The Unbearable Lightness of Being
…which is why the picture shown in this posting is a cover of the book instead of the movie, which I am going to review today – or not?
It’s rare since I have seen such a highly praised movie. I do understand how it has received these reviews, and I really think it did the best what it could, but I did not particularily enjoy watching the movie myself.
Sure, the storytelling is great, the directing is nice, especially the omitment of certain aspects of the movie is totally well done. I expected Sabina to play a more important role and of course I also expected Sabina’s and Franz’ relationship to be portrayed insufficiently. That was okay. What I could not accept that easily, however, is my insatisfaction with the cast.
Tomas… is horrible. The worst character of all of them, I guess. He just feels like a perverted bastard to me, that’s all. You couldn’t feel his love for Tereza at all in my opinion, and I think that the actor sucked. Also, I expect Tomas to be taller, with a sexier voice and actually with fully grown hair.
I knew from the beginning that Juliette Binoche as Tereza would be horrible. I really think that Natalie Portman would have been the perfect Tereza, even Julia Roberts could have been nice. (I probably am the only person in the world who likes Julia Roberts, but she is rather good in the role as the unhappy lover.) In my imagination, Tereza has to be a girl-like woman with long, black hair.
Now, what surprised me was Franz: He looked surprisingly nice. However, I would have expected Franz to be much, much taller than Sabina and actually strong-looking. I wanted a scene in which he holds her in his strong arms while she touches them, haha.
Personality-wise, the character I have disliked the most is Sabina. In the book, her betrayal to Franz is quite understandable, while she comes off as a weak woman who wants to run away. I do think that Sabina is quite strong though: In my opinion, she has never betrayed herself, and ‘herself’ is actually woman for whom betrayal is pivotal in her life.
Acting-wise, I think she was the best of them, but she doesn’t fit the character at all. I would have expected Sabina to be prettier than Tereza, and very femininely shaped.
Since I love the book so much, I absolutely had to watch the movie of course, but I cannot see myself seeing it again. I’d rather read the book again and again, and keep all the emotional and delicious scenes in my own head.
Actually I fully agree this time. La Loliportman as Tereza? Oh the glory, my imagination runs wild!
I also tend to totally agree with you, my fellow Kundera fan. I also thought that Sabina was the best one of them, acting-wise, and I didn’t like Juliette Binoche as Teresa, although I love her in lots of other movies… Teresa is much more innocent than Juliette Binoche can ever act. Binoche is an actress for characters with a strong appearance like the one in Trois couleurs: Bleu or in Chocolat. And I can’t even *remember* the actor for Franz, which is why he probably made the least impression on me.
And of course the film isn’t comparable to the book at all. I guess I would have liked it much more, if I hadn’t read the book before watching it. So in the end I’ll just do the same as you, read the book again instead of watching the adaptation.
PS: You still need *his* autograph! XD
@Pixelmatsch: Hohoho! There really is nobody who fits this “innocent girl role” better than her – even though in reality Ms. Harvard psychology degree is probably totally not innocent at all.
@Shii: I do think that Juliette Binoche can act innocent (she has never been in a role in which she was explicitly *not* innocent), but she just gives another impression as a woman as Tereza did in the book for me, that’s all.
Franz is pretty boring, like really really boring in the film, that’s probably why you forgot him, hahaha.
PS. I don’t care about his autograph, I wanted his bedroom =P