The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

"Let your imagination set you free."

2007 1h 52m FR

🙌

7.6

BANGER

🔥

94%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★7.6TMDB · 1,325🍅94%Rotten Tomatoes●92Metacritic★8IMDB · 112,676

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Jean-Dominique Bauby, editor-in-chief of French fashion bible Elle magazine, has a devastating stroke at age 43. The damage to his brain stem results in locked-in syndrome, with which he is almost completely paralyzed and only able to communicate by blinking an eye. Bauby painstakingly dictates his memoir via the only means of expression left to him.

“Let your imagination set you free.”

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Cast

Mathieu Amalric
Jean-Dominique Bauby
Emmanuelle Seigner
Céline Desmoulins
Marie-Josée Croze
Henriette Durand
Anne Consigny
Claude
Patrick Chesnais
Dr. Lepage
Niels Arestrup
Roussin
Olatz López Garmendia
Marie Lopez
Jean-Pierre Cassel
Father Lucien

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Julian Schnabel
Writers: Ronald Harwood
Languages: French
Countries: France, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 19 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Julian Schnabel, shot by Janusz Kamiński. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Paul Cantelon. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Juliette Welfling shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Seigner and Marie-Josée Croze carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Let your imagination set you free.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0401383 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Julian Schnabel directs. Janusz Kamiński behind the camera. Paul Cantelon scores. Juliette Welfling cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in France, United States of America. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 19 years ago.
2International production across 2 countries: France, United States of America.
3Directed by Julian Schnabel, shot by Janusz Kamiński. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Paul Cantelon. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Juliette Welfling shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Seigner and Marie-Josée Croze carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Let your imagination set you free.".
8IMDB entry: tt0401383 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 11 themes, including "dying and death", "based on novel or book", "writing", "female lover".
10Released under 14 different titles around the world.