"The Swimmer" - Burt lancaster, not Charlton Heston:
The Swimmer (Columbia, 1968)
Director: Frank Perry & Sydney Pollack[uncredited]. Screenplay: Eleanor Perry, from a story by John Cheever. Photography: David L. Quaid and Michael Nebbia. Music: Marvin Hamlisch. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Janet Landgard, Janice Rule, Diana Van Der Vlis, Tony Bickley, Kim Hunter, Joan Rivers. (94 min., Technicolor, 35mm; LC Collection, courtesy Columbia)
Tonight's two films take us on metaphorical journeys through suburbia. In Skaterdater, an Academy Award-winning short subject, several male teenagers blissfully roller-skate around town, until the appearance of a young girl alters the group's dynamics. Skaterdater makes many keen observations, all sans dialogue. Note: our print suffers from color-fading.
The Swimmer is a masterful adaptation of the withering, oblique, sometimes baffling John Cheever short story. On a beautiful Sunday afternoon in suburban Connecticut, Burt Lancaster decides to swim "cross-country," by going from swimming pool to swimming pool. Each stop illuminates past events in Lancaster's life and possible reasons for his demise. Variety perhaps summed the film up best, calling The Swimmer "the story of a moral hangover, with the sobered-up, bewildered man retracing his steps to see what he did.
Posted By: CB41 on October 31st 2008 at 12:47:30
Message Thread
- What's the most bent-up filum you've ever seen? (General Chat) - Ottosson Foxtrot, Oct 31, 12:07:29
- Two Girls One Cup (n/m) (General Chat) - Ken Dodds Dads Dog, Oct 31, 12:53:37
- "The Swimmer" - Burt lancaster, not Charlton Heston: (General Chat) - CB41, Oct 31, 12:47:30
- fear and loathing in Las Vegas (n/m) (General Chat) - Tony Martin, Oct 31, 12:37:11
- I've got an Aristocats story on single atum, with accompanying book. When Tinkerbell rings (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Oct 31, 12:32:38
- Piss-loving Lesbians XXII (n/m) (General Chat) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 12:32:17
- I thought that was played quite straight most of the way through, apart from the bit at (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Oct 31, 12:36:07
- What's that one where Charlton Heston (I think) crosses America (General Chat) - CB41, Oct 31, 12:31:25
- Ben Hur? (n/m) (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Oct 31, 12:34:08
- Planet of the Apes? (n/m) (General Chat) - yarmyyarmy, Oct 31, 12:33:29
- naked lunch (n/m) (General Chat) - Ken Dodds Dads Dog, Oct 31, 12:26:54
- And once again you can't forget C'est arriv? pr?s de chez vous (n/m) (General Chat) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 12:24:47
- What's that one where a guy is kidnapped and forced to build a wall. (General Chat) - yarmyyarmy, Oct 31, 12:24:41
- The Music of Chance (General Chat) - yarmyyarmy, Oct 31, 12:27:54
- Oh, maybe Being John Malkovitch is another candidate (n/m) (General Chat) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 12:21:58
- superb fillum. (n/m) (General Chat) - Ken Dodds Dads Dog, Oct 31, 12:26:08
- Yep - well bent up. (n/m) (General Chat) - Arizona Bay, Oct 31, 12:25:50
- Yep, agreed (n/m) (General Chat) - CB41, Oct 31, 12:22:50
- Southland Tales (General Chat) - blindasabat, Oct 31, 12:17:31
- this is england, is a bit wared (n/m) (General Chat) - strap_on sally, Oct 31, 12:17:19
- Gummo by Harmony Korine (It is also one of my favourites) (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Oct 31, 12:17:17
- I'm writing an even more bent-up remake called Erasurehead. (General Chat) - Ottosson Foxtrot, Oct 31, 12:20:37
- Lol - I interviewed them when they played Cov Poly in the eighdies. Andy Bell was a lovely (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Oct 31, 12:24:08
- one of your ones is redundant, Mr. Kid (n/m) (General Chat) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 12:27:12
- Que? Which one? (n/m) (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Oct 31, 12:28:57
- I don't know.... (General Chat) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 12:31:31
- Oh yeah (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Oct 31, 12:33:30
- I don't know.... (General Chat) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 12:31:31
- Que? Which one? (n/m) (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Oct 31, 12:28:57
- one of your ones is redundant, Mr. Kid (n/m) (General Chat) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 12:27:12
- Lol - I interviewed them when they played Cov Poly in the eighdies. Andy Bell was a lovely (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Oct 31, 12:24:08
- Eraserhead is well good. I also like Barton Fink - it starts all straight (General Chat) - Ottosson Foxtrot, Oct 31, 12:18:13
- I'm writing an even more bent-up remake called Erasurehead. (General Chat) - Ottosson Foxtrot, Oct 31, 12:20:37
- Not the most bent-up but my fave bent-up fillum is Jacob's Ladder (n/m) (General Chat) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 12:16:15
- And Lola Rennt (n/m) (General Chat) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 12:16:44
- chitty chitty bang bang (n/m) (General Chat) - lovely old job, Oct 31, 12:15:34
- I thought Brazil was a bit bent-up. (General Chat) - Arizona Bay, Oct 31, 12:14:04
- I've seen benter. (General Chat) - Ottosson Foxtrot, Oct 31, 12:15:09
- Lady in the Water (General Chat) - Flying Canary, Oct 31, 12:10:44
- You'd assume so (General Chat) - Flying Canary, Oct 31, 12:35:57
- Did she drown? (n/m) (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Oct 31, 12:18:28
- Werner Herzog=utter nutter! (n/m) (General Chat) - CB41, Oct 31, 12:10:12
- ... (General Chat) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 12:25:34
- 'Heart of Glass' is all out of goose, too. (General Chat) - Ottosson Foxtrot, Oct 31, 12:11:39
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