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The Swimmer (1968)
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Overview
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Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
15 May 1968 (USA)
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Tagline:
The famed John Cheever short story appeared in the New Yorker and people talked. Now there will be talk again. When you sense this man's vibrations and share his colossal hang-up . . . will you see someone you know, or love? When you feel the body-blow power of his broken dreams, will it reach you deep inside, where it hurts? When you talk about "The Swimmer" will you talk about yourself? more
Plot:
Neddy Merrill has been away for most of the Summer. He reappears at a friends pool. As they talk, someone...
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Plot Keywords:
Hugging
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Nudist Camp
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Deer
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Lemonade Stand
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Owl
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NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
McVey & Ronnolfson Join Hamlisch for Rodgers 'My Favorite Things' with Milwaukee Symphony 1/30 -2/1
(From BroadwayWorld.com. 27 January 2009, 3:10 PM, PST)
Review - "Revolutionary Road" - A glossy, engrossing tale of mad men and suffering wives
(From Movie Jungle. 8 January 2009, 12:41 AM, PST)
(From BroadwayWorld.com. 27 January 2009, 3:10 PM, PST)
Review - "Revolutionary Road" - A glossy, engrossing tale of mad men and suffering wives
(From Movie Jungle. 8 January 2009, 12:41 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Wonderfully Sad Portrait of Suburban Loneliness
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Burt Lancaster | ... | Ned Merrill |
 | Janet Landgard | ... | Julie Ann Hooper |
| Janice Rule | ... | Shirley Abbott |
| Tony Bickley | ... | Donald Westerhazy |
| Marge Champion | ... | Peggy Forsburgh |
| Nancy Cushman | ... | Mrs. Halloran (Nudist) |
| Bill Fiore | ... | Howie Hunsacker |
| David Garfield | ... | Ticket Seller (as John Garfield Jr.) |
 | Kim Hunter | ... | Betty Graham |
| Rose Gregorio | ... | Sylvia Finney |
| Charles Drake | ... | Howard Graham |
| Bernie Hamilton | ... | Halloran's Chauffeur |
| House Jameson | ... | Mr. Chester Halloran (Nudist) |
| Jimmy Joyce | ... | Jack Finney |
| Michael Kearney | ... | Kevin Gilmartin Jr. |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
95 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
West Germany:12 (f) (re-rating) |
West Germany:16 (f) (original rating) |
Australia:M |
Finland:K-16 |
Singapore:PG |
Sweden:11 |
UK:PG |
USA:Approved |
USA:PG (re-rating) (1968)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Frank Perry did not finish directing this film because of creative differences.
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Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: Shadow of light-rig clearly visible at the first pool party.
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Quotes:
[first lines]
Donald Westerhazy: Where have you been keeping yourself?
Ned Merrill: Oh, here and there. Here and there.
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Donald Westerhazy: Where have you been keeping yourself?
Ned Merrill: Oh, here and there. Here and there.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in Undercover X (2001)
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Soundtrack:
Send for Me in Summer
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (87 total)
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Frank Perry's screen adaptation of the achingly sad John Cheever short story gets the tone of Cheever's story just right, even if the movie itself doesn't have quite the same impact.
There have been countless strong and powerful films made around the theme of suburban loneliness, and this movie belongs to that genre. There's something so poignant about the idea that someone can exist in a world that's manufactured for the sole purpose of providing its inhabitants with luxury, pleasure and convenience, and still be miserable. You'd think people would have gotten the point by now, and figured out that privilege, wealth and materialism have virtually nothing to do with ultimate happiness, but if our own consumerist culture is any indication, they haven't.
What helps "The Swimmer" to stand out from other similarly-themed films is the way the story is told. It's only through the reactions of others that we begin to sense what's wrong with Burt Lancaster's character. To us, he looks the picture of middle-aged robustness and health. Lancaster became a much better actor as he aged, and he gives a wonderful performance here, as his bravado and macho virility (the strutting and preening of a man on top of the world) slowly dissolves into a lost insecurity, until the film's final devastating moments leave him as forlorn as a baby.
What a sad, sad movie.
Grade: A-