The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)

Director:

Philip Kaufman

Writers (WGA):

Milan Kundera (novel)
Jean-Claude Carrière (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

5 February 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Romance

Tagline:

A Lovers Story.

Plot:

In 1968, a Czech doctor with an active sex life meets a woman who wants monogamy, and then the Soviet invasion further disrupts their lives.

Plot Keywords:

Film With Ambiguous Title | Female Nudity | Promiscuous Man | Surgeon | Soviet Army

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Daniel Day-Lewis	...	Tomas
Juliette Binoche	...	Tereza
Lena Olin	...	Sabina
Derek de Lint	...	Franz
Erland Josephson	...	The Ambassador
Pavel Landovský	...	Pavel
Donald Moffat	...	Chief Surgeon
Daniel Olbrychski	...	Interior Ministry Official
Stellan Skarsgård	...	The Engineer
Tomek Bork	...	Jiri
Bruce Myers	...	Czech Editor
Pavel Slaby	...	Pavel's Nephew
Pascale Kalensky	...	Nurse Katja
Jacques Ciron	...	Swiss Restaurant Manager
Anne Lonnberg	...	Swiss Photographer

Runtime:

171 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Portugal:M/16 | Canada:R (Manitoba) (2005) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) (original rating) | Argentina:16 | Canada:PG (Ontario) (re-rating) (2005) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2005) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Iceland:14 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Hong Kong:III | Singapore:R21 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Bèze, Côte-d'Or, France

Company:

The Saul Zaentz Company

Trivia:

Fittingly, Tomas is seen reading a book called "The Adventures of Casanova in Switzerland."

Goofs:

Continuity: After Tomas the window-washer slugs back the wine offered to him by the Communist Party official's wife, the wineglass refills as he sits down on the chair next to the sideboard.

Quotes:

[first lines]
First Title Card: In Prague, in 1968, there lived a young doctor named Tomas...
Tomas: Take off your clothes.
[line recurs several times during film]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Judging Amy: The Unbearable Lightness of Being Family (#3.6)" (2001)

Memorable and beautifully done

I've not read the book this is based on, so have no way to comment on how this movie translates it. But the film itself has stayed in my mind like few others. Yes, it's very long, but the characters are so memorable that the length didn't bother me at all - I loved the time spent in their company. In particular, Juliette Binoche and Lena Olin are each astonishing in their own way. Olin is ferociously sensual and mesmerizing, while Binoche is superlatively sympathetic and sensitive. Two of the best female performances I can remember. By the end of the film I was totally wrapped up in these people's lives. This film is deeply erotic but in an intelligent and adult way that puts most other film's treatment of sex to shame. I thought it was beautifully handled by all concerned, and if I ever want to cry, I only need watch the scenes with the dog and the final scenes, both pulled off superbly.