The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) – Filming Locations
Drama / History · Directed by Julian Schnabel · Starring Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner
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.
Where was The Diving Bell and the Butterfly filmed?
- Paris, France, Paris – Jean-Dominique Bauby's rehabilitation and recovery in the hospital where he communicates through blinking. The actual Paris hospital where the real Jean-Dominique Bauby was treated after his stroke, providing authenticity to the medical sequences
- Berck-sur-Mer, France, Berck-sur-Mer – Jean-Dominique's transfer to the coastal rehabilitation facility where he begins his recovery journey. The seaside rehabilitation center provides therapeutic backdrop and represents hope and progress in Bauby's recovery
- Paris, France, Paris – Flashback sequence showing Jean-Dominique's memories and life before the stroke. The iconic Paris monument is used in memory and dream sequences reflecting Bauby's former life and consciousness
- Paris, France, Paris – Nostalgic flashback sequences of Jean-Dominique's life in Paris before his stroke. Parisian waterfront locations evoke the elegant life Bauby lived before his illness and serve as contrast to his new reality