Cheap The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Criterion Collection (DVD) (Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche) (Philip Kaufman) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Criterion Collection

"The Unbearable Lightness of Being" is a cinematic experience that will move you in many ways. The thrill of romance, the heartfelt friendships, the tension of Russian tanks rolling through Prague in 1968 and the passion of a people to take control of their own lives are all a big part of this wonderful film. It is beautifully filmed, with a hypnotizing screenplay, and a tremendous cast that fully capture the essence of each of the wonderful characters they portray.

It stars Daniel Day-Lewis, as Tomas, a renowned brain surgeon in Czechoslovakia(also renowned for his charms that no woman can resist)whose love for two very different women, creates a unique bonding and passionate love triangle between the three.
He can never forget the beautiful and seductive Sabina(Lena Olin), who seems to know him better than any other, and yet he cannot resist the charms of his wide-eyed and childlike but serious bride, Tereza(Juliette Binoche).But when politcal upheaval, interupts his perfect life, they must flee the country, where Tereza finds she cannot continue the lightness of life that Tomas has carved out for them. He must choose now, a decision that may have him sacrificing all in the name of love.

A nearly three hours, there is not a frame in this excellent piece of filmmaking that I would change. With each view I fall more in love with it and always come away completly moved. It is Directed by Philip Kaufman("Quills"/"The Right Stuff") and includes Donald Moffat and Stellan Skarsgard in the wonderful cast.The music adds the perfect feel to the rollar coaster of emotions in the story and the photography is outstanding.

This DVD by MGM is a nice transfer. The picture and colors are very good and it is presented in the theatrical release format of 1.85:1. The sound is superb in DD 5.1. It surrounds the room and every detail is clear and distinguishable.(The Criterion edition is in 2.0) Not much in the way of bonus features though, if that is what you are looking for. There is a theatrical trailer and it may be viewed with subtitles in English, French or Spanish. At this time I notice that Amazon is out of stock, and the merchants have some, but at very high prices. This DVD is not hard to come by. I found it at my neighborhood video store at the sugg. retail price(about half of what the sellers are asking for).

This is a film to be enjoyed many times over by anyone who enjoys, romance, drama, a little comedy, and fine filmmaking. It is however rated R for nudity and explicit love scenes.

Get ready for a moving experience and enjoy.....Laurie

Great adaptation of the novel
This is one of my favorite movies. Philip Kaufman did an excellent job of translating the novel into film, and the acting is top-notch as well. The performances are strong, and some of the more philosophical elements of the novel are incorporated without creating the awkwardness that might have resulted in the hands of a less-capable director.

The biggest surprise was the strong European feel of the film. (Yes, the film was set in Europe - specifically, Prague and Geneva - but American movies shot on location are usually still identifiably American.) The film's portrayal of the sexual relationships in the story is remarkably mature - not something you'd expect from an American film.

The quality of the DVD transfer is vastly superior to the laserdisc. It was particularly gratifying to be able to watch the film in one sitting, without interruptions, and without having to change discs halfway through. The additional commentary is good, though the commentary from the wonderful Lena Olin seems slightly out of place amongst the more technical commentary of Philip Kaufman and the others involved.

The only drawback to this particular edition is the sound. While the sound quality is excellent, the volume is markedly quieter than that of the other DVDs I've bought so far.

Please read Kundera's book instead
Kundera's novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being is absolutely amazing, and this film falls so far short of it. Despite my almost-immediate dislike of the film, I actually stuck it out and watched the entire thing (hoping that Daniel Day-Lewis could somehow salvage it or that the film might actually express some idea from Kundera's book). But I was sorely disappointed.

But please read Kundera's novel, because it is wonderful. I can't help but think that Kundera was referring to this film when he wrote in his later novel Immortality: "The present era grabs everything that was ever written in order to transform it into films, TV programs, or cartoons. What is essential in a novel is precisely what can only be expressed in a novel, and so every adaptation contains nothing but the nonessential."