicate with the outside world blinking his left eye. Forced to adapt to this perspective, Bauby created a new world, examining to find the only two things that were not paralyzed: his imagination and memory. From this situation, in my opinion quite difficult to develop, the film immerses us completely in the mind of the protagonist, placing since its inception in the interior of the eye still active, which is their only window and outside contact. A voice that has meant mainly to Mathieu Almaric one of his greatest recognition as an actor, takes us into the mind of a man who is only that, your mind, and gives us a very different view of the situation of which would have had if, as usual, had taken the perspective from outside the character.

This is possibly because Jean-Dominique Bauby dictated all his feelings and thoughts after the accident, using an alphabet with which he communicated through a code of winks. So much of the magnitude of this story is due to the courage and will of the person who inspired it, but that does not detract from Schnabel, who has managed to translate his words to the language of film, conveying the full range of thoughts and emotions contrasted, with which it is easy to guess that they were written. The contrasts are precisely those that dominate the film, above all. Cynicism and humour they often take things the protagonist and the faces of compassion, wonder or sorrow with you look around. Life, in capital letters, with all that that entails, and the helplessness of not having another opportunity to fully enjoy what has been understood.

For the tragedy meant for Bauby a real lesson in life that “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” moves the viewer ...