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The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Criterion Collection

The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Criterion Collection

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: The Unbearable Lightness of Being Boring
Review: This is well acted, beautifully filmed...and pretentious exitentialist tripe. There's a difference between TRYING to be deep and serious, and being deep and serious. This movie doesn't know the difference. Long and slow.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Let's not forget the other star of the film
Review: He's not mentioned in the main titles, and gets a scant listing at the end, yet the music of Czech composer Janacek is integral to this brilliant film. Kaufman says in the commentary that Milan Kundera recommended using Janacek -- his favorite composer -- and that the music takes the place of Kundera's narrative voice. Too bad Kaufman didn't see fit to credit him. If you enjoyed the music, buy the soundtrack album (still in print) or Janacek's String Quartets and Fairy Tale for cello and piano -- as erotic, passionate and painful as the film.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Unbearable limited-ness of Film
Review: Keeping away from its original novel by Kundera, this film is quite meanigful. If you think after seeing this film " What does this film mean?" at all, you must think about yourself sold on an idea that films must have ideas.

In this story, the most important idea that restricts us here is "promises". A woman keeping herself escaping promised land, a man inconscious of others' promises, and a woman seeking the promise of truth/eternity. The third, while claiming promises accomplished, knows anything can work under rules, but human. For them, the promised land impressed by the communism is the turning point of how to deal with promises. One run away to Geneve at once, one find raison d'etre fighting against overruling Promise with another promise, taking photos. And the other, just doing what he feels good at that time.

The scene that old men playing chess speaks everything of this story. Floating chessboard is our daily life exactly, stiricted by rules(of game in the saying of Camus), Stories(eschatology, communism world awaited), promises, ideologies, and any other damns. But who destructed the game? Not the Warsaw Army, but Tomas who disregards all the (external) rules but his own (internal). The queen on the chessboard slipped out of rules when falls into love with the knight.

The only point I feel dincontented with is the ending of this film. Fading out with satisfaction like happy ending of other boaring stories, but I have no better idea than this, because this is a film, restiricted by the rule of time-limited-ness.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A film that you will never forget
Review: Well,I first saw this book,then I heard from my classmate that our university had this film, so I went to see it.I think this film is really worth seeing not only for the actor and the actresses but also for the content.And this week I went to see it for the second time and I was surprised to find that the fee for seeing this film is higher and the assistant told me that seeing this film is not so easy now because of the contents and our university intended to prohibit us from seeing but the assistant tried to persuade them not to prohibit this film. I think that the actress who played the role of Sabina is terrific. She played so really just like the image I supposed to be Sabina.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Milan Kundera rides again...
Review: A wonderful drama of the unfolding of two lives... Read the book, too. Not for the shallow-minded.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the nicest films I have seen
Review: Historically true setting, fine artistic licence, a young doctor in Prague and his life and loves. A true classic with two wonderful actors.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best contemporary films of all time
Review: Wow...unbelievable that someone could give this movie 1 star. You would either have to be clinically dead or so engulfed in film-critique snobbery and technical objectivism (ah, we Americans are so mesmerized by that European chic and intrigue aren't we!) to not be moved by this film. For those who can't handle the erotic overtones, the "shallowness" (I completely disagree here) or can't get around Tomas' womanizing -- it's your loss. The emotions in this movie are far from shallow, it's just that this film refuses to be blatant about them in a typical Hollywood tug-at-your-heartstrings fashion. While the dialogue may seem cold and distant at times, the character's facial expressions (be they blank or not) always manage to betray their innermost thoughts and vulnerabilities.

Of course, this movie will appear slow and drawn out to anyone not accustomed to anything but "Armadeggon" and "Sleepless in Seattle", but I never found it dull. This is one of the most beautiful, human films I've ever come to know.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Highly overrated
Review: One of the most overrated movies ever. It is extremely meandering and never seems to end. People like this flik because it's all about atmosphere and erotic cool and Prague, etc. As a movie it's really lousy, there's no real point to it except to stay within this hip, tense, minimalistic-european world for as long as possible. I kept thinking- "oh, that's the end" and it would keep going. I'd think "oh, ok, this is the end", and it would keep going. When the end finally came I thanked God it was over because it was really painful to sit through. This movie is all about style *as* substance, it's very shallow and I imagine enjoyable only if you're willing to accept this type of movie as shallow entertainment and nothing more. It's not a shoot-em-up action movie, but it's about as deep as one and you probably need to be in that mind-set to like it. Personally I like my dramas a little bit deeper. I guess this is a good movie to point to as proof you dig deep movies or something, as this is accepted as a deep movie, but I'm telling you, it's about as deep as spilt milk.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Life is to enjoy!
Review: This wonderful film transports the viewer to a wonderful place. The political stress and turmoil enable the characters to release thier emotion in truly the best way. The struggle of just "being" a person and having to make choices overwhelms sometimes, but the characters seem to cope with these issues in a very exciting and emotional manner. The film is a masterpiece in many ways, cinamatographically, emotionally, sexually. It makes the viewer reflect upon thier own decisions and actions in ways no other films can. A true classic for the soft hearted and sensual "beings" who enjoy life to the fullest in all its splendor.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Unbelieveable Genius of Philip Kaufman
Review: A glorious acheivment in the history of American Film. Passionately directed and gorgeously photographed, with impeccable acting from Day-Lewis, Binoche and Olin. "Unbearable" will linger in your head for weeks after watching it. And it's one of the few movies to use animal death in a non-cheap fashion: The death of Tomas and Tereza's dog is riveting and beautifully performed. Contrary to some opinions, the book is not better than the film; it's an entirely different entity structured in a seemingly unfilmable, non-linear fashion. As a written story, it doesn't make the kind of dramatic sense it does on screen. What Kaufman pulls off with "Unbearable" is truly remarkable.


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