Drama

The Swimmer

Horizon Pictures

Columbia Pictures

United Kingdom

United States of America

English

Burt Lancaster

Janet Landgard

Janice Rule

Tony Bickley

Marge Champion

Nancy Cushman

Bill Fiore

Rose Gregorio

David Garfield

Kim Hunter

Charles Drake

Bernie Hamilton

House Jameson

Jimmy Joyce

Michael Kearney

Richard McMurray

Jan Miner

Diana Muldaur

Keri Oleson

Joan Rivers

Cornelia Otis Skinner

Dolph Sweet

Louise Troy

Diana Van der Vlis

Philip Bruns

Alva Celauro

John Cheever

Lisa Daniels

Hugh Franklin

John Gerstad

Dennis McMullen

Eleanor Perry

Frank Perry

Marilyn Langner

Ray Mason

Enrico A. Cortese

Joseph Manduke

Felix Trimboli

Carl Lerner

Pat Somerset

David L. Quaid

Marvin Hamlisch

Sidney Katz

Roger H. Lewis

Sam Spiegel

Peter Dohanos

Ed Callaghan

John Jiras

Clay Lambert

Michael Hertzberg

Ted Zachary

Stanley Cappiello

Thomas Wright

Willard W. Goodman

Jack Fitzstephens

Richard Falk

Michael Nebbia

Alan Stetson

Anna Hill Johnstone

Andrew Drapkin

Jack Hayes

Leo Shuken

Barbara Robinson

Lorenzo Porricelli

Thom Conroy

Florence Nerlinger

CinemaSerf

"Ned" (Burt Lancaster) has been away for a while so his neighbours are a bit surprised to see him, clad only in his trunks, swimming in their pool. After some chat with them, he discovers that barring the odd bit of terrain to cross, he can pretty much swim his way home through the pools of other neighbours/friends/acquaintances - a river and even a public lido... The film now follows him as this rather unique journey introduces us to his community, and to his own interesting, complicated and lively backstory. I could run to all sorts of amateur psychology about my understanding of what each stop means to him; to those with whom he stops, and to those of us watching - for the adaptation of the pretty depressing Cheever short story would certainly indulge that; but I felt this was more of a testament to an always slightly under-rated actor in Lancaster. He starred in some superb films over his career, and this - with him almost entirely en cueros, with his soul likewise just as scantily attired, allows us to gradually understand where his character has been, and to guess, maybe, where he might be going. Kim Hunter maybe stands out amongst the supporting cast, but I'm not sure that any of them outdo the other - they all fulfil their function adequately offering us a myriad of possibilities for his current and past behaviour. The ending is especially poignant and as an ingenious and imaginative piece of cinema, this takes some beating.

**_Offbeat parable of self-discovery on the collapse of the “American dream”_**

A somewhat confused man in swimming trunks (Burt Lancaster) travels from pool to pool in suburban Connecticut on his way home. Some of the people he comes across are played by Janet Landgard, Janice Rule, Joan Rivers and Diana Muldaur, amongst several others.  

"The Swimmer" (1968) is a semi-surreal commentary on mid-60’s America and the emptiness of materialism, as well as self-destruction. The fact that Ned Merrill (Lancaster) is almost naked throughout the film tells all. But the revelations are lowkey; you have to put the pieces together. I liked the insights on the folly of compulsiveness, whether social, youth-obsession, sexual or self-delusion. It’s an immersion into a struggling man’s soul.

The allegory offers additional insights about the people we cross paths with in life. Friends might, more accurately, be casual acquaintances. Those whom you least suspect might be your biggest fans, at least in their memories. How did you treat others when you were on top? Who’s there for you when you’re no longer on top?

It runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot entirely in southwest Connecticut (Weston, Wilton, Westport, Stamford and Fairfield).

GRADE: B

The Swimmer (1968) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]

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The Swimmer

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Cast

Burt Lancaster

Janet Landgard

Janice Rule

Tony Bickley

Marge Champion

Nancy Cushman

Bill Fiore

Rose Gregorio

David Garfield

Kim Hunter

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