BY Real Movie News

Friday afternoon, November 9th, a few selected members of the press sat at a small round table in the suite of a Los Angeles Four Seasons Hotel. Balancing her oversized microphone on two bottles of Vitamin Water, an interviewer asked, “Do you think the film will be nominated for an Oscar?” No one knew, but everyone who answered was in favor. Two chairs facing away from the door leaned against the edge of the table; one person wondered, “Who do you think is coming first?” We anxiously waited for the arrival of our guests. Seconds later, Mathieu Almaric walked into the room. Extremely modest, he gratefully accepted the many complements and praise. Almaric, in the leading role of Jean-Dominique Bauby was truly profound. He conveyed the heart and soul of a man confined to a wheelchair. Almaric considered himself to be a physical actor, and having to limit his movements was extremely difficult for him.

Asked about Director Julian Schnabel, Almaric elaborated on the process of shooting the film and Schnabel’s goals of achieving authenticity. He explained the movie was shot in the hospital where Bauby was treated, the Berek Maritime Hospital in Pas De Calais, France. Schnabel also encouraged discarding professional habits and minimal rehearsal. The shooting was finished ten days ahead of schedule.

However, the most fascinating part of Almaric’s interview was when he was asked what he learned about death. He responded, “I learned more about life than death”. The film helped Almaric recognize the joys of life and the potential of the mind. He explained that even with Bauby’s paralysis, he was able to travel and live through his mind and vivid imagination.

Actresses Emmanuelle Seigner and Marie-Josée Croze joined us afterwards. The two beauties graciously introduced themselves, appreciatively shaking our hands. Seigner played Céline Desmoulins, the mother of Bauby’s children; and Croze played Henriette Durand, the doctor who invents the system which enables Bauby to communicate. Seigner and Croze commented on working with Schnabel; they were not stuck in a box, having the freedom to use their instincts. The two “felt loved” by Schnabel; he trusted in both of their abilities, determined to work with them before assigning their roles.

Later on in the afternoon, we were joined by legend Max von Sydow and Academy Award winning screenwriter Ronald Harwood. After Sydow was approached with the role of Papinou, and having read the script, he wrote Harwood a letter of appreciation. Sydow claimed he never written to a screenwriter before, but he was so impressed with Harwood’s work he had to write him. Harwood said he did not know how to begin the script and there was a point when he was considering resigning from the project. Fortunately, Harwood stuck with project and created a beautiful masterpiece.

The most climatic moment of the afternoon however, was our time spent with director Julian Schnabel. The eccentric, charismatic artist is fluent in English, Spanish, Italian and French. The original script was written in English, but Schnabel decided the film should be shot in French and collaborated with the actors to form a translation. Schnabel said this film is “not really a movie, not a normal movie”. He wanted to explore death through Bauby’s experience. Schnabel was greatly affected by Bauby’s message and after completing the film he is not worried about death.

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