The Unbearable Lightness Of Being (Criterion)
The Criterion Collection
Philip Kaufman achieves a delicate, erotic balance with his screen version of Milan Kundera’s "unfilmable" novel. Adapted by Kaufman and Jean-Claude Carriere, the film follows a womanizing surgeon (Daniel Day-Lewis) as he struggles with his free-spirited mistress (Lena Olin) and his childlike wife (Juliette Binoche). An intimate epic, The Unbearable Lightness of Being charts the frontiers of relationships with wit, emotion, and devastating honesty.
Member Reviews
Unbearably erotic ; unbearably long - dimovieman
This movie although slightly too long is very sensual and very intriguing. The characters have quiet a chemistry between them. A very exciting and captivating threesome. It is a pleasure to watch a young Lena Olin and understanding why she is the sultry and sexy actress she is today. Daniel Day Lewis has quite a sex appeal in this movie too and you lock into his search for desire and pleasure. And Juliette Binoche is so believable as a young, naive and insecure wife. She is so refreshing to watch. You also get a good feel of the historical turmoil of the times. Very enjoyable movie...Kaufman's Quiet Masterpiece - Fenris_Ulf
Philip Kaufman is one of the biggest enigmas in American cinema. He's given us the magnificent "The Right Stuff", and exceptional films like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and "Quills", but he's also turned out tripe like "Rising Sun" and "Twisted". On the one hand, I don't think it's entirely unfair to consider him the "poor man's" Kubrick. Their visual styles are very similar (lush, detailed, stoic), and Kaufman's filmography is quite diverse, as was Kubrick's. The difference is, Kubrick was a much better (and consistent) judge of material. Kaufman's choices are often difficult to fathom.
Thankfully, in adapting Milan Kundera's "The Unbearable Lightness of Being", he has made a terrific choice, resulting in, arguably, his finest work to date.
Daniel Day-Lewis is a tremendous actor, but I much preferred the quiet, heartfelt performance turned in by the adorable Juliette Binoche. While Day-Lewis floats through the film with a non-stop, slightly deranged grin on his face, and some horrific "Borat" hair that are both incredibly distracting (although, to be fair, the hair actually plays a bizarre role in Tereza's development), Binoche just softly, consistently breaks your heart, with her unconditional and complete love for her undeserving husband.
Though the events of the Prague Spring are secondary to the issues of love and fidelity, Kaufman does a great job of immersing the audience into those troubling times. I've never found the integration of fictional characters into archival footage to be particularly effective or believable, but Kaufman achieves a modicum of success with his artificially aged sequences. They are fairly seamless, technically, if somewhat obviously staged.
Lastly, this film is breathtaking to behold, visually. Especially considering the "palette" that Kaufman works from. There are no bright reds, or sky blues, or deep blacks. The images, like the characters, are both subdued, yet intensely passionate.
Member Reviews
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Unbearably erotic ; unbearably long - dimovieman
This movie although slightly too long is very sensual and very intriguing. The characters have quiet a chemistry between them. A very exciting and captivating threesome. It is a pleasure to watch a young Lena Olin and understanding why she is the sultry and ...Kaufman's Quiet Masterpiece - Fenris_Ulf
Philip Kaufman is one of the biggest enigmas in American cinema. He's given us the magnificent "The Right Stuff", and exceptional films like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and "Quills", but he's also turned out tripe like "Rising Sun" and "Twisted". On the ...