The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Synopsis

Jean-Dominique Bauby, editor-in-chief of French fashion bible Elle magazine, has a devastating stroke at age 43. The damage to his brain stem results in locked-in syndrome, with which he is almost completely paralyzed and only able to communicate by blinking an eye. Bauby painstakingly dictates his memoir via the only means of expression left to him.

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Cast

Mathieu Amalric

Jean-Dominique Bauby

Emmanuelle Seigner

Céline Desmoulins

Marie-Josée Croze

Henriette Durand

Anne Consigny

Claude

Patrick Chesnais

Dr. Lepage

Niels Arestrup

Roussin

—

Olatz López Garmendia

Marie Lopez

Jean-Pierre Cassel

Father Lucien

Marina Hands

Joséphine

Max von Sydow

Papinou

Isaach de Bankolé

Laurent

Emma de Caunes

Empress Eugenia

Jean-Philippe Écoffey

Doctor Mercier

Gérard Watkins

Doctor Cocheton

—

Nicolas Le Riche

Ninjinski

—

Théo Sampaio

Théophile

Fiorella Campanella

Céleste

Talina Boyaci

Hortense

Anne Alvaro

Betty

Françoise Lebrun

Madame Bauby

Crew

Art

• Julian Schnabel Title Designer

Camera

• Janusz Kamiński Director of Photography
• Berto Camera Operator
• Olivier Fortin First Assistant Camera
• Steeven Petitteville First Assistant Camera
• Benoît Pain Second Assistant Camera
• Adrien Debackere Second Assistant Camera
• Jörg Widmer Steadicam Operator
• Roland Savoye Underwater Director of Photography
• Pascal Morisset Underwater Camera
• Michel Revest Underwater Camera
• Étienne George Still Photographer

Costume & Make-Up

• Olivier Bériot Costume Design
• Camille Janbon Assistant Costume Designer
• Daniella Telle Costumer
• Camille Joste Costumer
• Alexia Crisp-Jones On Set Dresser
• Lucia Lefebvre On Set Dresser
• Sylvie Néant On Set Dresser
• Myriam Hottois Makeup Department Head
• Florence Batteault Makeup Artist
• Sandrine Cirilli Makeup Artist
• Chloé Van Lierde Makeup Artist
• Elizabeth Delesalle Makeup Artist

Crew

• Virginia Anderson Post Production Supervisor
• Marion Gervais Child Wrangler
• Vincent Tulasne Video Assist Operator
• Sylvie Coen Legal Services
• Arnaud Bisselbach Driver
• Hélène Millet Driver

Directing

• Julian Schnabel Director
• Stéphane Gluck First Assistant Director
• Mathilde Cavillan Second Assistant Director
• Lucie Wagner Assistant Director Trainee
• Sébastien Marziniak Assistant Director Trainee

Editing

• Juliette Welfling Editor
• Margot Meynier Assistant Editor

Production

• François-Xavier Decraene Line Producer
• Jim Lemley Executive Producer
• Pierre Grunstein Executive Producer
• Jon Kilik Producer
• Kathleen Kennedy Producer
• Léonard Glowinski Associate Producer
• Gérard Moulévrier Casting
• Michel Eric Production Designer
• Laurent Ott Production Designer
• Rachel Berger Casting Assistant
• Sana El Ghoul Casting Assistant
• Laurent Soulet Casting Director

Sound

• Francis Wargnier Sound Designer
• Jean-Paul Mugel Sound Engineer
• Paul Cantelon Original Music Composer
• Dominique Gaborieau Sound Designer
• Julian Schnabel Music Supervisor
• Yves-Marie Omnes Sound Assistant

Writing

• Ronald Harwood Screenplay
• Jean-Dominique Bauby Book