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 | 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:

1968 | Soviet | Doctor | Czechoslovakia | 1960s

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
Tomasz Borkowy	...	Jiri (as Tomek Bork)
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:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2005) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (re-rating) (2005) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) (original rating) | Canada:R (Manitoba) (2005) | Iceland:14 | Argentina:16 | Portugal:M/16 | 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:

Lena Olin's American film debut.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Mephisto the Pig, consistently referred to as "he", is a sow, as can be seen frequently, but particularly when the group enters the inn for dancing.

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 "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Creeping Terror (#7.6)" (1994)

Sex and politics- a worthy adaptation of Milan Kundera's novel

The year is 1968.Tomas is a Czech brain surgeon.Sabina (Lena Olin) is his lover with a bowler hat.They are sexually very active.He is that with other women too.He meets the young and sweet Tereza (Juliette Binoche).With her it's more than sex.The situation creates some jealousy.The political situation in Czechoslovakia is not so good.In 1968 The Prague Spring took place.That was the good period when reformist Alexander Dubcek made an effort to liberalize the Communist regime, to create socialism with a human face.That meant loosening of restrictions on the media, speech and travel.Those changes weren't liked in the Soviet Union and its leader Leonid Brezhnev.The Soviet tanks start rolling into the country on August 21st.Tereza is a photographer and she takes photos of the Soviet invasion.They don't like that.Philip Kaufman's The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) is a near masterpiece.It's based on the wonderful novel by Milan Kundera (written in 1982) which I read a few years ago.Daniel Day-Lewis is known as a man who picks his roles carefully and keeps winning awards.His work as Tomas is excellent.Juliette Binoche is amazing as Tereza.Lena Olin is a perfect choice for the part of Sabina.This was the American debut for this Swedish actress.Other actors are also great.Donald Moffat plays Chief Surgeon.Stellan Skarsgård plays The Engineer.And let's not forget Karenin the dog.The Czech filmmaker Jan Nemec worked as an adviser in this picture.They use some of the stuff he filmed during the revolution.We actually get to see him in the archive footage and also in a small role in this movie.The Unbearable Lightness of Being is an erotic tale mixed with politics.It all works very well.This is a highly intelligent movie.Not too many of them around.