The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Two-Disc Special Edition)
by Philip Kaufman
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Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, Derek de Lint, Erland Josephson, Juliette Binoche, Lena OlinDirector: Philip Kaufman
Brand: DAY-LEWIS,DANIEL
Cinematographer: Sven Nykvist
Writer: Philip Kaufman
Producer: Bertil Ohlsson
Producer: Paul Zaentz
Producer: Saul Zaentz
Writer: Jean-Claude Carrière
Writer: Milan Kundera
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 171 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-02-07
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Model: 73404
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Reviews of The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Two-Disc Special Edition)
DVD Review: Hardly Boring
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Unbearable Lightness of Being" is a film from 1988 made by director Phillip Kaufman that caught my attention at a store due to it's unusual title. The film was in the new release section due to the recent two-disc special edition and the film's title stuck in my head for a couple of weeks and I finally decided to rent it. After reading the synopsis and seeing the actors that were in it, I knew I would like it...I was unaware, however, of just how much I would like it. This movie isn't really my kind of movie. I like independent films and watch them quite a bit, but as far as plot and everything this isn't my ideal film. To give you a quick example, my favorite movie is "Pulp Fiction" and some movies appearing in my top 30 would be (not in this order) American Beauty, Crash, Million Dollar Baby, and Blue Velvet. But, after just a few minutes shy of three hours after I began this movie I was amazed. This movie transfixed me, I loved every single solitary second of it.
Roger Ebert called this movie "the best serious erotic film since Last Tango in Paris" which I feel is pretty much accurate. None of the actors in this movie are Marlon Brando, but I feel this movie was better. The performances by all three main actors (Daniel Day-Lewis, Lena Olin, and Juliette Bincoche) are spectacular, but don't seem that way immediately. It's when you compare all their performances to this performance that it clicks. I'm not saying that each actor puts on their best performance in this movie, only that...Well, you've caught my drift hopefully. Another aspect I loved about this movie was it's dialouge, which is nothing short of spectacular. It's not Quentin Tarantino-quick witted, fast tongued like dialouge. It's not the kind of movie where you really even notice that the dialouge stands out, but there were lines in this film that were great. I couldn't tell you a single one right now, but there were a few times when I thought to myself "that was a great line." Also, I was amazed to find out (via this website) that Phillip Kaufman (director and co-adaptor of the film) is American, because this movie seems to be filmed by a foreign director. That might not make sense to some people, but it does have that kind of aura to it. The movie stars Day-Lewis as Tomas, a womanizing surgeon who lives in Prague. The man is brilliant at convincing woman to do what he wants them to do, which is detailed in a very funny opening scene. With the words "take off your clothes", he gets exactly what he wants. But Tomas is seemingly incapable of loving another person, but he does enjoy sex. Sex isn't a way of showing love, but is instead mere entertainment. Luckily, he has a partner that feels the same way. This partner is Sabina (Olin) a young woman, who is pretty much a female version of Tomas. One day, Tomas is sent to another town to perform an operation where a woman catches his eye. Tomas follows her and when he catches up with her, he meets Tereza (Binoche). Tereza is the polar opposite of Sabina. While Sabina is comfortable with her body, open to love-less sex, and composed.
Tereza is uncomfortable with nakedness, sex, and is a bit child like in her manner. For some reason, Tomas is attracted to her and marries her while still carrying on his affair with Sabina, who has met a man named Franz who might finally be the one. Then the story takes a different turn, when the Russian invasion occurs in Prague and Tomas and Tereza end up in Switzerland, where Sabina happens to be as well. The cinematography during the scenes of the Russian invasion is very good, it first turns to black & white and then a grainy color. But, there's about as much of the synopsis I can give...Now, I'll begin my thoughts on the performances. As I said they're all great, but Olin is the best in the movie. I've seen her in several movies before and can not think of a single one and I was amazed to find out she was born in 1955, making her 51 today and 33 when this movie was made. Olin was (is) perfect for this role, as she has both the acting skills and the sexuality and body needed for the role to be believable. Day-Lewis is great, as always. It's interesting to watch My Left Foot, this film, and Gangs of New York and see how he completely embodies a character rather than just plays them. Then there's Binoche, I have several pros and really only one con with her. She catches the child like quality, yet strong will of the character Tereza brilliantly, she should've got an Oscar nomination for this movie at least (and for all I know, she might have). But, during one of the "sex" scenes involving her (in the rest of them, I could barely tell) she has a fairly large abundance of armpit hair. This is just me, but that's not very attractive and when you see the other women that Tomas hooks up with or almost hooks up with in this movie, you have to wonder what was he thinking. Before this review becomes ridiculously long, I need to add that not everyone will like this movie half as much as I did. In fact, a lot of people won't like it at all. It's 168 minutes without the end credits annnd combines so many plot elements, that it bored a lot of people. One person on Amazon said they should've called it "The Unbearable Boredom of Watching". So, technically I recommend this movie highly; but don't take my word for it. Hopefully my review will lead you to conclude whether you should watch this movie or waste your time on something else. Either way, this is my grade for it: A
Description of The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Sexually provocative exploration of a man's needs for physical gratification and the decision he must make when faced with his wife's needs.Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 7-FEB-2006
Media Type: DVD
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