The Swimmer

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Hagrid R Apr 5, 2019 The Swimmer from 1968 is a criminally under-seen film that Hollywood left behind. Set in the final glory days of an affluent midcentury America most people never experienced, Frank Perry's scathing portrayal of upper-middle-class rot has aged to perfection and should be regarded as one of the finest films of the 1960's. Yet its failure to achieve the notoriety of contemporary works like The Graduate- a spiritually similar, but wholly inferior movie from a year earlier-meant generations have been robbed of seeing John Cheever's sinister short story brought to life. Masterfully using allegory in a way no other film has, Ned Merrill's (played with subtle creepiness by Burt Lancaster) quest to traverse his posh Connecticut neighborhood via its well-manicured pools not only takes the audience on a guided tour through an obviously troubled man's world, but reveals exactly how this tanned, smiling phony embraced people at his own convenient, superficial level, then casually abandoned them with little or no regard for what was left behind. The script is fascinating because key elements of Merrill's life are left a mystery, and viewers are forced to interpret for themselves the meaning of each highly symbolic action and conversation. Noteworthy not only for being Joan Rivers' first credited acting role, but also master composer Marvin Hamlisch's first film score. And The Swimmer's current critical classification of having a "cult following" is an obvious misread of the manner in which screenwriter Eleanor Perry and cinematographer David Quaid translated Cheever's work into the mainstream. Because there is nothing obscure or transgressive about how this cautionary tale details our universal capacity for denial, and the withering toll it takes on those around us. And while it lacks the lightheartedly quotable "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me, aren't you?", or "Plastics" moments of The Graduate, The Swimmer digs miles deeper into the human psyche, eventually striking gold if you're willing to see through the darkness. See more

Ron R Jan 2, 2019 At times intoxicating and at other times uncomfortable, this unique movie is always captivating. Essential viewing for movie buffs. See more

Poe W Oct 18, 2018 Burt Lancaster is wonderful in this haunting and sadly beautiful gem.

Anakin W May 23, 2018 good performance by Lancaster, in a dressing movie

Ron S Feb 6, 2018 Surreal, very good film

Anakin W Apr 4, 2017 How can one review or explain this movie? It is nearly beyond criticism, it doesn't even seem like it should be classified as a film it's so out there. It's an existential drama of a man that the audience understands more about as we see him interact with people that he runs into as he stops by each of their swimming pool's. The film has plenty of intentional and possibly non-intentional offbeat humor, surrealistically strange social encounters, and unconventional camerawork. The script is brilliantly opaque throughout, and the music is so normal nice-60's A&M brass pop that it seems to comment on the abnormal events unfolding. At the center of the film is Lancaster's career performance, he had been in a lot of film's before this one but you can see how much he poured into making this one perfect. Lancaster becomes the man in his middle age struggling with his thirst for independence in the 60's, the new spirit coming over him and his body and reality of life failing him. There's a lot that could be said on this film, and I'll just say it's one of the finest I've seen because it pulls the viewer into its own world and gives you a lot to think about before you head out. See more

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The Swimmer

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