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.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) is a 1h 52min drama feature film by Julian Schnabel. Jean-Dominique Bauby, editor-in-chief of French fashion bible Elle magazine, has a devastating stroke at age 43. Selected for Los Angeles Film Awards (2025).
Key facts
Crew
Trailer
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Festival History
Titles
| Original title | Le Scaphandre et le Papillon | |
| Translated title | The Diving Bell and the Butterfly | English, Québec |
Releases & classifications
| Theatrical | Belgium | May 23, 2007 |
| Theatrical | Switzerland | May 23, 2007 |
| Theatrical | France | May 23, 2007 |
| Streaming | Japan | October 25, 2007 |
| Theatrical | Portugal | October 25, 2007 |
| Theatrical | Netherlands | November 13, 2007 |
| Theatrical | Greece | November 15, 2007 |
| Theatrical | Australia | November 17, 2007 |
| Theatrical | United States | November 30, 2007 |
| Theatrical | Israel | February 7, 2008 |
| Streaming | Ireland | February 8, 2008 |
| Theatrical | South Korea | February 14, 2008 |
| Theatrical | Italy | February 15, 2008 |
| Streaming | France | February 26, 2008 |
| Theatrical | Russia | February 28, 2008 |
| Theatrical | Germany | March 27, 2008 |
| Streaming | Austria | March 28, 2008 |
| Streaming | France | September 10, 2021 |
| Streaming | France | June 1, 2022 |
| Classification | Germany | 12 |
| Classification | United Kingdom | 12 |
| Classification | United States | PG-13 |
Versions & editions
| Home video | France | February 20, 2008 |
| Home video | Canada | April 29, 2008 |
| Home video | United States | April 29, 2008 |
| Home video | Hong Kong | May 2, 2008 |
| Home video | United Kingdom | June 9, 2008 |
| Home video | Taiwan | June 27, 2008 |
| Home video | Canada | February 1, 2011 |
| Home video | South Korea | May 28, 2012 |
| Home video | Spain | April 23, 2014 |
| Home video | United States | January 31, 2025 |
Full credits
| Director | Julian Schnabel |
| 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), Zinedine Soualem (Joubert), Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre (Diane), Agathe de La Fontaine (Inès), Marie Meyer (Mannequin), Ilze Bajare (Mannequin), Anna Chyzh (Mannequin), Lenny Kravitz (Himself), Michael Wincott (Fashion Photographer) |
| Screenplay | Ronald Harwood |
| Producer | Jon Kilik, Kathleen Kennedy |
| Executive producer | Jim Lemley, Pierre Grunstein |
| Cinematography | Janusz Kamiński |
| Editing | Juliette Welfling |
| Music | Paul Cantelon |
| Special makeup effects | Olivier Afonso |
| Sound | Dominique Gaborieau, Francis Wargnier |
| Costumes | Olivier Bériot |
Additional data: TMDB.
Source: Wikidata (CC0-1.0)
Source: Cinémathèque québécoise, linked catalogue data (CC BY 4.0)
