I swear I did not set out to chase schmaltz with one of the most depressing titles ever. Still, if there's ever a good time to see something heavy, it's after something overly perky.
In 1968 Czechoslovakia, Tomas (early Daniel Day-Lewis) is a surgeon who really gets around. Presently, his focal relationships involve two artists, Sabina (Lena Olin) and Tereza (Juliette Binoche), who are not immediately aware of their mutual connection. Tereza becomes the more devoted, even marrying him, despite her disapproval of his continuing promiscuity. Sabina eventually takes up with another man, Franz (Derek de Lint). Their lives get more complicated with political unrest followed by an upsurge in communist oppression.
You'd hardly know from my summary that the movie runs nearly three hours, requiring a second DVD. My brevity is partly to avoid spoilers, but personally, I didn't feel as though much had happened. I read that the original cut of less than two hours had proved confusing to studio execs, which makes me wonder which parts were missing at the time. Surely a huge chunk could have been excised without ruining the plot or characterization.
OK, maybe you need to be more invested in the relationships than I was. It's not that I can't enjoy a complex romance. I just don't approve Tomas' style or relate to any woman who wants to remain with him after learning about it. Heck, I marvel that his oft-stated "Take off your clothes" works all the time; I doubt it would in modern America.
Part of me did take interest in the nearly X-rated content that pervades the picture. There's plenty of expository nudity, mostly female and in steamy contexts. But such moments piling up generally aren't conducive to advancing anything besides horniness.
I found myself wishing that the political aspects took up more of the story. I hadn't known about widespread passport confiscations under communist regimes. Tomas gets in the most personal trouble thanks to a somewhat dated article he wrote, tho the government agents act curiously gentle in their attempt to coerce him into signing a retraction.
The cinematography takes a different turn during the Soviet invasion, particularly by switching to B&W and grainier color in parts. I'm not sure whether any of that was real footage or just in imitation of what videos would have been available in that setting.
I suspect that the Milan Kundera book has more to say about the politics. It certainly has more to say from a philosophical standpoint. The film doesn't even include the title in any dialog. Kundera did not think highly of the final cut and adopted a policy against allowing any more adaptations of his works.
The other scenes that woke me up a little involved animals. A mildly amusing man takes his cute pig Mephisto everywhere, regardless of what anyone tells him. Mephisto befriends Tomas' and Teresa's dog, named Karenin after Anna Karenina. Neither has much influence on the plot, tho Karenin does meet tragedy at some point.
In the end, TULoB is neither unbearable nor light. And it could do with a bit more "being."
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