Cheap Swimmer (Video) (Frank Perry, Sydney Pollack) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Swimmer

Let yourself be surprised
1968 was the year for a bumper crop of weird movies. <
>I am not going to be a spoiler and summarize the movie. Indeed my advice to you if you are interested in watching this movie is try not to read any reviews because to enjoy the full power of the movie you have to let yourself be surprised. <
>I will say this. It begins with Burt Lancaster swimming in a swimming pool in an affluent New England town and the film follows him as he swims from one cement swimming pool to the next. Lancaster is brilliant in the movie and the photography is stunning. <
> If you enjoy intelligent offbeat movies you will probably enjoy this one. <
>

Last one in is a rotten egg!
On the surface (no pun intended), "The Swimmer" doesn't look like the sort of movie a diehard horror fan like myself would enjoy. Look at that DVD cover, for instance. Burt Lancaster and Janet Landgard staring dreamily at each other while standing in front of a sun drenched swimming pool. What is this madness? Why would I spend even a second with a film that simply reeks of romantic drama? Well, the DVD cover is as misleading as the beginning scenes of the film contained within. "The Swimmer" is about as far from a romantic melodrama as "Friday the 13th" is from "Meatballs." This 1968 examination of the mental collapse of a member of America's affluent class is a horror lover's dream; a grim, unforgiving film that refuses to pull any punches when the "Twilight Zone" ending unfolds with all of its sinister implications. Sure, no one's head explodes, no one finds himself or herself on the receiving end of a sharp instrument, but that shouldn't preclude the serious shriek cinema aficionado from checking this downbeat picture out and giving it a whirl. "The Swimmer," more than most other films I've seen recently, stays with you long after the final credits roll. <
> <
>Ned Merrill (Burt Lancaster), when we first see him, seems like a guy who has it all. A strong, healthy looking fellow with a warm personality and a ready grin, Merrill jogs out of the foliage to banter with a few of his neighbors. Everyone around the pool seems to love this guy even though they claim they haven't seen him in ages. Lots of "hearty fellow well met" dialogue follows as Merrill's friends inquire about his family, his job, and his impressive physique. Ned fires back like pro, cajoling and chuckling with aplomb. After taking a dip in the swimming pool, our hero comes up with a plan. Surveying the Connecticut countryside, he suddenly realizes that it's entirely possible to "swim" home, namely by swimming through all of his neighbors' pools. His friends cackle at such craziness, but Merrill is undeterred. Off he goes on his personal little quest which, when you think about, is a fun idea. What better way to spend a summer day than passing through estate after estate loaded with well manicured lawns, opulent homes, and good company? Every pool Merrill will swim through belongs to people who have known him for years. As we'll soon see, however, this is far from a good thing. <
> <
>At first Ned finds his neighbors accommodating and personable, especially when he runs into his daughters' former babysitter lounging poolside with her friends. Julie Hooper (Janet Landgard) is a gorgeous young lady with blonde hair, and she seems quite happy to run into her old boss Ned. She's so happy to see him, in fact, that she agrees to join his mission. The two caper about, running through the forests separating the pools while talking about the good times. They even spend time running around in an old horse stall, leaping over obstacles and generally having a great time. Sadly, Hooper flees after an uncomfortable conversation with Ned in which she reveals she once had a crush on him. Merrill troops on alone, but now things don't go so well. His friends turn cold and distant--some resort to outright hostility when they see him--and very unpleasant information rises to the surface. Dark insinuations hint at Merrill's insolvency in all things financial, personal problems with the wife and kiddies, unemployment, and unpaid debts owed to local businesses. Ned doesn't seem to understand the animus aimed at him, but presses on nonetheless, determined to arrive home in time to play tennis with his young daughters. What will Ned Merrill find when he gets there? <
> <
>"The Swimmer" suffers a few flaws, including an incredibly dated score from Marvin Hamlisch and some very cheesy set pieces. For example, check out that huge pool party. Whew! Those dance moves nearly had me clawing my eyes out! But once you get past the idea that you're watching an older film from a time when fashion and music tended to be a little off the wall, you're in for a treat. The best part of the movie is simply trying to discern exactly what happened to Ned Merrill. He committed adultery, if the emotional scene where Ned confronts his embittered former mistress is any indication, and he moved through life like the world owed him something, but what exactly sent him over the edge? For that matter, is he over the edge? Or did something far more sinister occur? Why do all of his neighbors act as though they haven't seen him for ages? Where has he been since his disgrace? One suspects the local nuthouse put out an APB on this guy. "The Swimmer" raises far more questions than it's willing to answer, so if you need a film that lays everything out in the open you should probably look elsewhere. But if you like a film that keeps you guessing, that features a guy and a girl running around a track like a pair of horses, "The Swimmer" should be your cup of tea. <
> <
>Some maintain that the movie is an examination of the hollowness of the upper class, and in several respects that assertion contains grains of truth. The wealthy nudists (!) that spurn Ned, the endless parties and the drinking in the middle of the day (don't these people work?), and the attention to material possessions certainly supply plenty of evidence to back up this argument. But I think the movie is more interested in showing us one human being's inability to cope with tragedy than it is in revealing the decadence of a bunch of upper crust grand poobahs. Then again, I could be wrong. Give "The Swimmer" a watch and decide for yourself. Me? I'm putting on my trunks and going out for a dip in the pool! <
>