after read the book and which have a lot of mean for me and the movie do not give me any of the feeling which the book conveyed . this make me wonder if kaufman even like this book for he successfully make it into something else . either that or he be simply bad . most importantly where be the lightness . from the very first scene and music drownes out most of the dialogue and feeling and and this continue right through the movie . i think the maker think that by have upbeat music playing right through the movie and this would make the story feel light however they have completely fail here . instead the music manage to give everything that amovie feel and in a way dramatise event so that we linger on them and so that everything actually feel heavy . another example of the how this adaptation fail be by embellish the story line make it more dramatic . in the movie we see franz pass tomas on the street and who be on his way to see sabina . the introduction of this chance meeting or passing and which im sure do not happen in the book and give tomas story more significance than it do make it light . there be many other example where the continuity of the story have be change and imo for the bad and however this might have be do because the book simply doesn not convert well into a movie and such be kundera style . this make we wonder if all the generous reviewer on this site be write with their book and movie experience in mind rather than write about just the film . a film which be as long a it be uncompelling . for those who haven not read the book yet i recommend just read that . for those who have and i have to say you will just be waste your time and probably end up here write similar stay clear warning .