The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)

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7.4	Rating (273 ratings)
7.3	IMDB rating

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Directed by

Philip Kaufman

Starring (View all)

Daniel Day-Lewis
Tomas

Juliette Binoche
Tereza

Lena Olin
Sabina

Derek de Lint
Franz

Erland Josephson
The Ambassador

Pavel Landovský
Pavel

Donald Moffat
Chief Surgeon

Daniel Olbrychski
Interior Ministry Official

Written by (View all)

Milan Kundera
(novel)

Jean-Claude Carrière
(screenplay)

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Reviews

Fast women, slow pace.

13 years, 9 months ago at Jan 8 21:34

GemLil

1 vote

"In the time of the Russian invasion in Czechoslovakia, making love was a way of resisting, a way of being free."

These words of the screen-writer of Lightness sum up this film entirely, an intricate balance between a political film and a love story.

This is stirring and engaging story that thoroughly challenges your preconceptions of sexuality and the Czech people... read more

A very good movie

11 years, 1 month ago at Aug 30 9:14

johanlefourbe

1 vote

Since I kept hearing good things about this flick, I was really eager to check it out. Furthermore, I have to say it has one of the best title ever conceived and just for that, I wanted to see it and I had some rather huge expectations. Honestly, I haven't read the book so I don't know if the movie is really faithful or not but it is basically a love story with a historical background. To be hones... read more

Quite boring

14 years, 5 months ago at Apr 13 5:44

Abhi

1 vote

The book was a dry read but what the movie also lacks is most of the intellectually engaging parts. So it is interesting at times but for the most part is dry and un-engaging on an emotional level. Good acting cannot save this either. It reminds me of 2001: A Space Odyssey, in that the movie was hard to completely understand without having read the book. However, 2001 was still a very good movie.

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Tomas is a doctor and a lady-killer in 1960s Czechoslovakia, an apolitical man who is struck with love for the bookish country girl Tereza; his more sophisticated sometime lover Sabina eventually accepts their relationship and the two women form an electric friendship. The three are caught up in the events of the Prague Spring (1968), until the Soviet tanks crush the non-violent rebels; their illusions are shattered and their lives change forever.

Release date: 5 February 1988
UPC: 037429140222

Tags: Drama (12), Romance (12), 1980s (8), 1988 (7), Czech (5), Nudity (5), War (5), Based On Novel (5), Historical (5), Erotic (4), (4), 1960s (3), Based On A Novel (3), Usa (3), Prague (3), Oppression (2), Kaufman (2), Photographing (2), Czechoslovakia (2)

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" Notes: First of all, I have to say it has one of the best title ever conceived and just for that, I wanted to see it and I had some rather huge expectations. Honestly, I haven't read the book so I don't know if the movie is really faithful or not but it is basically a love story with a historical background. To be honest, even though I thought that this story was good, I was actually expecting more somehow. Still, there were many things to enjoy about this flick and, eventually, the best thing"

johanlefourbe added this to a list 1 year, 7 months ago