The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)

February 5, 1988 (US) • Drama, Romance • 171m

Overview

Successful surgeon Tomas leaves Prague for an operation, meets a young photographer named Tereza, and brings her back with him. Tereza is surprised to learn that Tomas is already having an affair with the bohemian Sabina, but when the Soviet invasion occurs, all three flee to Switzerland. Sabina begins an affair, Tom continues womanizing, and Tereza, disgusted, returns to Czechoslovakia. Realizing his mistake, Tomas decides to chase after her.

Director

Philip Kaufman

Writers

Philip Kaufman, Jean-Claude Carrière, Milan Kundera

Top Billed

Daniel Day-Lewis

Keywords

infidelity waitress based on novel or book free love photographer loyalty lover soviet union soviet military surgeon prague, czech republic partnership warsaw pact communism 1960s

Where to watch

Rent

Buy

Top Billed Cast

Daniel Day-Lewis

Tomas

Juliette Binoche

Tereza

Lena Olin

Sabina

Derek de Lint

Franz

Stellan Skarsgård

The Engineer

Erland Josephson

The Ambassador

Pavel Landovský

Pavel

Donald Moffat

Chief Surgeon

Daniel Olbrychski

Interior Ministry Official

Tomasz Borkowy

Jiri

Bruce Myers

Czech Editor

Pavel Slabý

Pavel's Nephew

Pascale Kalensky

Nurse Katja

Jacques Ciron

Swiss Restaurant Manager

Anne Lonnberg

Swiss Photographer

László Szabó

Russian Interrogator

Vladimír Valenta

Mayor

Clovis Cornillac

Boy in Bar

Consuelo De Haviland

Tall Brunette

Leon Lissek

Bold Man in Bar

Jacqueline Abraham-Vernier

Judith Atwell

Claudine Berg

Jean-Claude Bouillon

Miroslaw Beuer

Niven Busch

Margot Capelier

Victor Chelkoff

Monica Constandache

Jean-Claude Dauphin

Swiss editor

Dominique De Moncutt

Bernard Lepinaux

Josiane Lévêque

Peter Majer

Charles Millot

Lecturer in Geneva

Gérard Moulévrier

Jan Němec

Cameraman filming the tanks in Prague

Charly Oleg

Sylvie Plantard

Olga Baïdar-Poliakoff

Christine Potter

Hana Maria Pravda

Romano

André Sanfratello

Jiří Stanislav

Milos Szoboda

Helenka Vernier

Marrian Walters

Serge Delanoue

Danseur (uncredited)

Philip Kaufman

Man walking on street outside Sabina's flat (uncredited)

Isabelle Noérie

Student (uncredited)

Crew

Philip Kaufman

Screenplay

Jean-Claude Carrière

Screenplay

Philip Kaufman

Director

Pierre Guffroy

Production Design

Paul Zaentz

Associate Producer

Mark Adler

Original Music Composer

Michael Magill

Editor

Vivien Hillgrove

Editor

Walter Murch

Editor

Sven Nykvist

Director of Photography

Bertil Ohlsson

Executive Producer

Saul Zaentz

Producer

Milan Kundera

Novel

B.J. Sears

Co-Editor

Suzanne Benoit

Key Makeup Artist

Rosalina Da Silva

Makeup Artist

Paul LeBlanc

Key Hair Stylist

Frank Simeone

Unit Production Manager

Daniel Szuster

Production Manager

Simon Brook

Third Assistant Director

Robert Kechichian

Second Assistant Director

Charles Paviot

First Assistant Director

David Franklin Bergad

Sound Editor

Mark Berger

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Todd Boekelheide

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Luis Colina

Sound Effects Editor

Ernie Fosselius

Foley Editor

Richard Hymns

Sound Effects Editor

Pat Jackson

Sound Effects Editor

Ann Kroeber

Sound Effects

Barbara McBane

Dialogue Editor

Chris Newman

Production Sound Mixer

David Parker

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Diana Pellegrini

Sound Editor

Philip Rogers

Sound Recordist

Alan Splet

Sound Designer

Rémy Julienne

Stunt Coordinator

Philippe Houdart

Camera Operator

Bernard Noisette

Camera Operator

George Michael Pantages

Gaffer

Ann Roth

Costume Design

Reviews

Filipe Manuel Neto

⭐ 4/10

January 23, 2024

**The Unbearable lightness of Sex.**

When the recently deceased Milan Kundera published “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” he probably knew that the book would be both loved and hated. Based on the philosophies of Friedrich Nietzsche, it outlines a story full of eroticism between four characters amid the turmoil resulting from the Prague Spring in 1968, and the “years of lead” that followed. What this film did was adapt the novel to the cinema, with some changes and focusing attention on the two central characters.

I read the book many years ago and didn't like it. In the book, the author exposes philosophical positions taken from Nietzsche's ideas and where he privileges sex and the search for pleasure while relativizing and diminishing love. No idea could be more different from my thinking. After all, what could be more fleeting than an orgasm? In a subtle way, the book ends up proving me right: the characters live very troubled lives until the moment they find the serenity that stable feelings, such as love and friendship, can bring to each person's life. From this short review, you can already tell that I didn't like the film. I still decided to watch it due to the amount of positive opinions I heard and the presence of some big names in cinema.

Directed by Philip Kaufman, the film was made almost immediately after the book was published, but the adaptation is quite weak. The film essentially focuses on one thing: sex. I shouldn't be exaggerating if I say that we can't watch thirty minutes of film without see a naked woman or a couple in the act, and the film is almost three hours long. It was something that had to be part of the film, given the content of the book, but I think there was an exaggeration on the part of the producers and screenwriters. Nudity is very present, bluntly, from all angles, which makes the film heavier. With so much attention to sordid details, the rich characterization of Kundera's characters got lost somewhere: Tereza couldn't seem more confused and Tomás was transformed into a debauched maniac who can't see a woman in front of him and can't respect his wife.

What about the book's political plot, in which Kundera exposes his aversion to his country's regime? The film tells us very little. The images of the Prague Spring are striking, in large part due to the superb cinematography and the way they combined archival footage with the film, and we have the feeling, from then on, that the authorities' control is suffocating, but no much more is told or revealed to us. Again, the attention is focused on nudity and sex, not on what matters in the book.

On a positive note, we must highlight the performance of the cast, led by Daniel Day-Lewis and Juliette Binoche. Day-Lewis is undeniably a great actor and has immense talent, and the only thing that stops us from appreciating his performance more is the disgust for his character. Binoche, I confess, has already seemed much more interesting to me in other characters and works, but she also has enough space to shine. They also have the support of Lena Olin, Derek de Lint, and we can also count on the special participation of Stellan Skarsgård. On a technical level, in addition to the exquisite cinematography that I have already mentioned, we also have the excellent recreation of the period, palpable in all the props, sets and costumes and an excellent soundtrack.

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Status

Released

Original Language

Budget

$17,000,000

Revenue

$10,000,000

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The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)

Philip Kaufman, Jean-Claude Carrière, Milan Kundera

Where to watch

Top Billed Cast

Crew

Reviews

Filipe Manuel Neto

Recommended Movies

Graphic Desires

Addicted

The Drama

Gone Girl

Status

Original Language

Budget

Revenue

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