OVERALL LOOK
The Diving Bell and
the Butterfly, based on the novel of the same name, tells the story of
Jean-Dominique Bauby, a fairly well off journalist, who, after suffering a
major stroke, is paralyzed from the head to toe and is forced to communicate
through blinking his left eye. Because the main character is immobile, the
film, as a result, is relatively less focused on action and “present” events
and more focused on Bauby’s personal introspective thoughts, feelings, and
emotions.
Because of this, The
Diving Bell and the Butterfly, despite being based on a true story, does
not veer towards realism but rather is conveyed to the audience as quite an expressionist
and artistic film. Evidently, many of the cinematographic elements of the film
attempt to convey this- the filmmakers are quite liberal with the use of
oblique angles, old scenic film clips, and other expressionist techniques.
IMAGES
During Bauby’s imaginative and memory scenes, the scenes are
constantly interceded with shots that are not directly related to the plot but are
rather reflective of the main character’s thoughts and emotions. For example,
in a scene in which Bauby is lying in a hospital bed recounting his life as a
failure and as a “string of near misses,” shots of glacier chunks breaking off
and falling are shown. These clips, while having no relation to the plot events
of the movie, are reflective of Bauby’s feelings of loss and grief. Many of the
interceding shots are made to look like “vintage” shots- they seem to be from
an older era as there is lower film quality, and the camera work even seems
quite unstable. This seems to allude to the fact that these shots are
representative of Bauby’s mind and imagination, and they provide a stark
contrast to the reality of the hospital.
Another image that is used extensively throughout the film
is the image of the deep sea diver. Inside the diver’s helmet is Bauby himself,
and he is portrayed as immobile and helpless- quite an appropriate reflection
of Bauby’s state of mind.
SHOT LENGTHS
Because the film is primarily told from Bauby’s point of
view, the shot lengths are quite long. In fact, most of the plot events are
presented to the audience through Bauby’s own eye. However, the long shot types
are broken by quick, abrupt shots during Bauby’s memory and imaginative scenes.
Unlike the steadiness and serene mood conveyed through the long takes, these
short, abrupt shots convey a contrast from the long takes and convey a sense of
change and powerful emotions.
SHOT TYPES
Because The Diving
Bell and the Buttterfly is primarily told from Bauby’s point of view, most
of the shots, especially in the beginning of the film, are close ups and
extreme close ups. These shots provided a perspective to Bauby’s point of view
and give the audience a better understanding of the emotions expressed by the
characters attending to Bauby. Later in the film, medium and long shots are
used more extensively to not only show the story through Bauby’s point of view,
but also from an omniscient viewpoint. These later, “longer” shots reflect
Bauby’s “opening up” and growing sense of freedom and happiness.
CAMERA ANGLES
Most of the camera angles used in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly are Bauby’s point of view shots. Some
of these point of view shots are low angle shots- especially in scenes
involving the doctors and therapists. These characters seem to be portrayed as
powerful in Bauby’s life, as Bauby is powerless, and his nurses must carry out
is daily routines for him.
In many of Bauby’s memory and imaginative scenes, however,
in contrast to the stable angles of the other parts of the film, the filmmakers
liberally used oblique angles. These angles reflected a departure from reality
in regards to Bauby’s state of mind.
COMPOSITION
Most of the shots in the film are quite balanced- they obey
the rule of thirds quite well. These balanced shots provide a sense of
composure and tranquility. One example of this is the following shot below. The
below shot is from a scene in which Bauby is recalling a memory in which he is
shaving his father. The shot is compositionally balanced on both sides. This
contributes to the sense of peace the main character feels about this scene.
The filmmakers however, use compositional stress in some
scenes to convey a sense of distress. In the shot below, Bauby sees Celine, the
mother of his children, for the first time since his accident. However, Bauby
feels uncomfortable and irritated by her presence. This is evidenced by the use
of rather unbalanced composition, as shown below. The visual weight of the
Celine’s face dominates the shot, and there is no counterweight to balance the
frame. This conveys to the audience the distress that Bauby feels.
CAMERA MOVEMENT
Interestingly, in many of the memory scenes of the film, the
camera is quite shaky and unstable, like a homemade video. The unstable camera is
not a reflection of poor camera work or a low budget- rather, the use of
unstable camera work in these memory scenes, like a homemade video, is a
provides an aura of authenticity and bliss to the memories. The presentation of
these scenes in this manner also reminds the audience that these scenes took
place in an earlier, nostalgic time.
CINEMATOGRAPHY STYLE
One particular instance in which the cinematography calls
attention to itself is in the following shot. The shot below is taken from a scene
after Bauby recalls having his stroke. In the plotline, this scene takes place
after Bauby suffers from a bout of pneumonia. The camera work seems to be
blurred, and faces move in and out of the shot. There never seems to be a solid
line of action. This stylistic use of cinematography is quite noticeable and
provides a clear demonstration of Bauby’s distress brought on by pneumonia.
Throughout the film the cinematography is quite remarkable,
and it contributes greatly to the expressionist and artful mood that the
filmmakers effectively achieve.
