A three-hour soufflé about the unplanned courses of love and politics, it is set during the fall of Prague Spring, depicting a doctor who pays little attention to events beyond his immediate concern. The 1988 Philip Kaufman film is based upon a refreshingly concise novel by Milan Kundera. Daniel Day Lewis is the philandering doctor, splitting his affections between Lena Olin and Juliette Binoche. There is a compelling contrast between the historical forces surrounding the heroes and their search for depth in their own emotional relationships. The story intends to show that even superficial lives have vitality, and also creates a complex political allegory to suggest that the Dubcek regime, like the doctor, had neither the pragmatism nor the extremism it required for survival.

Summary by Doug Pratt

I  just didn't care for this movie, because it didn't develop its characters. It uses its characters allegorically to make statements about love, sex and politics, but we never gain more than superficial insights into them. Also, three hours is far too long to have a main character who's essentially mute. He rarely speaks, and when he does, he doesn't have anything to say. He's only interested in jumping into bed with any female that moves. Ok, I'm with him there, but I needed more from a movie this long. On the positive side, there's a lot of nudity and erotic scenes, which aren't played for titillating effect. Instead, they illustrate the beauty of sex and the human body, as well as the difference in attitudes between the traditional Tereza and the emotionally unfettered Tomas and Sabina. I perked up when the Russians invaded, but then we returned to the struggle between Tomas and Tereza. I suppose I should have paid more attention to the metaphors and allegories, but I kept concentrating on the characters. My bad. --Bill Alward, October 12, 2002