Dan's Papers - October 19, 2007 -

Imagine experiencing the world through the literal lens of a man devoid of all movement except his left eyelid. A perfect vehicle for a book, you say, but how about a film?

It should come as no surprise that international artist, film director and Montauk resident Julian Schnabel should take on this true-life story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, a respectable Parisian socialite and fashion magazine editor, especially when we consider his previous movies (Basquiat and Before Night Falls) about creative individuals who must survive as outcasts.

There are other similarities connecting Schnabel's films. For example, there's his use of disparate music; in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly such music may simply represent personal favorites, deriving from Fellini's composer, Nino Rota, and the classic French New Wave movie, 400 Blows. Or it may be yet another unexpected touch that mirrors the protagonist's life.

Unpredictability is the key to Schnabel's style, with all three of his films juxtaposing reality and fantasy, a contradictory, and more importantly, liberating dynamics that characterized the French New Wave. Thus, the "imagined" sequences experienced by Bauby (especially the recurring glacier imagery) are understandable for a man who has nothing else except his imagination (and memory).

In a nutshell, the visual style often signifies an unwillingness to follow the "rules" of linear narrative. (It's no wonder that Schnabel has expressed respect for the American avant-garde.) There's a lot to suggest, therefore, that Schnabel is a maverick himself, just as his cinematic protagonists are. Schnabel's enduring familial ties can be seen in all his movies, from the artistic community's support of Basquiat and Reinaldo Arenas (Before Night Falls) to the surrogate family provided by the hospital staff in his latest work. A recurring visual metaphor drives home the point as a glacier tumbles downward through space. The movie's last shot, however, shows the reverse image when the glacier reconstitutes itself becoming whole again. Mankind has gone back to its original source. For Schnabel, that source is the family.

This observation is not to suggest that we should "pigeonhole" Schnabel's themes and styles. There's still a powerful strand of contradiction alive and well in his work. Just consider the film's title, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: claustrophobia and freedom. You can't get any more oppositional than that.