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d21 blog: Attention cinema goers!
Added on 28/04/2008 by Rebecca Thursten
A public service announcement.
This evening the Gala is screening The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, Julian Schnabel's stunning film of Jean-Dominique Bauby's memoir. Bauby, the editor of Elle, suffered a massive stroke at 43 and was left with the rare but terrifying 'locked-in syndrome'. Completely paralysed apart from his left eyelid but otherwise completely aware, Bauby dictated his memoir by blinking his eye while an alphabet was read out. It may seem unfilmable to fans of the book, but in Schnabel's hands it's intensely cinematic. He takes heed from Bauby's statement that everything he had was paralysed except his memory and imagination, and as such the luxuriously shot images of Bauby's past and fantasies are interwoven with scenes filmed exclusively from Bauby's limited point of view. It's equally engrossing and claustrophobic (especially in an early scene where Bauby watches helplessly as his right eyelid in sewn up) but if it sounds grim or mawkish it's not. It's just beautiful, and certainly one of the best films of last year. If you can find the time then make the effort, you can always call it revision if you're a French student
I'd also like to take the time to flag up next Wednesday's screening of Double Indemnity. Like most sane people, I have interests other than films. My tastes in music or books, for example, are equally unwieldy, and I imagine probably give me the same amount of pleasure. But while I may remember getting into particular artists, albums or novels, I don't remember 'getting into' music. I didn't, as far as I know, have a 'Eureka!' moment for liking books. I did for films, and it was Double Indemnity. When I was 12 there was a tour of a theatrical production of the novel Double Indemnity, and I was cast in it for the leg at my local theatre. It was fantastic. I have no idea if the play was any good - the fact that I played an apparition of a murder victim and spent all my time hissing 'Phyllis...' and basically wearing a sheet may suggest it wasn't - but I had a great time. The acting bug didn't bite (probably a good thing considering the limit of my talents), but after reading about the 1944 film in the programme I became curious and hunted it out. That's probably one of the better decisions I've ever made. It's a masterpeice. From that point on, I had my self-imposed cinema education in a pleasingly chronological fashion, and seven years later movies are still the pipe-dream of what I want to do with my life. I can't guarantee it will be a transformative experience, but if you have a taste for film noir (hell, if you haven't) then go to see it and reward the Gala for giving us the choice of films they are. I'm not getting paid for this, but I really do think it would be a good use of your time.
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Rebecca Thursten
Cinema Editor
cinema@durham21.co.uk
Comments for "d21 blog: Attention cinema goers!"
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Unfortunately its over 60s only, but if anyone has easy access to a pensioner then go and report back.
10/05/2008 09:34